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Master the Business of Law
 

The

LEGAL

MBA®

It started with a book...

Image of The Legal MBA Essentials book

...a book that distills the authors' 30+ years of law firm experience and 2x MBAs into 8 easy to read chapters, complete with case studies and practical workbook exercises to help busy lawyers master the business of law.

People liked the book...

"A great read and an essential guide for anyone working in legal who wants to maximise their impact and ability to get stuff done with some amazingly useful tools and templates."
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Karen Peskett-Hall,
Chief Transformation Officer, Kennedys
"A valuable handbook filled with practical advice, based on relatable examples which bring the themes to life. A book to keep handy for a trusted advisor in your pocket when you need it; its accessibility testament to the writers’ relaxed and enjoyable writing style."
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Rowena Rix,
Head of Innovation and AI, Dentons
"James and Darren have captured the framework of an MBA and distilled it through the lens of a professional services organisation. An excellent tool to have in the toolbox!"
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Nigel Lang,
Chief Information Officer, Fieldfisher
"There is a wealth of information and training materials when it comes to the practice of law, but there is a gap when it comes to the business of law and the commercial running of a legal practice. The Legal MBA credibly addresses that gap and is a worthwhile read for lawyers working in private practice."
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Katja Ullrich-North,
Partner, Director of Knowledge Management, Simmons & Simmons
"Does a fantastic job of cutting out the noise and providing insights that can really make a difference. I am almost loathe to recommend it as I don't want to share the competitive advantage!"
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Dan Lowen,
Partner, Dentons
"One of the threads running throughout The Legal MBA is to be clear on what clients you work with, what services you offer them and then organise the more operational elements of your legal practice to deliver on this. This client focused approach gives much needed clarity to lawyers and business services professionals alike and I'd recommend the book to anyone looking for a more commercial approach to running a legal practice."
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Karen Snell,
Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer, Kennedys

...they liked it a lot

"A book that would benefit both lawyers and also other young professionals looking to build a career in the legal sector, be it in Finance, Marketing, HR, Technology functions. I always say that working on the legal sector is unique, but this book starts to de-mystify some of those challenges of delivering an efficient and profitable law firm and gives you smart ways to approach your thinking."
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Ian Rands,
Pricing Director, Freeths
"An essential resource for private practice legal operations professionals and lawyers alike. The Legal MBA is well thought through and makes complex concepts accessible and digestible. The book is replete with practical examples that bridge the gap between theory and real-world application, providing readers with actionable insights to enhance their legal operations. It's a must-read for anyone looking to excel in the legal industry, offering wisdom that could only come from seasoned experts in the field. A well-deserved five stars for this comprehensive and practical guide."
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James Arnold,
Head of Legal Project Management, Dentons
"This book is a great, informative read that gives brilliant practical examples of how to manage and run a successful business in a legal context. As a new partner I have found it extremely useful in helping me to understand the way in which firms should be making decisions to best serve their own and their clients’ needs. The book is concise, with excellent real life law firm examples that put the lessons into context in a manner that even those with no management experience should find easy to follow.
 
The authors raise questions that really help to focus your mind on what the important issues for your practice are and they guide you systematically through each step of the process to ensure that you understand why, for example, how you market yourself and to which markets really matters. Clearly set out, well written with lots of useful tables, diagrams and access to online resources to help in your journey it’s a great one stop shop. I can see myself coming back to this again and again."
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Alexis Condie,
Partner, Harper Macleod

So we listened to lawyers and learning & development professionals to understand the commercial skills training needs of busy lawyers working in private practice

We regularly discuss our findings in a free 60 minute webinar covering:

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  • How commercial skills boost firm performance and lawyer well-being

  • Key topics for a commercial skills L&D programme

  • Barriers to developing commercial skills

  • How to enhance lawyers' commercial skills

 

This webinar is ideal for HR, L&D and Commercial Finance professionals within law firms, responsible for developing lawyers' commercial skills.

The Importance of Commercial Skills

And created a flagship Mini-MBA for law firms to help new and aspiring Partners and Senior Associates master the business of law...

The LEGAL Mini-MBA

Legal MBA Academy package

  • 12 week programme of 6x fortnightly lessons and discussion to put the theory into practice, delivered exclusively to a cohort of 10-20 individuals from your firm

  • Copy of The Legal MBA Essentials book, Mini-MBA Action Plan and Workbook, and on-demand e-learning to help complete the exercises

  • January, May and September start dates, timed to work around holidays and busy periods such as financial year end

Rated 4.6 / 5 all reviews submitted to 31 December 2025

CORE TOPICS

GOAL SETTING AND
LAW FIRM STRATEGY

Appreciate the difference between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics. Create  SMART goals to guide your Mini-MBA Action Plan

Teamwork in the office

LAW FIRM FINANCE FOR FEE EARNERS

Understand the impact of Key Performance Indicators , such as Realisation, Utilisation and Leverage on  both client/matter and firm profitability

Business Deal

PRICING

Understand the pros and cons of Value-, Cost- and Competition- Based Pricing, and the implications for Market Strategy and Service Propositions

Cutting Cake Slice

MARKET STRATEGY

Understand Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP). Identify an appropriate Market Segment to actively pursue

Working on laptop

SERVICE
PROPOSITIONS

Clearly define your service proposition and consider alternatives to traditional, bespoke professional service design

OPERATIONS

Identify short and long term People, Process and Technology actions to put your Mini-MBA Action Plan into practice

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​​We also offer Group Accountability Coaching to help put the Action Plans into practice after the Mini-MBA.

BENEFITS FOR
LAW FIRMS

1 | The Legal Mini-MBA equips your senior lawyers with the commercial skills they need to succeed, at scale

Imagine if all your Partners and Senior Associates had a clear understanding of how their practice generated both profit and cashflow. Imagine if they had a clear go-to market strategy, articulated in client-centric language, with their pricing and service delivery models optimised accordingly. What commercial impact would that have on your firm?

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For one partner, implementing just a single action from our Introduction to Pricing lesson recovered the firm's entire investment into The Legal MBA.

2 | Training that's tried, tested and ready to go, with minimal set up time required from firms

​Creating a full curriculum covering the range of commercial skills a modern lawyer needs is time-consuming and can be a significant draw on internal Subject Matter Experts to prepare and deliver, with the task all too easily deprioritised or pushed to side of the desk. We deliver a comprehensive programme for you, with regular progress reporting back to stakeholders, so you can see who is engaging, and with which topics.

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Or as one senior finance professional put it "you've taken this problem off my desk, freeing up my time to focus on the strategic, value adding elements of my role".

3 | Opportunity to reinforce strategic priorities

We take time to speak to senior stakeholders at the onboarding stage to understand your strategic priorities and weave key messages into the live sessions. Our aim is that participants understand ‘why’ this matters to your firm, as well as ‘what’ they need to do.

THE MINI-MBA IN THEIR OWN WORDS

"Over the last 12 months, The Legal MBA programme has supported our growth ambitions by helping our partners to link their team and individual contributions with the wider strategy of the firm, it has also allowed them to see a clear link between what they do and the firms performance.

 

For those that have completed the MBA I have already seen a marked improvement in the quality of analysis and business planning they undertake as well as much broader approach towards objectives which historically would have been just a number. Additionally, it has helped those who have undertaken The Legal MBA think much more around recruitment and the value of a team for their own work/life balance but also being clear on the story being told to those who are thinking of joining us, making their own career paths clearer on joining."

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Adam White,
CEO, Roythornes
"A great succinct course, with a mixture of 'lecturing', homework and group discussion, which made me re-evaluate my engagement with the commercial side of legal practice. The course has made me re-assess how I and my team approach subjects such as BD and pricing. It has also given me practical ideas and more importantly, provided me with tools to develop my team and practice in the future. You managed to fit a lot of information into a short course, thank you!"
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Claire Kilpatrick,
Managing Associate, Stevens & Bolton
"James and Darren have been fantastic in the live sessions. My brain is now sparking with ideas to improve the structure and commerciality of my team plans going forward."
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Desley Sherwin,
Partner, Roythornes

BENEFITS FOR LAWYERS

1 | Business and commercial education covering the topics that lawyers weren’t taught in law school, tailored to the context of a law firm

Traditional MBA programmes and commercial training programmes are generic, with Strategy modules focused on global brands, Operations modules on manufacturing processes and Finance modules failing to explain the partnership and billable hour models. In contrast, The Legal Mini-MBA is specifically designed for lawyers working in private practice, with highly relevant examples, case studies and exercises.

2 | Minimal time-commitment with a flexible, modular structure to accommodate a range of learning styles and busy calendars

Lawyers are time poor, and don’t have time for full day training sessions away from their client work. We have created a modular method of delivery, with highly focused and actionable 60-90 minute live sessions - recorded for easy catch up, with bitesize eLearning and Workbook exercises available on demand to support the learning when it's convenient and most relevant for the individual.

3 | Quickly apply theory into practice

Theory learnt in the classrooms can often stay in classrooms. Throughout the Legal Mini-MBA programme we encourage lawyers to put the learnings into practice with clearly signposted next steps and actionable guidance.

ABOUT US

James Markham profile picture

James Markham

James is a Chartered Management Consultant (MCMI ChMC) with 15 years’ experience working with law firm Managing Partners, COOs and CFOs.

 

He was previously a member of the UK senior management teams at Hogan Lovells and Dentons, with a directorate at Dentons covering Practice Management, Innovation, Commercial Finance, and Legal Project Management.

 

James holds an MBA and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA). He is a certified Design Thinking and Lean Six Sigma practitioner.

Darren Mee profile picture

Darren Mee

Darren is an independent consultant with over 15 years’ experience working with the largest global law firms, medium-sized national and regional practices, and ABSs.

 

He is a former Partner at RSM, a global Professional Services firm. His expertise covers Strategy, Marketing, Service Design, Technology and Process Improvement.

 

Darren has a published academic paper and holds an MBA alongside qualifications in Project and Programme Management and Lean Six Sigma.

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