JD/CPA combo with a twist Forum

[catman]

I know from previous research on this forum that this question gets thrown around a lot, however, I believe my situation is a little different.

I am a recent graduate with dual degrees in Finance and Accounting. My GPA is 3.72 and I recently was offered an internal audit position within a top 30 LAW FIRM. I will be required to get my CPA designation as a normal part of my job expectations and will be working with nearly every department in the firm.

I had abandoned my law dreams a few years ago after reading about a saturated market and limited opportunities, but under these circumstances, do you think it would make sense to go back to law school for a jd/cpa combo? I have always had a passion for law, and I would love to practice some sort of financial services regulation. (I've interned at the Fed and numerous other banks)

My timeline would be internal audit for 3-4 years, and then back to school. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous User]

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[El Dangeroso]

I'll say anecdotally that my good friend who was Econ/accounting and earned his CPA while in law school came out of oci with five or six offers at my top 30. With the work experience you are going to gain, you will be attractive to law schools and subsequently to law firms. You also have the benefit of time to see what the market does before making a decision. Maybe once you earn your CPA, take the LSAT and see what you put down if you haven't done so already (unless I misunderstood your timeline). I'm not seeing a downside to your idea at this stage.

[Anonymous User]

Sorry, but internal audit at a law firm is going to be far less valuable than Big 4 audit or tax accounting experience for a big law firm down the road.

[catman]

Well. Unfortunately, I go to a smaller school that is not recruited by the Big 4. Everything I have managed to get has been through networking. I was wondering not about the possibility of getting into law school but the possibility of remaining at the firm I will work for, but transitioning into an associate.

I could potentially work for a while and then try to get into a Big 4 firm once I have my CPA. I never really bought into the glamour of those firms knowing that I didn't really have a shot.

..But ya to clarify the timeline, I would be taking my LSATs after I completed my CPA and would aim to be a 1L in 4-5 years at age 25-26.

[JJ123]

Depends on what the pay is. In many cases, internal audit is a very low paid position, the real audit work is done by the outside CPA firm. Basically, internal audit is going to review expenses, set up SOX controls, and generally hassle everyone in the company to comply with all of the rules, and be considered a nuisance.

I agree with the others that Big 4 accounting experience probably makes more sense, but there could be a lot of other factors (not wanting to work 70 hour weeks for peanuts, not being interested in Big 4 type work) that could make this make sense for you personally.

[unlicensedpotato]

*Rising 2L who was K-JD so take this with a grain of salt.

If what you want to do is practice law, why waste 3-4 years doing internal auditing? I would take the job and grab the CPA while you're preparing for the LSAT but then go to law school the next year. I can't imagine the audit job will pay that well and the experience will not be much of a factor when applying for firm jobs. If you have family expenses then that is a different matter I suppose. I'm sure it would be an advantage applying to that one firm that you had worked at but I wouldn't describe the process as "transitioning into an associate."

[bk1]

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