2025 Leadership Institute

REGISTRATION COMING THIS SUMMER

Leadership Institute is held every other year at SMU Cox School of Business.
Tuesday, April 8 - Thursday, April 10, 2025 & Tuesday, May 6 - Thursday, May 8, 2025
20 CLE Credit Hours (1 Hr Ethics) Pending

What You Never Learned in Law School

WITH THE TEXAS GENERAL COUNSEL FORUM’s LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE – LEARN TO LEAD LEGAL TEAMS WITH VISION, UNDERSTANDING, CLARITY & AGILITY IN A WORLD THAT REMAINS VOLATILE, UNCERTAIN, COMPLEX & AMBIGUOUS.

The Texas General Counsel Forum’s Leadership Institute was designed by General Counsel to provide a carefully crafted leadership program, targeted to General Counsel, and taught by SMU Cox School of Business Professors and Consultants with the assistance and input of General Counsel. Each three-day session provides in-house counsel a focused and intensive study of legal leadership within the legal department and across the company, as well as better legal perspective on company finance in an interactive classroom setting with 25-30 Chief Legal Officers, General Counsel, senior managing counsel, and rising in-house counsel from companies, government entities and non-profit organizations.

2025 Pricing

Early Bird Member Price
$3,800per person
  • Before February 17, 2025
Non-Members Price
$5,500per person
  • Become a Member & Save

Program Benefits

  • 20 CLE credit hours (1 Hr Ethics) pending over 6 days
  • All study & classroom materials
  • Certificate of completion
  • Continental breakfast, lunch, & refreshments
  • 2 evening networking receptions
  • 2 networking dinners
  • Attendee directory

Importance of Leadership

Legal leaders are called to manage and lead beyond what they know. That is why Texas General Counsel Forum’s Leadership Institute was created in 2006 to provide the tools and skills to excel in these unique leadership roles. Partnering with the SMU Cox School of Business, the institute provides real world scenarios to prepare you to be a stronger leader in your in-house role.

2025 Tentative Schedule

DAY 01: TUESDAY, APRIL 8DAY 02: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9DAY 03: THURSDAY, APRIL 10
8:30 AM | Networking Breakfast7:30 AM | Networking Breakfast7:30 AM | Networking Breakfast
9:30 AM
Making Ideas Stick
8:30 AM
Managing Through Influence
8:30 AM
Financial Statement Analysis
12:00 PM | Lunch12:30 PM | Lunch12:00 PM | Lunch
1:00 PM
Creativity, Innovation & Risk
1:30 PM
Intro to Financial Reporting
12:30 PM
Authentic Presence
5:00 PM | Evening Networking Reception5:30 PM | Dismissal4:00 PM | Dismissal

"The Institute greatly enhanced my in-house business effectiveness. The small, interactive classes, taught by top-notch MBA faculty, helped me focus on legal issues through both a business and leadership lens."

Chris Willis
Chief People & Administrative Officer at PrimeSource Building Products
Leadership Institute Class of 2006

Noteworthy Alumni Companies

  • 7-Eleven, Inc.
  • Austin Industries
  • AT&T Inc.
  • Baylor Scott & White Health
  • Ben E. Keith
  • Celanese
  • CenterPoint Energy
  • Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.
  • Children’s Health System of Texas
  • CITGO Petroleum Corporation
  • Comerica Bank
  • Cook Children’s Health Care System
  • Dell Technologies
  • FedEx Office & Print Services, Inc.
  • GM Financial
  • Goldman Sachs
  • Interstate Batteries
  • J.C. Penney
  • Kimberly Clark
  • Lennox International
  • LyondellBasell
  • Mattress Firm, Inc.
  • North Texas Tollway Authority 
  • NTA Life
  • ORIX Corporation USA
  • Orthofix Medical Inc.
  • PepsiCo, Inc.
  • Rent-A-Center, Inc.
  • Ryan, LLC
  • Southwest Airlines Co.
  • Texas Instruments Inc.
  • The Weir Group PLC
  • Topgolf
  • Trinity Industries, Inc.
  • Varsity Brands, LLC
  • Vistra Energy

Hotel Accommodations

The following hotels offer discounted rates to individuals attending SMU and/or Cox events. Please inquire about SMU rates, availability, and transportation options with the appropriate reservations desk.

The Beeman Hotel

Address: 6070 N US 75-Central Expy 1000
Dallas, TX 75206

Phone: (214) 750-6060

The Lumen Hotel

Address: 6101 Hillcrest Ave
Dallas, TX 75205

Phone: (214) 219-2400

The Highland Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton

Address: 5300 E Mockingbird Ln
Dallas, TX 75206

Phone: (214) 520-7969

Cancellation Policy

All payments are non-refundable. Fees must be paid in full to reserve a place in the Leadership Institute. If you cannot attend, you may send a substitute or attend a future Leadership Institute. In the event the Texas General Counsel Forum has to cancel or postpone the Leadership Institute your payment will be fully refunded.

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