Does law school confer unique, invaluable soft skills? Forum

[cluelessbanker]

I'm under the impression (although very possibly a naive one) that attending law school can greatly improve one's ability to critically analyze problems, construct convincing arguments, help one become a better negotiator, hone reading/writing abilities, and overall bring to the table a high level of respect and "authority", perhaps more so than other graduate degrees.

If law school does indeed help hone these aforementioned skills, or even SOME of them, wouldn't they be useful for people who not only want to work in the legal profession, but also want to work in the business/finance world and someday take on an executive position at a large corporation or start his/her own company? After all, you have people like Lloyd Blankfein (the former CEO of Goldman Sachs) who obtained a J.D. from Harvard, Brian Moynihan (CEO of Bank of America) who obtained a J.D. from Notre Dame and numerous other CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who went to law school.

This all brings me to my main question: Can attending law school be a good idea for those (aka me) who are NOT particularly interested in working as a lawyer, but want the training of the above soft skills/abilities that comes with attending law school? I was thinking that even if I didn't become a lawyer, the very important soft skills (skills which would certainly be helpful in the business world) developed as a result of going to law school could justify the cost. If I didn't get a J.D., I'd probably get an MBA, which I'm honestly a bit wary about as I've heard that MBAs have lost their value in recent times and probably wouldn't provide as rigorous of the intellectual/critical thinking training as law school. (Not trying to belittle an MBA; this is just from what I've read and heard).

What do you guys think? Any input at all would be appreciated, and many thanks to everyone in advance!

(For context, I'm an incoming investment banking analyst at a mid-tier bulge bracket bank deciding if going to law school after 2 years of working is the right option for me).

[cavalier1138]

No.

A JD is good for a single purpose: becoming a practicing lawyer. The actual process of law school mainly teaches you how to think like a lawyer, but it doesn't do much in the way of teaching practical skills. For example, a JD will not help you become a better negotiator, command respect, critically analyze anything that isn't the law, do business, etc.

Some (older) people in the business field may have JDs. Those are outliers, and they got their degrees at a time when a JD was much more flexible. If you're not interested in becoming a lawyer, don't go to law school.

[Carl Carlson]

You should definitely do the MBA. Just take some extra writing courses or something. I'm surprised an IB analyst doesn't think it's as valuable. Most of the CEOs you mentioned worked as lawyers before switching careers, most likely because they found something else more interesting.

[dabigchina]

No. You have cherrypicked the 2 fortune 500 CEOs that have jds. That is 0.4% of all fortune 500 CEOs.how many fortune 500 CEOs have mbas? I would guess a lot

Go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. (I'm glad you've established that you don't have a burning passion to be a lawyer, though).

[totesTheGoat]

This all brings me to my main question: Can attending law school be a good idea for those (aka me) who are NOT particularly interested in working as a lawyer, but want the training of the above soft skills/abilities that comes with attending law school?

No. If you want to develop a good soft skill, develop your ability to self-educate. Obtaining a degree that takes 3 years and costs 6 figures for the sole purpose of learning writing and critical thinking skills is a profound waste of time, money, and effort. Go join Toastmasters and a local debate society instead.

[The Lsat Airbender]

Some (older) people in the business field may have JDs. Those are outliers, and they got their degrees at a time when a JD was much more flexible.

Just as importantly, at a time when a JD was much cheaper. It's hard to be entrepreneurial when one's net worth is deep in the red with student debt.