Is there a Hiring Advantage for Joint MBA/JDs for Law Side? Forum

[jtabustos]

For people pursuing a joint MBA/JD or just maybe has one already and adding the other, is there a hiring advantage into law gigs? If so, how would it work?

For example, would the hiring plus be significant enough to pull a bottom of the class T14 law student into biglaw (b/c he or she had that MBA as well)? ...Would a non-prestigious/non-highly ranked dual degree have any pull (just by virtue of having both degrees)...like say a T40-ish law school/MBA (who might otherwise not be looked at for biglaw with just a JD)? etc..

Appreciate the insights in advance!

[IAFG]

At NU, JDMBAs seem to outperform their GPAs. By how much, is the subject of great debate.

[Borg]

My grades are decent, but I definitely outperformed them when I recruited for law jobs. Legal employers like hiring people with business backgrounds because they require a lot less handholding and training about deal basics. The other JD/MBAs I know had similar results. The one problem is that there is some covariance with work experience. The MBAs have been out of school for a while and have business backgrounds, and that makes it difficult to tell what can be attributed to the MBA credential and what's the result of their pre-existing background. It seems that the MBA can be a good signaling device though, so maybe employers perk up their ears when they see it and start to pay more attention to background.

I would not recommend doing a JD/MBA outside of the top programs. It's extremely expensive, and you need to have lucrative exit opportunities to make it worth it. I doubt that a mediocre MBA would move the needle for biglaw employers that aren't otherwise recruiting on your campus. You would need very strong grades from a school like that to get a biglaw job regardless of any additional degrees.

[KD35]

At the same time...doing a MBA/JD is a whole extra year that you aren't making money...add more loans, interest, and lost potential income.
I would have a hard time believing that extra year is worth all of that, even if you have decent job prospects.

[qwertyboard]

My grades are decent, but I definitely outperformed them when I recruited for law jobs. Legal employers like hiring people with business backgrounds because they require a lot less handholding and training about deal basics. The other JD/MBAs I know had similar results. The one problem is that there is some covariance with work experience. The MBAs have been out of school for a while and have business backgrounds, and that makes it difficult to tell what can be attributed to the MBA credential and what's the result of their pre-existing background. It seems that the MBA can be a good signaling device though, so maybe employers perk up their ears when they see it and start to pay more attention to background.

I would not recommend doing a JD/MBA outside of the top programs. It's extremely expensive, and you need to have lucrative exit opportunities to make it worth it. I doubt that a mediocre MBA would move the needle for biglaw employers that aren't otherwise recruiting on your campus. You would need very strong grades from a school like that to get a biglaw job regardless of any additional degrees.

I hope so!!

I have a business background and almost half an MBA in my field. I wouldn't consider worth it enrolling in an MBA program unless you want to end up in some operations/finance/accounting/HR high level executive position (unlikely to happen) instead of being an in-house counsel after big law. It's worth it only when it aligns with you career goals. I know people with JDs that are COO but they also have a very strong business background.

[Borg]

At the same time...doing a MBA/JD is a whole extra year that you aren't making money...add more loans, interest, and lost potential income.
I would have a hard time believing that extra year is worth all of that, even if you have decent job prospects.

That seems extremely short sighted to me. How long do you think the average associate lasts in big law? Most people are out within 2-4 years, and the money they made as an entry level associate is the most they will make going forward. An MBA from a top school allows one to switch into a business role much more easily, and hopefully continue moving upwards both with respect to income and responsibility, rather than drifting sideways into the netherworld of in-house counsel. Absolutely worth it.