Analysis of Legal Education and Business Education within the Context of a J.D./MBA Program, An
![handle is hein.journals/jled31 and id is 518 raw text is: JOURNAL OF LEGAL EDUCATION
AN ANALYSIS OF LEGAL EDUCATION
AND BUSINESS EDUCATION
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A J.D./MBA PROGRAM
JOHN WARREN KINDT*
I. Introduction
Within the realms of legal education and graduate business education,
too little has been written about interdisciplinary education, especially
within the context of a J.D./MBA program. This Article will explore
educational theory as it should be applied to a J.D./MBA program.
Legal educational theory and its relationship to the J.D. program will be
discussed, followed by an examination of business educational theory and
the MBA program. Accordingly, a comparison of the way in which these
differing educational approaches are reconciled becomes the subject of
analysis. Then the need for more J.D./MBA graduates is discussed and a
new impetus toward providing these graduates is recommended.
II. Educational Theory Within a J.D./MBA Program
A. Legal Educational Theory and the J.D. Program
To succeed in the law, a man must renounce all pleasures, avoid all
amusements, say farewell to recreation, games, entertainment, almost to
intercourse with his friends. I This observation by Cicero circa 80 B.C.
appears still to be true today, especially as an observation on the Socratic
method as practiced in law schools. Many first-year law students, struggl-
ing with the Socratic method utilized by their professors, must believe that
there is madness in their method. Historically, Cato the Elder's con-
demnation, like Nietzsche's took in Socrates; that prattling old midwife,
Cato thought, had been rightly poisoned for undermining the morals and
laws of Athens. 2 Socrates has also been criticized as caring too little
about physics or metaphysics to construct a system of thought . . . . 3
These criticisms of Socrates and his teaching methods are mentioned be-
cause in the current wave of criticism of legal education probably no
* Visiting professor of Graduate Business Law, J.D./MBAs & MBAs William and Mary,
A.B.1972; University of Georgia, J.D. 1976, MBA 1977; University of Virginia, LL.M.
1978. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
policy of any academic institution with which the author is or has been associated.
The author appreciates the valuable guidance of Professor John Norton Moore, Director of
the Center for Oceans Law and Policy and the Walter L. Brown Professor of Law, University
of Virginia.
Cicero, Pro Caelio 16 (circa 80 B.C.) as quoted in W. Durant, Caesar and Christ 141
(19th ed. 1976) [hereinafter cited as Durant].
2 Durant, supra note 1, at 104.
3 Id. at 491.
512
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Analysis of Legal Education and Business Education within the Context of a J.D./MBA Program, An
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