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As there seems to be several of us here trying to make/are in the process of making/that have made the jump from public accounting to law school, and eventually from law school into the legal world, I figured it might be a good idea to have a thread dedicated to this topic.

For those of you in this situation, I have several questions.

- How difficult has the transition been from the mindset promoted by public accounting firms to the mindset of "thinking like a lawyer"?
- If I am still currently employed in public accounting, what skills should I be developing now to make this transition easier?
- In your opinion, how have firms at OCI considered your previous work experience in accounting?
- How much of an advantage, if any, will an individual with a CPA license have over one without?
- Major similarites between public accounting and law? Major differences?
- What types of law seem to mesh well with the skills developed as a public accountant?

I'm sure I'll have more questions, these are just the few that stand out right now. I figure I've been drawing from the resources on this site for quite awhile now, it's about time I tried to give something back.

This thread might catch on, it might not, I just think it would be good to consolidate all the CPA/Big Four/Public Accounting topics into one place since I've received a few PMs about it in the past, and have an interest in it myself coming from this background.

If your focus as a CPA was in tax, no doubt being a tax lawyer should a easy transition in terms of familiarity.

bump

DGLitcH wrote:If your focus as a CPA was in tax, no doubt being a tax lawyer should a easy transition in terms of familiarity.

That's true, but I was more thinking public auditing. Tax answers would fit in this topic also though.

0L with big 4 experience and a CPA here ... Hoping there aren't many similarities.

TUP wrote:0L with big 4 experience and a CPA here ... Hoping there aren't many similarities.

Haha I agree with you there, just hoping that this experience will benefit us somehow. Hopefully someone that's actually been through it will be able to provide us with some insight.

thepunisher24 wrote:

TUP wrote:0L with big 4 experience and a CPA here ... Hoping there aren't many similarities.

Haha I agree with you there, just hoping that this experience will benefit us somehow. Hopefully someone that's actually been through it will be able to provide us with some insight.

I was also audit and the financial statement knowledge we gained has to help for corporate transactional and probably white collar related criminal law. Outside of that I don't think it would be worth more than any other solid corporate work experience.

I have noticed the Inactive CPA designation in bios for some corporate transactional attorneys, and I would think it's valuable from a client relationship standpoint if nothing else.

Another advantage is having experienced numerous 60-70 hour weeks as an auditor, which is useful when considering one's career path.

That's just my view as a 0L that hasn't even taken the LSAT, though. There must be at least a few law students or attorneys out there with accounting experience that have some input.

Hello all. I am in a similar situation as you where I am currently in public accounting and looking to go to law school. I have experience in both tax and audit and I think that tax law is a career that would fit my interests. I am set to take the LSAT this June 2010.

Hello,

I see that this post is a few years old. Hopefully all who posted earlier were able to start and finish law school. Currently in public acct. & will be taking LSAT in Dec. I have experience with both tax and audit.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!