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Hi,

I'm a junior in college and I have always been interested in both business and law. Naturally, a career in business law seems to be a natural fit, but given the amount of complaints lawyers have in general about their field and how people in corporate law have terrible job satisfaction, how can I know whether or not a legal career in corporate law is for me? The reason I think I would be interested in this is because I am fascinated by various business transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, joint ventures, etc. and I think being able to consult clients on the legality of such transactions will allow me to add a new dimension in how I look at transactions and it will allow me to be on the forefront of deal-making without having to be a salesman. I know that a lot of being a lawyer is about researching, drafting documents, etc. but I think that there's a good chance that I wouldn't mind doing that stuff as long as I am learning as well, but based on what I've wrote, do you think I may enjoy corporate law, and how do I find out for sure whether or not I will like it? Otherwise, what kind of people do you find enjoy corporate law, where can I find out more about their daily routine, etc. Law school is expensive/time consuming, so I want to be sure I'm making a right decision, but I don't have a ton of time either.

Thanks!

Do you know any practicing corporate attorneys? That's where the best information is going to come from.

Why not take two years to work at an investment bank and see if you really like what interests you now. You'll interact a lot with lawyers and you can get a good sense of what they do.

Or just get an internship for the summer if you're not willing to put off law school.

Sadly, I don't know any corporate attorneys are getting into i-banking will be tough because I don't go to a top school. That's why I was looking to this forum for advice

I think we are the same person.

marshall_eriksen wrote:Sadly, I don't know any corporate attorneys are getting into i-banking will be tough because I don't go to a top school. That's why I was looking to this forum for advice

You can get into somewhere that has investment banking operations and get a vague idea what it is like.

AreJay711 wrote:

marshall_eriksen wrote:Sadly, I don't know any corporate attorneys are getting into i-banking will be tough because I don't go to a top school. That's why I was looking to this forum for advice

You can get into somewhere that has investment banking operations and get a vague idea what it is like.

lol

MrKappus wrote:

AreJay711 wrote:

marshall_eriksen wrote:Sadly, I don't know any corporate attorneys are getting into i-banking will be tough because I don't go to a top school. That's why I was looking to this forum for advice

You can get into somewhere that has investment banking operations and get a vague idea what it is like.

lol

???

Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.

Agree or disagree? (Everyone I know who agrees loves doing corp law/lit, everyone I've met who disagreed -or I presume would disagree based on their comments- hated it, not even close to joking).

You can make pros and cons lists all you want but the truth is you won't know until you actually do it. The best way to figure out is to get a summer associate gig and see if you like it or not.

Hattori Hanzo wrote:You can make pros and cons lists all you want but the truth is you won't know until you actually do it. The best way to figure out is to get a summer associate gig and see if you like it or not.

Yes, because SA gigs are JUST like the real deal, amirite?

Veyron wrote:Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.

Agree or disagree? (Everyone I know who agrees loves doing corp law/lit, everyone I've met who disagreed -or I presume would disagree based on their comments- hated it, not even close to joking).

Lol come on man, I said serious answers only (although I do agree to some extent but not completely if you're being dead serious). To other comments, how can I possibly get an associate gig as a junior in college with no legal background whatsoever? There's no way I'd go to law school for a field other than corporate law because I enjoy "business" (as nebulous as that sounds) as well, so I don't think wasting 3 years in law school, getting a summer gig as an associate, possibly finding out I dislike it, and then being stuck with a ton of debt and no future whatsoever. There has to be some way prospective attorneys knew law was for them before applying to law school, how can I do the same? Otherwise, does anyone know some good links that shed light into what exactly corporate attorneys do all day? More specifically, I'm interested in securities/M&A/joint venture type of law within "corporate law"

marshall_eriksen wrote:

Veyron wrote:Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.

Agree or disagree? (Everyone I know who agrees loves doing corp law/lit, everyone I've met who disagreed -or I presume would disagree based on their comments- hated it, not even close to joking).

Lol come on man, I said serious answers only (although I do agree to some extent but not completely if you're being dead serious). To other comments, how can I possibly get an associate gig as a junior in college with no legal background whatsoever? There's no way I'd go to law school for a field other than corporate law because I enjoy "business" (as nebulous as that sounds) as well, so I don't think wasting 3 years in law school, getting a summer gig as an associate, possibly finding out I dislike it, and then being stuck with a ton of debt and no future whatsoever. There has to be some way prospective attorneys knew law was for them before applying to law school, how can I do the same? Otherwise, does anyone know some good links that shed light into what exactly corporate attorneys do all day? More specifically, I'm interested in securities/M&A/joint venture type of law within "corporate law"

The fact that you don't think that I'm serious tells me that you don't know anyone working in biglaw. Since I know several, perhaps you should take my word for it, no? This is the philosophy that you need to have in order to love the job. Its not for everyone, or even most people. Lots of people who don't believe this get into biglaw and do it to pay off loans but its not their passion. Just think about how soul-crushing working from 10-1:30 every day would be if you don't believe in what you're doing.

Veyron wrote:

marshall_eriksen wrote:

Veyron wrote:Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.

Agree or disagree? (Everyone I know who agrees loves doing corp law/lit, everyone I've met who disagreed -or I presume would disagree based on their comments- hated it, not even close to joking).

Lol come on man, I said serious answers only (although I do agree to some extent but not completely if you're being dead serious). To other comments, how can I possibly get an associate gig as a junior in college with no legal background whatsoever? There's no way I'd go to law school for a field other than corporate law because I enjoy "business" (as nebulous as that sounds) as well, so I don't think wasting 3 years in law school, getting a summer gig as an associate, possibly finding out I dislike it, and then being stuck with a ton of debt and no future whatsoever. There has to be some way prospective attorneys knew law was for them before applying to law school, how can I do the same? Otherwise, does anyone know some good links that shed light into what exactly corporate attorneys do all day? More specifically, I'm interested in securities/M&A/joint venture type of law within "corporate law"

The fact that you don't think that I'm serious tells me that you don't know anyone working in biglaw. Since I know several, perhaps you should take my word for it, no? This is the philosophy that you need to have in order to love the job. Its not for everyone, or even most people. Lots of people who don't believe this get into biglaw and do it to pay off loans but its not their passion. Just think about how soul-crushing working from 10-1:30 every day would be if you don't believe in what you're doing.

People can be paid to believe/do anything. At least for me, all I'd need to do to answer the question "what the hell am I doing here?" is take a look at my paystub.

Then again, my philosophy is: "do whatever it takes, short of breaking the law". Or "bend the law as far as it'll bend before it breaks". Or something like that. Besides, I think helping people/corporations pay less taxes is something anyone can get behind. Besides TSA it's probably the only universally hated thing in the United States.

You sound a lot like me, except I blew my chance at getting a "sick" job (100+ hours of work) cause i was a bum. and I went to a target school. I went to law school pretty much to do corporate law (M&A, Anti-trust, securities). The reason I like it (or think i will) is that you deal with a lot of the same concepts, except you deal with the framework of it, the structure, while others do the numbers and actually run the business. Instead of actually running the business, you advise it and help it succeed in that way. If that sounds interesting then you might like it, and if you dont, you still make bank. I havent been an i banker but i have a lot of friends that are, and they pretty much hate their life. I don't think that the hours really compare unless you are extremely inefficient with your time at work in a firm.

$$$$$$ wrote:You sound a lot like me, except I blew my chance at getting a "sick" job (100+ hours of work) cause i was a bum. and I went to a target school. I went to law school pretty much to do corporate law (M&A, Anti-trust, securities). The reason I like it (or think i will) is that you deal with a lot of the same concepts, except you deal with the framework of it, the structure, while others do the numbers and actually run the business. Instead of actually running the business, you advise it and help it succeed in that way. If that sounds interesting then you might like it, and if you dont, you still make bank. I havent been an i banker but i have a lot of friends that are, and they pretty much hate their life. I don't think that the hours really compare unless you are extremely inefficient with your time at work in a firm.

I don't have a sick job. It's all hypothetical. I'm going to law school to do tax law. Pretty much because it's universally hated so I don't think I'll get much hate from the crunchy granola types for helping corporations avoid taxes. Even if I do though, so what?

motiontodismiss wrote:

$$$$$$ wrote:You sound a lot like me, except I blew my chance at getting a "sick" job (100+ hours of work) cause i was a bum. and I went to a target school. I went to law school pretty much to do corporate law (M&A, Anti-trust, securities). The reason I like it (or think i will) is that you deal with a lot of the same concepts, except you deal with the framework of it, the structure, while others do the numbers and actually run the business. Instead of actually running the business, you advise it and help it succeed in that way. If that sounds interesting then you might like it, and if you dont, you still make bank. I havent been an i banker but i have a lot of friends that are, and they pretty much hate their life. I don't think that the hours really compare unless you are extremely inefficient with your time at work in a firm.

I don't have a sick job. It's all hypothetical. I'm going to law school to do tax law. Pretty much because it's universally hated so I don't think I'll get much hate from the crunchy granola types for helping corporations avoid taxes. Even if I do though, so what?

word, i was answering the op, but thats chill.

Kinda sounds like you just need to get any work experience between now and law school to get some perspective. The question you're asking is akin to "will I enjoy a career in prostitution?" while you're still a virgin.

The BigLaw firm I used to work for used to hire undergraduate students in the summer as summer paralegals / interns. I don't think they're doing it anymore, but check other top firms if such an opportunity is available. I think working for a big firm should give you a good idea. I'm not sure how competitive those jobs were... the kids I met in those positions went to Yale, NYU and Penn (all undergrad), but that's NYC. If you're close to another major legal market (DC, Chicago, LA, SF), that might be the way to go first.

You could also look into internships in banking, but those are uber competitive, and I'm not sure they'll tell you much about law. I worked in a support staff role for the M&A group at one of the top banks, and, while I knew who the lawyers were, I didn't really get to see as much of what they did. Since I worked most closely with a Director, I probably even interacted with them more than the analysts did, too... Might be different at different places, though.


Anyway, I'm rambling. +1 (more or less) to $$$$$$

something you might want to check out is linkedin.com. I was able to meet some of my company's corp attorneys, and talk with them about their jobs, advice, etc.

I think you should look for a Paralegal or Legal Assistant job wherever you can find one. Those who are declaring that you should just hop into Investment Banking or walk into a SA position seem to be delusional about getting meaningful employment in undergrad.

2014 wrote:I think you should look for a Paralegal or Legal Assistant job wherever you can find one. Those who are declaring that you should just hop into Investment Banking or walk into a SA position seem to be delusional about getting meaningful employment in undergrad.

This.
Find a large firm that hires undergrads for paralegal positions after graduating. Some actually have an organized program (two years or so) for grads who are considering law school.

-

AreJay711 wrote:You can get into somewhere that has investment banking operations and get a vague idea what it is like.

This is one of the stupidest things I have ever read on this site...for so many reasons.

ahduth wrote:Kinda sounds like you just need to get any work experience between now and law school to get some perspective. The question you're asking is akin to "will I enjoy a career in prostitution?" while you're still a virgin.

...? I have had work experience before. I worked at Ernst and Young in Transaction Advisory Services for the summer where I helped do research and whatnot on private equity firms to see whether or not it is feasible to pursue business with the companies and whatnot. That's how I know that a. I enjoy business b. I want to be more on the support role and not so much on the deal-making side. See, I see myself as more of a facilitator to a deal rather than the person who schmoozes the client into doing it. I bet that corporate lawyers play a role in convincing the firms being acquired on the legal implications and whatnot, and I think I would enjoy that. I am wondering how I can get more info, because I have an idea about what I want, but I want to make sure corporate law fits that criteria.

$$$$$$ wrote:You sound a lot like me, except I blew my chance at getting a "sick" job (100+ hours of work) cause i was a bum. and I went to a target school. I went to law school pretty much to do corporate law (M&A, Anti-trust, securities). The reason I like it (or think i will) is that you deal with a lot of the same concepts, except you deal with the framework of it, the structure, while others do the numbers and actually run the business. Instead of actually running the business, you advise it and help it succeed in that way. If that sounds interesting then you might like it, and if you dont, you still make bank. I havent been an i banker but i have a lot of friends that are, and they pretty much hate their life. I don't think that the hours really compare unless you are extremely inefficient with your time at work in a firm.

I get what you're saying, but can you elaborate a bit more on the "framework of it, the structure" part? Also, what do you mean by the "same concepts".

Thanks for the responses so far