Brooklyn Law School’s Business Boot Camp equips students with essential business skills

January 17, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Boot Camp co-founder Michael Gerber, Brooklyn Law School professor of law and internationally recognized expert in bankruptcy law.
Photo: Andy Katz/Brooklyn Eagle

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Brooklyn Law School hosted its 11th Annual Business Boot Camp last week, a unique program designed to equip law students with critical business and financial acumen.

Held during the winter semester break, this four-day intensive course was developed in collaboration with Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory and John P. Oswald, the chairman and CEO of Capital Trust Group and a member of the law school’s Board of Trustees.

The program, co-founded by Brooklyn Law School Professor Michael Gerber, an internationally recognized expert in bankruptcy law, aims to supplement traditional legal education by teaching students to think like businesspeople.

“Law schools are well known for training students to think like lawyers, but there are times when practicing lawyers need to reach outside the traditional legal toolkit and think like a businessperson, and that is where our Business Boot Camp comes in,” said Gerber.

“The intensive course introduces students — even those who have never studied business, finance, or economics — to the vocabulary and frameworks they can use to help clients,” Gerber continued. “Additionally, the program offers key insight into topics that are particularly relevant to today’s global business leaders, such as Generative AI and fintech concepts, including blockchain and digital assets.”

This approach, the school says, is crucial for practicing lawyers who need to understand their clients’ business objectives and challenges. The course covers a broad range of topics, including business plan development, budgeting, financing, accounting, valuation, cryptocurrency, networking, client development and leadership.

According to Professor Gerber, the Business Boot Camp introduces students to the vocabulary and frameworks of business, finance and economics. It also delves into contemporary topics like Generative AI, fintech, blockchain and digital assets, preparing students for the evolving demands of global business leadership.

David Meyer, the president and dean at Brooklyn Law School, highlighted the Boot Camp’s unique blend of academic and practical insights.

“The Business Boot Camp is unique in its combination of the insights of seasoned legal academics with leading practitioners at the frontiers of business innovation,” Meyer said.

“It helps students build fundamental knowledge and skills to evaluate new business opportunities, but also, crucially, the entrepreneurial orientation they need to understand and advance a client’s business objectives. We see the long-standing Business Boot Camp offered by Brooklyn Law School and Deloitte as a model for future collaboration in legal education,” he added.

More than 80 alumni, including law firm partners, CEOs and general counsels, participated in the January 2024 Boot Camp, offering their insights and experiences in interactive sessions. The event concluded with a Q&A session with David Barse, founder and CEO of XOUT Capital and DMB Holdings.

Since its inception in 2013, the Business Boot Camp has become a cornerstone of Brooklyn Law School’s curriculum, providing students with what is often referred to as a “mini-MBA” experience.

Hundreds of students have completed the Business Boot Camp since 2013, earning academic credit and gaining invaluable skills to prepare them for the dynamic intersection of law and business.