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I'm 25, I have a bachelors in Economics, Overall GPA 3.70, major GPA 3.90. I've always wanted to go to law school but I got a good job out of college at a bank and I thought school could wait. I've worked for about 2 years in finance and I'm interested in going to law school again - maybe JD/MBA. I am primarily interested in Corporate law and I want to go to Columbia. I have a few questions I hope you guys can help me with.

1. Will the ad coms view my decision to attend law school now unfavorably? Will they wonder why I didn't apply directly out of college?
2. Will my personal statement be seen in a negative light if I choose to address a dry topic such as corporate law as opposed to humanitarian / civil / constitutional issues? Will this depend on the school?
3. Do I need volunteer work and extracurricular activities on my resume? If so, does the work need to be law related?
4. Besides the LSAT, does my undergrad GPA fall into the Top 10 scale? I've taken lots of math and stats so my overall GPA isn't as high as the avg law applicant. Will the ad coms pay attention to this?
5. My view of corporate / transactional law is that it is highly procedural and litigation is rare. Is this true?
6. I am also planning on getting a Masters in Economics before applying to law school. Will the ad com receive this well? Do they favor applicants with graduate degrees?

Thank you in advance.

Fatcat wrote:I'm 25, I have a bachelors in Economics, Overall GPA 3.70, major GPA 3.90. I've always wanted to go to law school but I got a good job out of college at a bank and I thought school could wait. I've worked for about 2 years in finance and I'm interested in going to law school again - maybe JD/MBA. I am primarily interested in Corporate law and I want to go to Columbia. I have a few questions I hope you guys can help me with.

1. Will the ad coms view my decision to attend law school now unfavorably? Will they wonder why I didn't apply directly out of college?
2. Will my personal statement be seen in a negative light if I choose to address a dry topic such as corporate law as opposed to humanitarian / civil / constitutional issues? Will this depend on the school?
3. Do I need volunteer work and extracurricular activities on my resume? If so, does the work need to be law related?
4. Besides the LSAT, does my undergrad GPA fall into the Top 10 scale? I've taken lots of math and stats so my overall GPA isn't as high as the avg law applicant. Will the ad coms pay attention to this?
5. My view of corporate / transactional law is that it is highly procedural and litigation is rare. Is this true?
6. I am also planning on getting a Masters in Economics before applying to law school. Will the ad com receive this well? Do they favor applicants with graduate degrees?

Thank you in advance.

1. No they will not; most law schools PREFER students who do not apply directly from ugrad. Work experience (life experience really) is viewed favorably

2. It will be if all you do is talk about corporate law...lol. Personal statements should let adcomms know you as a person, and maybe why you want to do law (not necessary) -- mine just let them know about me as a person, i had maybe only 3 lines pertaining to law (in a general way). of course you can talk about corporate law, but only if you're passionate about it...also, if you know nothing about the topic (factually speaking), hard to be passionate.

3. Yes you need volunteer work and ECs on your resume -- the type does not matter at all, just have some things. of course having been working for 2 yrs in finance certainly counts. more the merrier, but softs (everything besides your hard numbers GPA/LSAT) are usually not make or break deals -- just have them; few are gamechangers, tho i guess 2 yrs finance is above the avg soft most applicants would have

4. It is in that range, but not per se high. anywhere from low-mid depending on the T10 school (your 3.7 that is)

5. No idea, cant help you out on this question

6. Yes law schools would view this favorably, but not by much -- once again, it is like another soft. if you were going to get it anyways for x reason, then go for it. if you were going to get it just for law school...prob not. though JD/MBA requirements may be diff and prob more stringent, the MA in economics could only help (to a varying degree). dont expect it to do you wonders though, im guessing. grad school GPAs tend to be inflated and arent reported by USNEWS so law schools dont lend much credence to them

you're welcome

Fatcat wrote: 1. Will the ad coms view my decision to attend law school now unfavorably? Will they wonder why I didn't apply directly out of college?
2. Will my personal statement be seen in a negative light if I choose to address a dry topic such as corporate law as opposed to humanitarian / civil / constitutional issues? Will this depend on the school?
3. Do I need volunteer work and extracurricular activities on my resume? If so, does the work need to be law related?
4. Besides the LSAT, does my undergrad GPA fall into the Top 10 scale? I've taken lots of math and stats so my overall GPA isn't as high as the avg law applicant. Will the ad coms pay attention to this?
5. My view of corporate / transactional law is that it is highly procedural and litigation is rare. Is this true?
6. I am also planning on getting a Masters in Economics before applying to law school. Will the ad com receive this well? Do they favor applicants with graduate degrees?

1. Work experience is generally considered a positive. It will not hurt you.
2. Personal statements are... personal. If corporate law is your thing and that's what you want to talk about, then go for it. You might want to do some reading about personal statements. There are good resources right here on TLS.
3. Anything that shows what a well-rounded, interesting person you are helps. Volunteer work/extracurriculars just give more insight into who you are and can show that you have handled responsibility. Definitely doesn't have to be law related.
4. There are plenty of engineering majors applying to law school that would take exception to your claim that you took a lot of math as a finance major UG difficulty is a small consideration if it is taken into account at all. A 4.0 in basket weaving trumps a 3.5 in rocket science. If your LSAC GPA is a 3.7, you will be a pretty typical applicant for the T14 on the GPA front.
5. Beats me. Seems like there would be plenty of opportunities to either do or avoid litigation as a career path within "corporate law" depending on what you focus on. Others will have much better answers for this.
6. A masters shows that you can do advanced academic work, so it is a plus. Unfortunately, the consensus is that it is a small plus. The brutal truth of it is LSAT/GPA are the primary considerations. The personal statement is a chance to break out above or fall below your numbers, and everything else is really minor.

lol. i will ONLY talk about transactional law in my PS i get your point.

the extra math courses were not required for economics - i've done the same amount of math as an engineering student. i realize quants and techies will also be applying to law school but my assumption is that the typical law school applicant is someone who majored in the arts: English, Political Science, International Relations, Government, etc.

thanks for your help guys - much appreciated! now the hard part: LSAT.