MSc in Business for Lawyers

YOU KNOW BUSINESS LAW; NOW LEARN THE LAWS OF BUSINESS
Duration: 16 months/evening classes
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions | next round: July 23, 2018
Start Date: September 2018
Fees: € 12,500

OVERVIEW

Clients are in need of lawyers who understand their business. The MSc in Business for Lawyers program is the only academic qualification that prepares lawyers to confront complex problems in the corporate environment and financial markets. The program, exclusively designed for legal professionals, offers a solid theoretical understanding as well as a practical approach to economic and financial issues related to the day-to-day operations of a business firm. The program provides a unique learning experience that promotes collaboration and leadership competencies in an interdisciplinary curriculum.
The MSc in Business for Lawyers is the only Greek postgraduate program for Lawyers that has been included for the past 6 consecutive years in the Financial Times’ LLM Listing - released every year in the FT Innovative Law Schools Report - along with the most renowned Master of Law (LLM) programs in US, Europe and in the UK.


Key features of the program

  • Weekday classes between 18:00 – 22:00, twice a week on average.
  • A 16-month program.
  • 15 core modules and 2 workshops
  • Assessment: group reports/presentations, case study analysis, interim tests, final exams (18:00 – 21:00)

 

The Program Is Designed for Legal Professionals Who:

  • Manage and lead their own law firm.
  • Work as corporate counsels.
  • Work in corporate financing and restructuring.
  • Work in or with financial services firms.
  • Work as consultants to business executives.

You may find here more information about the Program's Intended Learning Outcomes.

 

Current Student Profile

HIGHLIGHTS

International Recognition: Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)

The core segment of the program offers a solid foundation of the economic, financial and accounting principles along with necessary quantitative skills. Special emphasis is provided on the practical applications of the economic theories.

The program matches the legal interests of the participants by providing specialization courses on the legal aspects of international finance as well as courses on taxation, and complex financial contracts.

The program is: (a) A link between the legal profession and modern practice in business and finance. (b) A framework for participants to think and act as business partners offering business and managerial insight. (c) A learning experience that fosters leadership and teamwork competencies.

CURRICULUM

MSc in Business for Lawyers Program Total Year Schedule 2018-2019

1st Period | September – October

Courses Hours | Credits
Quantitative Methods for Business
14 | 1
This course is preparatory; designed to help students familiarize themselves with aspects of mathematics necessary for the comprehension of modern MBA courses. It covers three main areas: Firstly, the basics of derivatives and optimization of differentiable functions, mainly with a view to assist the student with applications to follow in the economics courses. Secondly, the basics of probability, random variables, and their distributions in order to provide a working background for statistical and financial applications. Finally, the basics of descriptive statistics, that will assist the students in comprehending statistical reports. Inferential statistics will be mentioned, albeit briefly, in order for the student to connect the basic notions discussed in probability and descriptive statistics with quantitative research methods that will be covered later on in the programme.
Business Economics
28 | 2
This course concentrates on the economic foundations of management by developing tools to analyze key issues of the industry (microeconomics) and general economic environment (macroeconomics) of a company. The course employs classical economic as well as game theoretic methodology to study the operation of markets in allocating resources as well as the markets’ impact on managerial decision making. Topics under consideration include the consumer and business behavior, their interacting in competitive and non-competitive markets and the impact of market structure in the company’s managerial decision making and strategies. Furthermore, the course develops thinking frameworks and methods to help participants to accurately assess the macroeconomic environment within which businesses operate and also to identify channels through which this environment influences their managerial decision making.
Financial Accounting
28 | 2
The course explores the ‘art’ of financial accounting / financial reporting.  In particular, the goal of the course is to provide the knowledge and skills required for the understanding and use of financial accounting information for decision making.  Some of the topics covered during the course include: the role and importance of financial reporting, the role of the main players in the accounting communication process, including the management, auditors and stakeholders, the effects of the use of different accounting methods and estimates on the financial statements and the subsequent impact on decision making, ways of analysing, interpreting and evaluating financial statements.  During the course, extensive reference is made to the annual reports of various companies, as well as to accounting scandals (e.g. ENRON), for the facilitation of knowledge and understanding.

2nd Period | November – December

Courses Hours | Credits
Business Writing & Presentation Skills
14 | 1
Accounting for Lawyers
14 | 1
This course focuses upon the communication of relevant financial information about business to various stakeholders (e.g., primarily investors and creditors).To this end, the objective of this course is to help the student understand the principles of financial accounting data preparation.
Financial Management
28 | 2
This core course introduces the basic concepts and analytical tools used in analysing the major investing and financing decisions of a firm. Students are presented with the major tasks of a financial manager, whose decisions contribute toward the accomplishment of the firm’s objectives. The course introduces the major issues in the theory and policy of finance. Emphasis is given in the following areas: Objectives of the Financial Manager; Financial Statement Analysis; Financial Planning; Financial Markets; Valuation of Corporate Securities; Financing Decisions and Cost of Capital; Derivatives; Analysis of Financial Information for Management Decisions; Corporate Governance; Long term Investing Decisions.

3rd Period | January – February

Courses Hours | Credits
Legal Aspects of International Finance
28 | 2
Legal Aspects of International Finance examines the legal issues arising from the operations of the largest commercial banks, merchant banks and investment funds on the international banking and capital markets. In so doing, it considers the detailed structure and content of the main international financial transactions and contracts and negotiation skills involved. Some of these transactions include syndicated lending, Eurobonds, securitization, etc. Although primarily based on an examination and analysis of current international principles, reference is made to relevant laws, including the EU, the US and other national systems. The course has a strong comparative and international law content as well as being based on current market and practitioner insight and best practice in each area.
Finance for Lawyers
14 | 1
The course will introduce the major issues in the theory and policy of finance. Emphasis will be given in the following areas: objectives of the financial manager, financial statement analysis, financial planning, financial markets, investment banking, valuation of corporate securities and the cost of capital. Finally, it examines long-term investing decisions (capital budgeting and Mergers & Acquisitions).
Regulation of Financial Markets
14 | 1
The objective of this Course will be the understanding and familiarization with EU and Greek Financial Services legislation through exploration of EC Directives and Greek Law. The envisaged workshop shall focus on a discussion of a number of issues currently debated on an EU-wide level such as, for instance,    Directive 2004/39/EC on markets in financial instruments (known as MiFID, the new Investment Services Directive) under implementation into Greek law until October 2006), in relation with Laws 2396/1996, 1806/1988 and 3152/2003, as well as the new expected legislation;   the new prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC, in relation with Law 3401/2005 and the level II measures;   the market abuse Directive 2003/6/EC, in relation with Law 3340/2005 and the level II measures (relevant Decisions of the Hellenic Capital Markets Commission);   the new Take Over bids Directive 2004/25, in relation with the new law, now under discussion in the Greek Parliament;   the new transparency directive 2004/109/EC, to be implemented into national legislation until January 2007;   the role and function of the privatised Athens Exchange and its competition with other regulated markets and multilateral trading facilities;   Directive 2001/24/EC on the reorganization and winding up of credit institutions and law 3458/2006;   the new Capital Requirements Directive and Basel II;   the new anti money-laundering legislation: Directive 2001/97/EC and Law 3424/2005;   the developments in the EU legislation regarding securities held with intermediaries (Project of the European Commission: EU Clearing & Settlement, Legal Certainty Group and Unidroit draft convention);   Financial Services Policy 2005-2010: Better regulation and better implementation the first evaluation of the Lamfalussy process. Students will receive the relevant EU and Greek legal documentation and case studies will be presented and discussed during the course.

4th Period | March – April

Courses Hours | Credits
Mergers & Acquisitions for Lawyers
14 | 1
The basic topics which the course will cover are the following:  - Basic forms of mergers and acquisitions; legal and regulatory framework;  - Factors to be taken into account when deciding which form a transaction should take;  - The transaction process – due diligence – sale and purchase agreement;  - Public offer rules - minority rights;  - Antitrust rules.
Antitrust Law
28 | 2
The course will consider the application of EC competition law to the distribution of goods and services and in particular the issue of how competition law can affect the choice of the adequate distribution strategy by firms. Topics covered include the antitrust analysis of distribution practices such as resale price maintenance, territorial and customer restrictions, non-compete clauses, selective distribution, franchising, commercial agency agreements, category management, tying/bundling, exclusive dealing, price discrimination, refusal to supply and license as well as vertical mergers and acquisitions producing anticompetitive effects.

5th Period | May – June

Courses Hours | Credits
Intellectual Property Law
14 | 1
This elective course offers an insight into the legal aspects of various forms of intellectual property (IP) such as inventions, patents, trademarks, industrial designs, creative expressions, writings, trade secrets, artistic creations, etc. The course offers its participants the knowledge to protect the rights and the ownership of IP, throughout the development process of various intellectual products from conception, design, and creation, to distribution, marketing and commercial exploitation. The students of this course will be able to meet the challenges faced for IP in the light of the latest developments in science, production, marketing and information technology in a global, knowledge- intensive, business environment. This course is designed for those students who wish to work in organizations (private or public) for which IP is an important economic as well as strategic asset, requiring a special treatment and effective management.
The Management of Legal Conflict: Legal Strategy, Negotiation, and Mediation
28 | 2
Social and business interactions are strategic, in the sense that one party’s actions affect the other party and vice versa. One may choose to interact by reaching agreement with the other side or, simply, by seeking to impose one’s view based on commercial power or judicial intervention. This course seeks to study both types of interactions. Firstly, it begins with the analysis of Legal Strategy, that is: the legal interaction that seeks ‘the best possible’ outcome within the constraints of the law, by taking into account the interactivity between the parties and, occasionally, between the parties and the judicial system. It then proceeds to explore the fundamental ways agreement may be sought between the parties either alone (i.e., Negotiations) or in the presence and with the assistance of a third party facilitator (i.e., Mediation). This course concludes with the discussion of how, during litigation in particular, all these processes are potentially interwoven and interdependent. This course helps the students develop the strategic tools necessary in order to manage their clients’ conflicts (or transactions) most proficiently.

6th Period | September – October

Courses Hours | Credits
Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility
14 | 1
Understanding the ethical basis of human behaviour is of fundamental importance for building commitment to organizational goals and for imparting integrity and a sense of the common good in organizational members. The course examines a broad array of matters relating to ethics, including: individual and organizational obstacles to ethics; ethics information processing methods and judging theories; an action-learning framework for ethics leadership; adversarial win-lose ethics methods; integrative win-win ethics methods; dialogic transcendent ethics method; reflection and developing personal and contingency ethics leadership approaches; developing on ethics leadership action-learning plan.
Taxation Law
28 | 2
The course will examine the issues arising from the structure of corporate income tax, and its relationship to the taxation of shareholders. Special emphasis will be given to cross border situations and the interaction between domestic legislation, Double Taxation Treaties, European Union legislation and the case law of the European Court of Justice.

7th Period | November – December

Courses Hours | Credits
Managing People & Organizations
28 | 2
The course provides an overview of the core areas of management theory and organizational behaviour with a special emphasis on issues of organizational structures, culture and values, employee motivation and job design, leadership and power, group processes as well as organizational learning and knowledge management. It will help participants understand the complex relation between individuals, groups and organizations and will introduce the concepts and the tools for effective management of the human capital. It will also help them understand how they can become change catalysts by performing their leadership role as managers; how they can manage knowledge; how they can inspire people to put extra effort for achieving the organizational vision and for outstanding performance and results. Through case studies, videos and discussion, students will have the opportunity to exercise their critical thinking and build people management skills by applying organizational theory to a broad range of organizational types, settings, and challenges.

FACULTY

The Professors

Academic Director
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Stefanos Zarkos Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance

Dr. Zarkos has teaching and research interests in the areas of Corporate Finance, Financial Management, Capital Budgeting, Real Options, Management Accounting and Strategy. His research focuses on new applications of real options in management decision making and the development of decision techniques in Corporate Finance and Strategy literature.

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Course Faculty
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Stelios Andreou
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Michael Arghyrou
Reader in Economics at Cardiff Business School view more
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Evangelia Baralou Academic Director of the MSc in Tourism Management
Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies, Open University, UK view more
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Georgios Georgakopoulos
Assistant Professor of Accounting, University of Amsterdam Business School view more
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Maria Kakarika
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior & Leadership, NEOMA Business School view more
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Spyros Mello
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Maria Moragianis
Director Career and Alumni office view more
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Richard Nielsen
Professor, Boston College view more
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Rodrigo Olivares Caminal
Professor in Banking and Finance Law , Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary University of London view more
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Irini Stamatoudi
Lawyer view more
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Eleni Papakonstantinou
Lawyer view more
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Seraphim Voliotis
Assistant Professor of Strategy view more
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Stefanos Zarkos Academic Director of the MSc Programs: MSc in Finance; MSc in International Business & Management; MSc in Business for Lawyers; MSc in Entrepreneurship
Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance view more

CAREER

After completing the program participants should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a solid understanding of the language of business.
  • Have a genuine understanding of global financial markets.
  • Collaborate in and contribute to complex projects in financing and restructuring.
  • Introduce a managerial dimension to the practice of Law.
  • Make refined judgements in the application of ethics in business and the legal profession.
  • Demonstrate strong communication and negotiation skills.
  • Negotiate effective win-win solutions.
  • Have a strategic mindset when dealing with wider business challenges.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships Scheme

You can secure pre-approval of your scholarship, before you apply for admission to the MBA or MSc program of your choice.

Apply for scholarship

GMAT Scholarships

 Those candidates who bring GMAT score from 700 and above, will be granted a scholarship of 60% of the total tuition fees for all MBA and MSc's (Excluding the Executive MBA, Double Masters for Lawyers and the MSc in ISF Programs). Candidates with high GMAT bellow 700 are also eligible for smaller scholarships.

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SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises) Scholarships

SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises) offers ten (10) partial scholarships for graduate studies at ALBA.

Scholarships are open only for the academic year 2018 – 2019, will cover 50% of total fees and are addressed exclusively to Small and Medium Enterprises – members of SEV, offered as rewarding services to the members of the Federation.

Applications can be submitted online here with the indication “SEV scholarship” noted at the field Scholarship-Financial Aid. Deadline is set for 16 July, 2018

Note that the evaluation of applications and the final selection will be made from ALBA Graduate Business School, The American College of Greece. All applicants need to meet the eligibility criteria of the program they apply for and to go through the standard admission procedure and personal interview.

Scholarships are open for the following programs

  • The ALBA MBA
  • MSc in Finance
  • MSc in Risk Management
  • MSc in International Business & Management
  • MSc in Business for Lawyers
  • MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management
  • MSc in Marketing
  • MSc in Entrepreneurship

 

Hear the current scholar talking about this initiative and their personal experience!

 

For any additional information please  fill in the below form or contact Ms. Antonina Kalkavoura at 210 8964531 (ext. 2253) |  [email protected]

 

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Next Generation Family Business Scholarship

ALBA Graduate Business School offers three partial scholarship  for any of the Academic Programs at ALBA (Executive MBA, MSc in ISF and Double Masters for Lawyers candidates are not included) to a member of the next generation of a family business. 

The ALBA Hub for Entrepreneurship and Development offers the “Next Generation Family Business Scholarships” in an effort to encourage growth of and succession in family businesses in Greece. It aims to support upcoming business leaders so that they can excel in such a demanding role.

The Scholarships are awarded to a member of the family business’ next generation that is expected to assume a leading role within the upcoming years. Both the academic background, as well as the applicant’s aspirations and plans for the business’ future will be taken into account.

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FPower partial Scholarship

FPower  offers one partial and merit based scholarship for any of the postgraduate degrees offered by ALBA for academic period of 2018/19. This scholarship complements FPower’s activities, and aims at supporting female leadership by giving access to knowledge and skills.

The scholarship is available to interested applicants from FPower’s community, who aspire to assume leadership roles and introduce innovative solutions in terms of both career and society. 

Applicants interested in receiving this scholarship need to inform FPower by:

  1.  Signing up here
  2.  And filling out the form that may be found here.

Following a positive response, prospective students need also to apply for the postgraduate degree they wish to study for at ALBA. Applicants should meet the overall criteria for the degree program they will be applying for.

The scholarship recipient will be selected among the applicants who have been successfully gone through the academic evaluation process by a joint FPower and ALBA 

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Athens Bar Association

1 full scholarship covering 100% tuition fees to applicants for the MSc in Business for Lawyers Program who are also members of the Athens Bar Association.

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Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Partial up to full scholarships to graduates of the Law School of Aristotle University applying for the MSc in Business for Lawyers Program.

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Democritus University of Thrace

Partial up to full scholarships to graduates of the Law School of Democritus University applying for the MSc in Business for Lawyers Program or the MSc in International Business and Management

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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

To be considered for admission, candidates must:

  • Hold a bachelor’s degreein law; - Provide evidence of excellent command of the English language;
  • Need to be currently employed or self-employed
  • GMAT tests are optional unless the Academic Committee requires the applicant to take them: in any case, scores of 550 or more (GRE >155) can strengthen your application and help you secure a scholarship.

Candidates must submit:

  • The completed application form, including one recent photograph in jpeg format;
  • Two letters of recommendation in Greek or in English language.
  • Official Academic Transcripts as well as Certified copies of degrees from each undergraduate, graduate or professional degree earned;
  • Proof of competence in the English language (unless schooled in English), e.g. Proficiency or TOEFL or IELTS.
  • Three Essays, as indicated in the Application form;
  • Receipt of the non-refundable application fee's [€60] deposit

Click here to download the details for admission.

To learn more about academic policy, course credit policy, fees policy and rules for student conduct read the Student Handbook.

CONTACT

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John Stavroulakis Program Manager

We urge applicants to request further information or to come for a meeting at our downtown campus, in order to better understand their profile and motivations.

Just fill out and submit the form below and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

Tel.: +30 210 89.64.531-8

Fax: +30 210 89.62.139

e-mail: [email protected]

Fill out the form Just submit the form below and we will respond to you as quickly as possible.

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