Best law field for economics majors? Forum

[withoutapaddle]

I'm wondering what would be the best legal field for an economics major?

I figured a tax would be best for accounting majors
Science majors would be best suited for health or patent law.

Would securities and finance be ideal for economics majors?

[rad lulz]

m

[fastforward]

An economics UG major is excellent prep for law school, because it trains you to be methodological. If you're not certain of a career path, take a variety of courses to explore. Much of civil litigation law is grounded in economic theory.

[rad lulz]

m

[withoutapaddle]

Health law seems interesting , but i figured you needed a biology/chem background. Or someone with a science would be preferred in interveiws

[rad lulz]

m

[hichvichwoh]

Econ helps for antitrust. Anecdotally, I indicated an interest in Antitrust during OCI, and in most of my callback interviews with people in Antitrust we ended up talking about how econ helps with deposing expert witnesses and stuff.

[withoutapaddle]

Is Anti-trust over-saturated? I'm trying to find a niche market. I've worked in banking (F500) for a year (Consumer cases banking, such as finance and credit analyst). I also have a year experience as a Non-Profit executive (Treasurer). I'm trying to decide what course of action to take.

Area's that interest me are:

Securities
Health
Corporate
M&A

I've heard at OCI, law firms ask why you took specific classes.

[rad lulz]

m

[fastforward]

I didn't mean to say economics will have much practical application in law practice. But it will help you in law school. Many eminent legal scholars, including casebook authors, are from the law-and-economics school of legal theory in the subjects of torts, contracts, property and criminal law. Because these comprise the first-year curriculum, and as ^ said, your first-year grades are key to getting you on the right track for employment, an undergrad economics major will serve you well whatever career path you choose.

[rad lulz]

m

[jbagelboy]

I didn't mean to say economics will have much practical application in law practice. But it will help you in law school. Many eminent legal scholars, including casebook authors, are from the law-and-economics school of legal theory in the subjects of torts, contracts, property and criminal law. Because these comprise the first-year curriculum, and as ^ said, your first-year grades are key to getting you on the right track for employment, an undergrad economics major will serve you well whatever career path you choose.

Okay so your line:

Much of civil litigation law is grounded in economic theory.

Was just a throwaway then.

Your textbook authors don't write the test. My 1L year the most econ I ever had to know was the hand formula. High school level shit. Oh and the Coase theorum. That's barely even economics. Professors love to test the black letter law. Even in subjects like torts that law and econ scholar love to publish worthless papers on.

Common law property, common law Ks, and crim has very little to do with econ as it's taught to 1Ls.

I suppose you can take all the law and econ classes you want after 2L OCI is over.

My torts and Ks classes both went more in depth than this in class - expected cost curves with mc/mr, normal distributions of type of accident in torts; in Ks we got pretty deep into "best efforts" quantity calculations wrt requirements/exclusive dealings and posners contract independence from an economic POV. I wont lie, a little micro theory and basic calc were assumed for the purposes of the lectures.

However, as far as the exams themselves go (and your grades) as rad lulz said they arent testing you on peripheral econ even it if was emphasized in class, they are testing you on law and to some degree policy - if you can make an econ-grounded policy argument, go for it, but you dont need partial differential equations to explain theory of efficient breach or cheapest cost avoider. The vast majority of the kids in your class will be politics majors who havent had to look at a graph in years.

ETA: also rad, two of my profs this fall actually did write the casebooks they assigned (and the exams presumably haha)

[jarofsoup]

As far as useful majors go in law school--accounting. If I could do it all over again, I would have done accounting. I know this is off topic....

[withoutapaddle]

Why accounting? Tax law?

[TigerDude]

A law field where you make up things & pretend you're a scientist?

j/k

<---- Taleb disciple

[jarofsoup]

Why accounting? Tax law?

Tax and Securities(being able to understand 8Ks & 10Qs). Just with corporate and transactional issues I think having some understanding of numbers and to be able to navigate a companies books is helpful.

I do not have it. But in my exposure to fields like securities, etc. I wish I did. Also you can take and pass the CPA exam, which is a career boost and also can lead to a career if law school does not work out.