People with another advanced degree (MA, MEd, MSW, etc.) on top of their JD...did it positively impact your job search? Forum

[Bodhicaryavatara]

Recent JD grad here, currently clerking for a judge, which I'll be doing until August 2019. I'll then be entering an MA program for 1-1.5 years. I'm aiming for a JD-required or JD-Advantage career in the public sector permanently. JD school is tier II and MA program is an Ivy.

[Anonymous User]

For this specific poster, maybe. For everyone else considering it, this is a bad idea.

Graduating from law school and doing OCI with a pre-law school advanced degree = golden
Going from a graduate program post-law school back into a law career is a nightmare. You're not going to get into big law as a first year because you missed the summer/OCI route. And you'll be out of the clerkship hiring/law prof recommendation loop. Unless you don't want to be a lawyer, this is a bad choice. If you want to do policy or something like that then fine.

[Anonymous User]

Agree with the above. Did a joint degree program at MVP and a top MA program at another school. Don’t think it helped at all as an attorney, though it may have assisted had I gone into policy (the original plan). Only exception from what I can tell is JD-MBA where you want to do deal work and ultimately end up in a business role.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

For this specific poster, maybe. For everyone else considering it, this is a bad idea.

Graduating from law school and doing OCI with a pre-law school advanced degree = golden
Going from a graduate program post-law school back into a law career is a nightmare. You're not going to get into big law as a first year because you missed the summer/OCI route. And you'll be out of the clerkship hiring/law prof recommendation loop. Unless you don't want to be a lawyer, this is a bad choice. If you want to do policy or something like that then fine.

Thanks for the feedback! Just to clarify, I'm currently a Judicial Law Clerk, and by fall 2019, I will have two years of JD-required experience under my belt.

The MA program is interdisciplinary and I'll be able to take courses at a T6 law school while I'm in the program. I'll also be active in the local bar association and do pro bono volunteer work. I'm interested in both policy and direct services. I'd rather scrub toilets for a living than do Big Law.

Although I have a JD, I might not pass character and fitness immediately due to a rapsheet (could take a couple years to clear this hurdle), which is why I'm getting the advanced degree at the Ivy on top of my JD.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

Agree with the above. Did a joint degree program at MVP and a top MA program at another school. Don’t think it helped at all as an attorney, though it may have assisted had I gone into policy (the original plan). Only exception from what I can tell is JD-MBA where you want to do deal work and ultimately end up in a business role.

Thank you. I'm equally interested in public policy and direct services legal work and will be doing pro bono throughout the masters program.

[Anonymous User]

For this specific poster, maybe. For everyone else considering it, this is a bad idea.

Graduating from law school and doing OCI with a pre-law school advanced degree = golden
Going from a graduate program post-law school back into a law career is a nightmare. You're not going to get into big law as a first year because you missed the summer/OCI route. And you'll be out of the clerkship hiring/law prof recommendation loop. Unless you don't want to be a lawyer, this is a bad choice. If you want to do policy or something like that then fine.

I agree with this. If you’re not going to practice law, getting a MA is fine (though very very few MAs, even from an Ivy, even for policy jobs, are going to actually improve your employment opportunities, assuming you mean an actual MA and not some kind of professional master’s). If you want to practice law the MA isn’t going to help and will likely hurt. You’d be better off staying a law clerk until your C&F issue is cleared up.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

For this specific poster, maybe. For everyone else considering it, this is a bad idea.
You’d be better off staying a law clerk until your C&F issue is cleared up.

Not possible, clerkships in my jurisdiction are 1 year, and if the Judge is satisfied with your work product (as in my case) they can elect to extend it for just one more additional year. There are no "career clerks" in my jurisdiction, unfortunately.

I already sent in my deposit to the Ivy program, so there's no turning back! I was over the moon when I got in-t'was a dream come true. I did get a scholarship from them, so I won't be drowning in debt, and only have mid-five-figures from the JD program and 0 from undergrad.

[Anonymous User]

I mean, you can always turn back - sending in the deposit doesn’t commit you to attend. If it’s not going to hurt you financially not much harm done, but it’s going to make you look like you don’t want to practice law, so you’ll have to be prepared for that.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

I mean, you can always turn back - sending in the deposit doesn’t commit you to attend. If it’s not going to hurt you financially not much harm done, but it’s going to make you look like you don’t want to practice law, so you’ll have to be prepared for that.

I know this is super Asian of me, but I've wanted to attend an Ivy since I was a small child, and now I have my chance!

[Civilservant]

At this point, getting licensed and practicing will be more beneficial than taking a side step for an unrelated graduate program. I went to grad school prior to law school, and it didnt benefit me in the long run.

[jhett]

I know this is super Asian of me, but I've wanted to attend an Ivy since I was a small child, and now I have my chance!

Hahaha, yes super Asian. But there are better ways to get an Ivy on your resume than going for an MA. Ivies have fellowships and other programs for established professionals. I suggest establishing your legal career first and then tacking on one of these fellows programs.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

At this point, getting licensed and practicing will be more beneficial than taking a side step for an unrelated graduate program. I went to grad school prior to law school, and it didnt benefit me in the long run.

As I mentioned above, I'm facing significant C&F hurdles, so I am looking for something nonlegal to do with my time because it will take a few years for me to get licensed. During said grad program, I'll be cross-registering for courses at a T6 law school, doing pro bono volunteer work, attending bar association events, and networking.

[tinman]

Enjoy your columbia MPA! I think it could actually be useful if you don’t mind making only 50-110K as a staffer on the Hill. The MPA will give you school prestige; the JD, the legal credential most staffers lack. Not sure whether that’s the sort of thing you have in mind for your public service.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

Enjoy your columbia MPA! I think it could actually be useful if you don’t mind making only 50-110K as a staffer on the Hill. The MPA will give you school prestige; the JD, the legal credential most staffers lack. Not sure whether that’s the sort of thing you have in mind for your public service.

Thank you!

Yes, I'm interested in policy.

[Civilservant]

At this point, getting licensed and practicing will be more beneficial than taking a side step for an unrelated graduate program. I went to grad school prior to law school, and it didnt benefit me in the long run.

As I mentioned above, I'm facing significant C&F hurdles, so I am looking for something nonlegal to do with my time because it will take a few years for me to get licensed. During said grad program, I'll be cross-registering for courses at a T6 law school, doing pro bono volunteer work, attending bar association events, and networking.

It sounds very much like you want to go back into the grad school bubble to avoid whatever it is this hurdle to practice is. Unless it is severe mental illness or embezzling large sums of money, I dont see why you want to just go through the steps of mitigating it and go on with practicing. It sounds like you are looking to distract yourself until you can go ahead with practicing.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

At this point, getting licensed and practicing will be more beneficial than taking a side step for an unrelated graduate program. I went to grad school prior to law school, and it didnt benefit me in the long run.

As I mentioned above, I'm facing significant C&F hurdles, so I am looking for something nonlegal to do with my time because it will take a few years for me to get licensed. During said grad program, I'll be cross-registering for courses at a T6 law school, doing pro bono volunteer work, attending bar association events, and networking.

It sounds very much like you want to go back into the grad school bubble to avoid whatever it is this hurdle to practice is. Unless it is severe mental illness or embezzling large sums of money, I dont see why you want to just go through the steps of mitigating it and go on with practicing. It sounds like you are looking to distract yourself until you can go ahead with practicing.

My C&F case will likely take years to adjudicate. I need something nonlegal to occupy my time with. I cannot practice law without a law license.

[ur_hero]

In my opinion.... It's helpful to have, but probably not worth it to independently seek simply for the purpose of increasing your job prospects as a lawyer.

[Npret]

At this point, getting licensed and practicing will be more beneficial than taking a side step for an unrelated graduate program. I went to grad school prior to law school, and it didnt benefit me in the long run.

As I mentioned above, I'm facing significant C&F hurdles, so I am looking for something nonlegal to do with my time because it will take a few years for me to get licensed. During said grad program, I'll be cross-registering for courses at a T6 law school, doing pro bono volunteer work, attending bar association events, and networking.

It sounds very much like you want to go back into the grad school bubble to avoid whatever it is this hurdle to practice is. Unless it is severe mental illness or embezzling large sums of money, I dont see why you want to just go through the steps of mitigating it and go on with practicing. It sounds like you are looking to distract yourself until you can go ahead with practicing.

My C&F case will likely take years to adjudicate. I need something nonlegal to occupy my time with. I cannot practice law without a law license.

How do you know it will take years? If your criminal background didn’t stop you from being admitted to law schools, how can it take years?

I assume you’ve taken and passed the bar already, so the case is ongoing. You could lose, I suppose, so you need to find another path. But I don’t understand the timeframe.

Getting another degree isn’t going to make it easier to get hired as a lawyer, but it sounds like you’re off that path already.

If you want a JD preferred job, do you need to be licensed?

This whole thing sounds weird. If your C &F lawyer advised you to take this path, why are you asking for advise here?

[Bodhicaryavatara]

At this point, getting licensed and practicing will be more beneficial than taking a side step for an unrelated graduate program. I went to grad school prior to law school, and it didnt benefit me in the long run.

As I mentioned above, I'm facing significant C&F hurdles, so I am looking for something nonlegal to do with my time because it will take a few years for me to get licensed. During said grad program, I'll be cross-registering for courses at a T6 law school, doing pro bono volunteer work, attending bar association events, and networking.

It sounds very much like you want to go back into the grad school bubble to avoid whatever it is this hurdle to practice is. Unless it is severe mental illness or embezzling large sums of money, I dont see why you want to just go through the steps of mitigating it and go on with practicing. It sounds like you are looking to distract yourself until you can go ahead with practicing.

My C&F case will likely take years to adjudicate. I need something nonlegal to occupy my time with. I cannot practice law without a law license.

How do you know it will take years? If your criminal background didn’t stop you from being admitted to law schools, how can it take years?

I assume you’ve taken and passed the bar already, so the case is ongoing. You could lose, I suppose, so you need to find another path. But I don’t understand the timeframe.

Getting another degree isn’t going to make it easier to get hired as a lawyer, but it sounds like you’re off that path already.

If you want a JD preferred job, do you need to be licensed?

This whole thing sounds weird. If your C &F lawyer advised you to take this path, why are you asking for advise here?

The misconduct (noncriminal) happened DURING law school, and the charges are very, very serious. I didn't hire a C&F lawyer yet.

[Civilservant]

You finished law school and you were hired by a Judge, how serious can it possibly be? Again, I think the point remains that you dont want to face the situation at hand, and fear practicing unsupervised. You dont have to practice if you dont want to, but I think you need to stop running from your problems.

[Anonymous User]

Have you actually applied for admission and been told this will take a couple of years? If not, and you haven’t hired a C&F attorney yet, it seems like you might be overthinking this.

[tinman]

The misconduct (noncriminal) happened DURING law school, and the charges are very, very serious. I didn't hire a C&F lawyer yet.

I'm confused and intrigued. Isn't it impossible to be "charged" for a noncriminal offense? Are we talking about a civil suit with serious allegations?

[tyroneslothrop1]

Hopefully you did not conceal the misconduct in your applications to the judge and MA program, or it is likely you will never work as a lawyer. Also, you remind me of another poster, Samali, or something, who had bipolar episodes in law school and stalked someone.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

The misconduct (noncriminal) happened DURING law school, and the charges are very, very serious. I didn't hire a C&F lawyer yet.

I'm confused and intrigued. Isn't it impossible to be "charged" for a noncriminal offense? Are we talking about a civil suit with serious allegations?

They are student code of conduct charges, not criminal charges. I have never been arrested, prosecuted, or convicted of any crime.

[Bodhicaryavatara]

Hopefully you did not conceal the misconduct in your applications to the judge and MA program, or it is likely you will never work as a lawyer. Also, you remind me of another poster, Samali, or something, who had bipolar episodes in law school and stalked someone.

The clerkship application did not ask about academic misconduct. Columbia did and I said "yes" on the application and gave a brief disclosure.