USNWR rankings for non-biglaw? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am thinking about possibly going into Private Equity, IB or management consulting after law school. I know rankings are everything for biglaw and federal. Would PE, IB and management consulting look at the rankings also? Cause I am thinking of transferring into T10 from T30 (please people I do not bank on it, just planning on it if my grades are stellar) and from talking to a few friends and relatives from NYC financial world my T30 brings a lot better response than the T10 I am hoping to transfer to. Have many years of accounting experience and CPA.

[09042014]

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... s/rankings

[nealric]

I am thinking about possibly going into Private Equity, IB or management consulting after law school. I know rankings are everything for biglaw and federal. Would PE, IB and management consulting look at the rankings also? Cause I am thinking of transferring into T10 from T30 (please people I do not bank on it, just planning on it if my grades are stellar) and from talking to a few friends and relatives from NYC financial world my T30 brings a lot better response than the T10 I am hoping to transfer to. Have many years of accounting experience and CPA.

Why do you want to go to law school instead of business school?

[ResolutePear]

I am thinking about possibly going into Private Equity, IB or management consulting after law school. I know rankings are everything for biglaw and federal. Would PE, IB and management consulting look at the rankings also? Cause I am thinking of transferring into T10 from T30 (please people I do not bank on it, just planning on it if my grades are stellar) and from talking to a few friends and relatives from NYC financial world my T30 brings a lot better response than the T10 I am hoping to transfer to. Have many years of accounting experience and CPA.

Why do you want to go to law school instead of business school?

He probably wants to do a Tax Law LLM

[Na_Swatch]

Been to a couple of info events at HYS and even here its pretty clear that its quite difficult to go directly into IB without prior experience in IB before you attended law school. It's still possible, of course (Work Experience is definitely required), but I think it would only get harder as you go down the rankings.

As for consulting, that does seem like its easier to get coming straight out of school as there are more direct interviews and I know people who are choosing to do that instead of Biglaw. Still, I don't think its much more than a handful of people.

[Anonymous User]

I am thinking about possibly going into Private Equity, IB or management consulting after law school. I know rankings are everything for biglaw and federal. Would PE, IB and management consulting look at the rankings also? Cause I am thinking of transferring into T10 from T30 (please people I do not bank on it, just planning on it if my grades are stellar) and from talking to a few friends and relatives from NYC financial world my T30 brings a lot better response than the T10 I am hoping to transfer to. Have many years of accounting experience and CPA.

Why do you want to go to law school instead of business school?

Well, I am going for JD instead of MBA because MBA is basically a review of my undergrad degree and I will not learn anything. 95% of MBA value is networking and prestige. JD/CPA is a rarer combo of credentials. I like tax, but want to go on a generalist corporate finance path and then try to break into CFO position in middle market. Have seen bios of a decent number of people who have done it.

[nealric]

Well, I am going for JD instead of MBA because MBA is basically a review of my undergrad degree and I will not learn anything. 95% of MBA value is networking and prestige. JD/CPA is a rarer combo of credentials. I like tax, but want to go on a generalist corporate finance path and then try to break into CFO position in middle market. Have seen bios of a decent number of people who have done it.

The problem is that none of the career paths you mentioned really recruit heavily out of law schools. It sounds like your credentials would make HBS/Wharton type B-schools a viable option- which are really the go-to recruiting schools for those positions. I wouldn't worry about not learning anything in MBA. MBA is about networking and getting a job, not learning. You might learn something in law school, but not anything that would be particularly useful for anything other than your edification.

[Anonymous User]

Well, I am going for JD instead of MBA because MBA is basically a review of my undergrad degree and I will not learn anything. 95% of MBA value is networking and prestige. JD/CPA is a rarer combo of credentials. I like tax, but want to go on a generalist corporate finance path and then try to break into CFO position in middle market. Have seen bios of a decent number of people who have done it.

The problem is that none of the career paths you mentioned really recruit heavily out of law schools. It sounds like your credentials would make HBS/Wharton type B-schools a viable option- which are really the go-to recruiting schools for those positions. I wouldn't worry about not learning anything in MBA. MBA is about networking and getting a job, not learning. You might learn something in law school, but not anything that would be particularly useful for anything other than your edification.

No I know I would be an unusual candidate, but I hope to take advantage of this in order to detour the well trodden paths taken by lemmings and take a shortcut. http://www.cfo.com/article.cfm/11081358

[nealric]

Sounds like that guy got that job in spite of his JD, not because of it. And he had to practice law first- which the story says he hated.

[Anonymous User]

Yep, sounds like JD was really detrimental to him getting the job of CFO/General Counsel, particularly the latter one.
I am looking for a legal job also however, since I think a couple of years in a respectable law firm will be helpful in making my legal background legit.

Here are a few more.

http://www.constructionexecutive.com/ex ... 3/CFO.html
http://www.ritesite.com/SiteMap/resumes ... -26370.htm

[Shooter]

Yo, I think your decision to pursue a challenging and unconventional career path is a good one.

I think your decision to come onto this website and announce your decision is a bad one.

[nealric]

Yep, sounds like JD was really detrimental to him getting the job of CFO/General Counsel, particularly the latter one.
I am looking for a legal job also however, since I think a couple of years in a respectable law firm will be helpful in making my legal background legit.

Not detrimental, just irrelevant. Of course, he couldn't have had a general counsel title, but he could have moved into the CFO business just the same.

I'm sure if you look long enough, you can find scads of CFO's who went to law school. But that does not necessarily make it an ideal path.

All I'm saying, as someone who went to law school, is that the people who thrive are the ones who want to become lawyers. Those that go for other reasons tend to be disappointed.

[rayiner]

You go to business school to not learn anything, get an MBA, and get a finance job.
You go to law school to not learn anything, get a JD, and get a legal job.

In both scenarios, a "T30" anything is going to put you at a disadvantage in pursuing CFO-track job. If your undergraduate credentials aren't impressive enough to get you into a finance or consulting position, law school is going to do precious little to put you back on that track.

[Anonymous User]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

[nealric]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Just because it's the conventional wisdom doesn't make it wrong.

[IAFG]

lol this is a terrible idea. get a job.

[AreJay711]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Just because it's the conventional wisdom doesn't make it wrong.

I'd even say conventional wisdom is usually true... hence the reason so many people keep saying it. A few outliers certainly aren't better evidence.

[rayiner]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Conventional wisdom also says to look both ways before crossing the street.

Follow conventional wisdom, lest you get hit by a bus.

[Anonymous User]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Conventional wisdom also says to look both ways before crossing the street.

Follow conventional wisdom, lest you get hit by a bus.

Or lest you invent an airplane. Air travel is impossible, everyone knows that.

[IAFG]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Conventional wisdom also says to look both ways before crossing the street.

Follow conventional wisdom, lest you get hit by a bus.

Or lest you invent an airplane. Air travel is impossible, everyone knows that.

lol @ going to law school out of ingenuity or cleverness. everyone falls into this shit for lack of better options. wanna be an innovator? go start a company.

[rayiner]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Conventional wisdom also says to look both ways before crossing the street.

Follow conventional wisdom, lest you get hit by a bus.

Or lest you invent an airplane. Air travel is impossible, everyone knows that.

Except you're not talking about launching an innovative business or anything like that. You're talking about going into middle management, dealing with money produced by other people's innovation.

The fields you're interested in are highly structured and conventional. You get into them by following the conventional path. If you want to walk off beaten path, then go start a business.

[Anonymous User]

I might eventually shingle it when I have like 20 or so years of experience. FYI, CFO of a middle market company is senior management. I totally get your point however and appreciate it. I have taken risks all my life and it has always paid off though. I am aware of the risks. JD will cost me close to nothing, and I an aware that accounting may not take me back. I have heard however that IRS snatches JD/CPA from TTTTT instantaneously, so I have my potential fallback of a 110K IRS agent job.

[nealric]

I have heard however that IRS snatches JD/CPA from TTTTT instantaneously, so I have my potential fallback of a 110K IRS agent job.

Check out the taxtalent.com forums. You would be surprised at the JD/CPAs who can't get their foot in the door at the IRS.

And you won't be paid 110k, at least not right out of the gate.

[ResolutePear]

Having read your qualifications,

I'd say:

Go with your gut feelings. Nobody on this forum is going to give you substantive information... well, almost. Maybe.

[09042014]

Those certainly are the conventional wisdoms......

Conventional wisdom also says to look both ways before crossing the street.

Follow conventional wisdom, lest you get hit by a bus.

Or lest you invent an airplane. Air travel is impossible, everyone knows that.

People knew things could fly way before we figured out how to do it.