| Topic Name: |
JD/MBA with a Twist |
| Message Name: |
Thanks for the reply |
| Date Posted: |
01/10/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
he or she would tell you to do research and look at the backgrounds of the people who do what you want to do. in some firms, law or IB, the dual degree may be seen as an asset, in some a "flake factor." All firms allow you to do instant web research and list the qualifications of their partners (and associates and analysts maybe).
The question you should ask is does it make sense to get a 3 year degree, pass the bar and work for 5 years as an M&A laywer to get into IBanking. That's 9 years. My guess would be that it does not speak to an economy of motion and keeps you in school, when you could be doing. I can't speak to getting a lower tier MBA after a JD, perhaps.
why isn't the JD/MBA option available? maybe you can swing it. you are the one paying the damn tuition bill. |
| Message: |
I appreciate your thoughts.
To date, my research into the qualifications of partners/associates has yielded little insight. While I've seen evidence that some law firms (VLG, McQuire Woods) see an MBA degree as an asset, what I can't determine is how and when these attorneys earned their MBA.
Timing plays into my concern because the law schools that I applied to, with the exception of one (a long shot), either do not offer the joint program or I'm not interested in their business programs. Moreover, I am convinced that I could get into a better program at a later date.
As to the question of timing, it seems that some law firms would be happy to recruit someone that received their MBA as part of a joint program. Perhaps the perception is that the MBA was an integral component of their legal education (i.e., they received both degrees simultaneously), thus the JD/MBA candidate never waivered from his/her interest in the practice of law. However, my questions relate to (1) how law firms would perceive someone who got their JD at one school and then went on to get their MBA at another, then came back to secure a job as an attorney and (2) would it be possible for a new associate at a decent size firm to obtain an MBA part-time? Would his/her workload be too great to preclude this? Etc.
To clarify, I will be pursuing my law degree on a part-time basis and continuing my employment as an analyst, so I will not lose any ground professionally. The reason I'm interested in working for a law firm is (1) I think it would give me unique insight into transaction work; that is, possessing the ability to see a deal from an attorney and a business person's point of view and (2) my interest is to live in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, there are not too many firms up there that do the kind of work I want to do long-term. Working for a Perkins Coie or other transactional law firm would allow me to accomplish both goals at the same time.
Anyway, that's where I am coming from. Thanks for input.
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