General Counsel Academy®
About us
The General Counsel Academy® – founded in 2016 and based in the Netherlands – offers world class short-term and tailor-made academic business programs for future-oriented General Counsel and Chief Legal Officers and other ultimate responsible in-house lawyers from all over the world. Instead of becoming better lawyers, our programs help GCs become better leaders and trusted business advisors at CEO level. Since 2016, more than 10 programs have been run, including participants from almost all European countries, the United States, China, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, the UK and various African countries to name a few.
Why General Counsel Academy
The C-Suite and their companies need forward thinking GCs and CLOs who not only ensure that companies stay out of serious trouble, but who understand the real challenges of the C-Suite and have the strategic and leadership skills to make things happen. Therefore, GCA’s business programs combine the best academic leadership education with many case studies and interaction with a lot of GC peers and C-Suite representatives. Always practical and tested against the specific role that a GC/CLO has within his or her company.
Distinctive
For a mini-MBA or top-level Executive Business Course, a GC can, of course, follow a course at one of the well-known Business Schools. The other participants there are managers from all kinds of disciplines. Interesting, but also a missed opportunity.
The General Counsel Academy is distinctive and unique because our programs are without any doubt comparable in content and in terms of Lead Instructors to the programs of the best Business Schools. But at the same time all topics are dealt with specifically from the perspective of future-thinking GCs and you continuously share experience and knowledge with GC peers during a short, but very intensive period. With the icing on the cake: intensive attention for ‘The General Counsel of the Future’.
Behind the scenes
Michiel van Straaten founded the General Counsel Executive Program of the General Counsel Academy in 2016 and is also its Faculty Chair to this day. As a former General Counsel and also founder of the General Counsel Netherlands knowledge network in 2009 (to which most GCs and CLOs in the Netherlands are affiliated), his goal was to develop a high-quality mini-MBA exclusively for ultimately responsible in-house lawyers from all over the world. After all: the role and position of GCs are changing at a record pace, and it is essential that GCs meet today’s expectations: to be pro-active members of the corporate decision-making team and act as change agents. Michiel is supported by a professional and dedicated team.
However, the real basis of all General Counsel Academy programs is formed by the Lead Instructors. Without exception, they are leading professors from well-known Business Schools or the best experts in their field. The design of the General Counsel Academy ensures that it is not tied to professors from one Business School. We can invite the best and most up-to-date Lead Instructors from the most diverse Business Schools and educational institutions. This way we can continue to guarantee exceptionally high quality.
