K MENA Empowering Legal Teams with Financial Clarity for Strategic Growth Upskilling at a Leading UAE Firm
Upskilling at a Leading UAE Firm
This case study highlights how Kaplan delivered finance for non-finance managers training to a leading UAE law firm, enabling legal professionals to engage more strategically with financial information.
As legal advisory work becomes more entwined with corporate finance, regulatory compliance, and strategic transactions, there is growing pressure on law firms to ensure their teams possess a working knowledge of financial principles.
Clients today demand more integrated advice, whether on mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, or risk assessments, that requires legal professionals to understand the financial implications of their recommendations. This evolving expectation has led many law firms to invest in upskilling their teams beyond traditional legal competencies.
Challenge
Recognizing this shift, a leading regional law firm partnered with Kaplan to equip its non-finance professionals with practical finance skills. The firm aimed to bridge the knowledge gap, enabling its teams to better interpret financial information, engage confidently in cross-functional discussions, and deliver greater value to clients.
The client wanted to enhance its employees’ foundational understanding of finance, including key terminology, financial statement analysis, and business valuation. The goal was to build confidence and practical capability in interpreting financial information to support better decision-making across the firm.
Solution
To address the client’s needs, Kaplan delivered a customized version of its Finance for Non-Finance Professionals program for over 20 participants, designed to build core financial fluency while keeping the learning practical and relevant to the legal industry.
The program blended foundational concepts such as cash vs. accrual accounting, financial statements, and the accounting equation, with more advanced topics like corporate valuation, drivers of enterprise value, and risk-return dynamics.
Participants learned to interpret income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements; calculate key performance indicators; and explore how everyday business transactions impact a firm’s financial standing.
A key highlight of the training was a highly interactive Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation exercise, in which participants simulated real-world financial decision-making using a dynamic Excel-based model. The exercise involved forecasting free cash flows, calculating the weighted average cost of capital (WACC), and determining enterprise value to validate assumptions.
To enhance learning engagement and retention, participants also leveraged Kaplan’s digital Learning Management Platform, which provided access to course slides, recorded sessions, class notes, and bite-sized video tutorials. This blended learning approach ensured participants could revisit key concepts at their own pace, reinforcing classroom learning and enabling continuous development even beyond the live sessions.
By focusing on what matters most for legal professionals – practical relevance, clear communication, and informed decision-making, the program enabled participants to confidently apply financial concepts in their roles and contribute more effectively to strategic initiatives and business outcomes.
Beyond content delivery, Kaplan’s Project Services team ensured seamless execution through dedicated coordination, stakeholder communication, and consistent progress tracking through real-time dashboards. This structured support created a smooth and focused learning experience, allowing both participants and firm leadership to concentrate on outcomes rather than logistics.
Impact
Kaplan partnered closely with the client to ensure a meaningful and measurable learning experience. The program achieved strong outcomes across key areas, with an overall course rating of 85%.
Participants particularly appreciated the subject matter expertise and professionalism of the trainers (95%), as well as the simplification of complex concepts and in-class engagement (90%). The content’s relevance and organization were rated at 80%, reflecting the program’s alignment with real-world application.
Notably, 94% of participants indicated they would recommend Kaplan’s services to colleagues, underscoring the value and impact of the training on both individual confidence and team-wide capability in financial understanding.
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