J.D./M.B.A. Forum

[nordi]

I'm contemplating a J.D./M.B.A. program. There's no rush to decide, although the option to do so might influence my law school decision. Does anyone have an opinion on how giving up a summer of legal work experience and spending some extra money impacts post law school employment prospects? Obviously, I wouldn't be interested in a joint or dual degree if the return on investment wasn't there. Would a J.D./M.B.A. be viewed as a negative signal for clerkships etc. Presumably I would be doing this at a T14 school, but I would likely have to pay for it myself.

I apologize if this is on the wrong board.

[SumStalwart]

What career do you want to go into?

J.D./M.B.A's typically have to "pick" a side. If you want to practice law, which does not need the MBA (might get a little bit of a boost and fill in some of the knowledge gaps, with respect to corporate law), then you might consider not getting it. If you want to go into business, the J.D., without any legal work experience, will look out of place. However, you can also go into some sort of consulting capacity, and you would be able to utilize both of your degrees-- I would just be careful, depending on where I ultimately wanted to take my career.

Give us a little bit more information about yourself.

[CanadianWolf]

JD/MBA will earn extra bonuses with most biglaw firms & increase exit options if law firm partnership is unlikely. A lawyer with business sense is valuable in the real world.

[dingbat]

Actuaries have high salaries and high employment

[nordi]

What career do you want to go into?

J.D./M.B.A's typically have to "pick" a side. If you want to practice law, which does not need the MBA (might get a little bit of a boost and fill in some of the knowledge gaps, with respect to corporate law), then you might consider not getting it. If you want to go into business, the J.D., without any legal work experience, will look out of place. However, you can also go into some sort of consulting capacity, and you would be able to utilize both of your degrees-- I would just be careful, depending on where I ultimately wanted to take my career.

Give us a little bit more information about yourself.

I have a couple years of work experience in finance/banking, but I'm primarily interesting in practicing law, probably as a litigator. From my perspective an M.B.A. is merely a signaling degree. I already have the work experience to demonstrate that I can do the accounting, valuation and modeling needed for business analysis. I have every intention of picking the law side, meaning I can't see myself getting a J.D. or J.D./M.B.A. and then working for a consulting, investment banking, or private equity firm. There are really only two reasons that a J.D./M.B.A. seems appealing: the versatility down the road (who knows what start-up or line of work one might stumble into a couple decades from now?) and the potential bump from a big law firm. It seems at least plausible that big law firms doing complex litigation for corporations or helping with mergers and acquisitions might have a need for talented associates who speak the language of their clients. So, my question really boils down to: If tacking on an M.B.A. costs me a few months more study and an extra $25,000, what do you think the odds are that the return on that investment is sufficient to justify the monetary expense and opportunity cost of forgone legal experience, assuming one ends of practicing law?

[CanadianWolf]

It seems odd that one with your experience & knowledge has to ask such a question. Isn't the answer obvious to you ? If not, then just reread your own posts in this thread. Based on your two posts in this thread, my question is whether or not you should pursue a law degree.
You know much less about being a trial lawyer than you do about business & consulting. How do you know that litigation is for you ? It's much easier to get an MBA now than when working fulltime.

[SumStalwart]

I have a couple years of work experience in finance/banking, but I'm primarily interesting in practicing law, probably as a litigator. From my perspective an M.B.A. is merely a signaling degree. I already have the work experience to demonstrate that I can do the accounting, valuation and modeling needed for business analysis. I have every intention of picking the law side, meaning I can't see myself getting a J.D. or J.D./M.B.A. and then working for a consulting, investment banking, or private equity firm. There are really only two reasons that a J.D./M.B.A. seems appealing: the versatility down the road (who knows what start-up or line of work one might stumble into a couple decades from now?) and the potential bump from a big law firm. It seems at least plausible that big law firms doing complex litigation for corporations or helping with mergers and acquisitions might have a need for talented associates who speak the language of their clients. So, my question really boils down to: If tacking on an M.B.A. costs me a few months more study and an extra $25,000, what do you think the odds are that the return on that investment is sufficient to justify the monetary expense and opportunity cost of forgone legal experience, assuming one ends of practicing law?

Okay, given this information, I would most likely go through with the JD/MBA. It just makes sense. A litigator really does need to be able to "walk the walk and talk the talk." Moreover, the MBA would provide a boost. Not to mention, the networking that you could do within your MBA classes.

Now, I am not sure that you are understanding the time commitment. There are two different options: the 3 year JD/MBA and the traditional 4 year program. Considering where you are in the application cycle, I think that you are going to either have to wait a year, or just apply to the traditional JD/MBA (which, in my opinion isn't a bad option--less intense, gives you internship opportunities, and just more flexibility). So... either the time frame is going to be the same as just a JD or it's going to be an additional year ($40k+ more than just the JD). With your stated interest, I think your long term ROI will more than compensate for the short-term losses.

Have you taken the GMAT yet?

[SumStalwart]

Oh, one other thing. Not all of the MBA programs within the T14 are parallel standing. Take Georgetown, for example, Law=13, MBA=24. So, you are going to have to consider the strength of the MBA program, as well. You have the necessary work experience, but your GMAT is still going to have to be in the 700's, in order to get accepted into the MBA programs.

[nordi]

It seems odd that one with your experience & knowledge has to ask such a question. Isn't the answer obvious to you ? If not, then just reread your own posts in this thread. Based on your two posts in this thread, my question is whether or not you should pursue a law degree.
You know much less about being a trial lawyer than you do about business & consulting. How do you know that litigation is for you ? It's much easier to get an MBA now than when working fulltime.

Thanks for the responses.

The survey question was really an afterthought. If I wanted to be doing finance or business, an MBA would be a no-brainer. I don't. I have no interest in spending the rest of my life writing code or flipping through endless excel sheets. I ended up doing this for a couple years because of indecision, some math skill, and the existence of two X-chromosomes in a certain individual (a most unfortunate occurrence). I’ve decided to do a J.D., and there’s a question in my mind about the value of adding an M.B.A to that.

To answer your question, I would like to think I know a little something about being a trial lawyer, but not much. I know quite a bit about banking and finance, and I know it’s not for me. I want to argue and advocate, not analyze endless stream of SEC filings. Don’t worry; I will be crossing securities law off my list.

[CanadianWolf]

If it helps, you don't really need much in your twenties & thirties--other than enough to cover your obligations. To be blunt, you'd be foolish not to get both degrees. $25,000 is a small price to pay for the opportunities created. Don't be a fool.

[Tiago Splitter]

A worthwhile MBA will cost a lot more than 25K unless you get a big scholarship. There are three year JD/MBA programs though, so you may not need to tack on any extra study.

[Borg]

I'm a JD/MBA at a top school. I did it because I want to go into business. I think it is great to have it, practice law for a couple of years, and then transition into banking or business of some other kind if that's what you want to do. I decided to skip law all together, but it's a great track either way.

If you want to litigate and have preexisting finance experience, then I don't really see the point. You will already be familiar with everything you need to know on the business side for commercial litigation. If that were my interest, I don't think I would have done it.

[dingbat]

It seems odd that one with your experience & knowledge has to ask such a question. Isn't the answer obvious to you ? If not, then just reread your own posts in this thread. Based on your two posts in this thread, my question is whether or not you should pursue a law degree.
You know much less about being a trial lawyer than you do about business & consulting. How do you know that litigation is for you ? It's much easier to get an MBA now than when working fulltime.

Thanks for the responses.

The survey question was really an afterthought. If I wanted to be doing finance or business, an MBA would be a no-brainer. I don't. I have no interest in spending the rest of my life writing code or flipping through endless excel sheets. I ended up doing this for a couple years because of indecision, some math skill, and the existence of two X-chromosomes in a certain individual (a most unfortunate occurrence). I’ve decided to do a J.D., and there’s a question in my mind about the value of adding an M.B.A to that.

To answer your question, I would like to think I know a little something about being a trial lawyer, but not much. I know quite a bit about banking and finance, and I know it’s not for me. I want to argue and advocate, not analyze endless stream of SEC filings. Don’t worry; I will be crossing securities law off my list.

my money says no (spoken as an MBA grad now obtaining a JD)