Top Law Schools

Practicality of this I wanted get some input from the law perspective since i've been on banking sites and everyone says no point of the JD. A little info about my self go to T30 school Economics & interested in doing Investment Banking then pursuing a JD/MBA after an analyst role. I would like to become a sports agent possibly, corporate lawyer or restructuring banker. I know the latter two may require a JD but is there much added to my profile adding a JD. I also don't plan on starting until around 27-28 so i won't be done until 31-32. The only schools i'm considering are UPenn Law / Wharton , Yale SOM / Law & Harvard HBS / HLS. My question would it be more advantageous to pursue an MBA or could the JD really open more doors and give me flexibility ?

rack up a solid 450k in student loans

JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

The easy answer is you don't need either: if you want to be a lawyer, get a JD, if you want to be a banker, get an MBA.
That being said, it doesn't hurt to have both (except for the cost) and the knowledge does help, particularly if you're doing something that straddles the border (e.g. M&A lawyer, restructuring banker)

As someone said, the schools you should look at are Harvard, Penn and Stanford; while Yale is the top law school in the country, their MBA isn't anywhere near as spectacular.

holmesboy wrote:JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

I'm at a Target all of the top BB banks & boutique banks recruit at my school. Also i've been trying look up do most people only use either degree JD or MBA not both ?

Awkward wrote:rack up a solid 450k in student loans

Tuition Reimbursement That's why i stated i was hoping land an analyst gig or consulting most top firms offer this.

ChasingGoals wrote:

holmesboy wrote:JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

I'm at a Target all of the top BB banks & boutique banks recruit at my school. Also i've been trying look up do most people only use either degree JD or MBA not both ?

You can use the dual degree, but you don't need it - kind of. Getting into e.g. M&A is mostly a matter of getting stellar grades at top law schools. From there, after X years, you can, if you want, move on to the financial side.
For e.g. structured finance, top grades out of feeder schools will get you there. Unless you want to lateral into biglaw later, you won't need a JD.
That being said, the knowledge certainly doesn't hurt.

dingbat wrote:The easy answer is you don't need either: if you want to be a lawyer, get a JD, if you want to be a banker, get an MBA.
That being said, it doesn't hurt to have both (except for the cost) and the knowledge does help, particularly if you're doing something that straddles the border (e.g. M&A lawyer, restructuring banker)

As someone said, the schools you should look at are Harvard, Penn and Stanford; while Yale is the top law school in the country, their MBA isn't anywhere near as spectacular.

The reason i was considering Yale was because in my opinion it's the best law school and i would love to be in New Haven. I also feel you would be fine with top Yale Law degree and MBA degree. With that being said another reason i'm attracted to Yale & UPenn is that both programs offer 3-Year combined JD/MBA this will cut down on losing another year of salary. I also feel that's a great deal extra year of studying for another top degree. I was also curious does anyone know if having both degree gets your foot in the door for more upper level associate positions ?

ChasingGoals wrote:

holmesboy wrote:JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

I'm at a Target all of the top BB banks & boutique banks recruit at my school. Also i've been trying look up do most people only use either degree JD or MBA not both ?

If you run a search for JD/MBA, you'll see that the general consensus is that most people only use one of the two degrees and that pursuing a joint degree program is generally a waste. That said, you might also want to check out this thread (covers some of the advantages of a JD/MBA): http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 8&start=25

dingbat wrote:

ChasingGoals wrote:

holmesboy wrote:JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

I'm at a Target all of the top BB banks & boutique banks recruit at my school. Also i've been trying look up do most people only use either degree JD or MBA not both ?

You can use the dual degree, but you don't need it - kind of. Getting into e.g. M&A is mostly a matter of getting stellar grades at top law schools. From there, after X years, you can, if you want, move on to the financial side.
For e.g. structured finance, top grades out of feeder schools will get you there. Unless you want to lateral into biglaw later, you won't need a JD.
That being said, the knowledge certainly doesn't hurt.

If i transitioned into Big Law so late wouldn't i be at a disadvantage ?

holmesboy wrote:

ChasingGoals wrote:

holmesboy wrote:JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

I'm at a Target all of the top BB banks & boutique banks recruit at my school. Also i've been trying look up do most people only use either degree JD or MBA not both ?

If you run a search for JD/MBA, you'll see that the general consensus is that most people only use one of the two degrees and that pursuing a joint degree program is generally a waste. That said, you might also want to check out this thread (covers some of the advantages of a JD/MBA): http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 8&start=25

Okay Thanks !

ChasingGoals wrote:

dingbat wrote:The easy answer is you don't need either: if you want to be a lawyer, get a JD, if you want to be a banker, get an MBA.
That being said, it doesn't hurt to have both (except for the cost) and the knowledge does help, particularly if you're doing something that straddles the border (e.g. M&A lawyer, restructuring banker)

As someone said, the schools you should look at are Harvard, Penn and Stanford; while Yale is the top law school in the country, their MBA isn't anywhere near as spectacular.

The reason i was considering Yale was because in my opinion it's the best law school and i would love to be in New Haven. I also feel you would be fine with top Yale Law degree and MBA degree. With that being said another reason i'm attracted to Yale & UPenn is that both programs offer 3-Year combined JD/MBA this will cut down on losing another year of salary. I also feel that's a great deal extra year of studying for another top degree. I was also curious does anyone know if having both degree gets your foot in the door for more upper level associate positions ?

Yale is the best law school and if you get in, you should go. SOM doesn't add any value, with respect to hiring, so it's a bit of a waste of money
At Penn, the bulk of the value is a Wharton MBA, so if you want to start off on the financial route, that's a better option; that being said, Penn's JD is still pretty darn reputable (far more so than a Yale MBA).
The undisputed king for a JD/MBA is Harvard, where both degrees are best in class (just about)

ChasingGoals wrote:

dingbat wrote:

ChasingGoals wrote:

holmesboy wrote:JD for your goals as a corporate lawyer. MBA for your goals in banking (though I think you generally need to be in a top econ or finance program to get serious consideration out of college).

I'm not sure how much a JD/MBA will help you for your circumstances, but I think the programs for which pursuing one makes most sense are Harvard, Stanford, and UPenn.

I'm at a Target all of the top BB banks & boutique banks recruit at my school. Also i've been trying look up do most people only use either degree JD or MBA not both ?

You can use the dual degree, but you don't need it - kind of. Getting into e.g. M&A is mostly a matter of getting stellar grades at top law schools. From there, after X years, you can, if you want, move on to the financial side.
For e.g. structured finance, top grades out of feeder schools will get you there. Unless you want to lateral into biglaw later, you won't need a JD.
That being said, the knowledge certainly doesn't hurt.

If i transitioned into Big Law so late wouldn't i be at a disadvantage ?

Not if you transition in as a partner

dingbat wrote:

ChasingGoals wrote:

dingbat wrote:The easy answer is you don't need either: if you want to be a lawyer, get a JD, if you want to be a banker, get an MBA.
That being said, it doesn't hurt to have both (except for the cost) and the knowledge does help, particularly if you're doing something that straddles the border (e.g. M&A lawyer, restructuring banker)

As someone said, the schools you should look at are Harvard, Penn and Stanford; while Yale is the top law school in the country, their MBA isn't anywhere near as spectacular.

The reason i was considering Yale was because in my opinion it's the best law school and i would love to be in New Haven. I also feel you would be fine with top Yale Law degree and MBA degree. With that being said another reason i'm attracted to Yale & UPenn is that both programs offer 3-Year combined JD/MBA this will cut down on losing another year of salary. I also feel that's a great deal extra year of studying for another top degree. I was also curious does anyone know if having both degree gets your foot in the door for more upper level associate positions ?

Yale is the best law school and if you get in, you should go. SOM doesn't add any value, with respect to hiring, so it's a bit of a waste of money
At Penn, the bulk of the value is a Wharton MBA, so if you want to start off on the financial route, that's a better option; that being said, Penn's JD is still pretty darn reputable (far more so than a Yale MBA).
The undisputed king for a JD/MBA is Harvard, where both degrees are best in class (just about)

Yes this is true Harvard is my #1, 2.UPenn 3. Yale / Also may consider UChicago would like to stay in midwest or east coast preferably. Also on point of transitioning to Partner wouldn't that be difficult if i don't have much work experience in law ? that's similar coming in Associate at IBanking without any expeirence they normally start you as a 2nd or 3rd year analyst .

ChasingGoals wrote:Yes this is true Harvard is my #1, 2.UPenn 3. Yale / Also may consider UChicago would like to stay in midwest or east coast preferably. Also on point of transitioning to Partner wouldn't that be difficult if i don't have much work experience in law ? that's similar coming in Associate at IBanking without any expeirence they normally start you as a 2nd or 3rd year analyst .

If you can bring in clients, you can come in as partner, it's that simple.
Same with being an MD in banking

dingbat wrote:

ChasingGoals wrote:Yes this is true Harvard is my #1, 2.UPenn 3. Yale / Also may consider UChicago would like to stay in midwest or east coast preferably. Also on point of transitioning to Partner wouldn't that be difficult if i don't have much work experience in law ? that's similar coming in Associate at IBanking without any expeirence they normally start you as a 2nd or 3rd year analyst .

If you can bring in clients, you can come in as partner, it's that simple.
Same with being an MD in banking

Okay

Of course this is a totally anecdotal example, but the MD I worked for this past summer lateraled to the position from in-house counsel and had a JD/MBA. So theres one success story.