Top Law Schools

So my friend is considering becoming a lawyer. He graduated college with a degree in History, Political Science and Accounting. His GPA is a 2.9. He currently works as a livery taxi driver and has been working as such since 2014.

He is studying for his CPA exam. He has passed one of his exams and has had difficulty passing the second one. He plans to obtain his CPA license then find a job as an accountant. Then after that he wants to get a Masters in Risk ManagementThen after that he is considering getting a JD. He's drawn to the law because he believes in justice and helping people out. He is an immigrant who wants to make a foothold in this country.

What do you guys think of this plan? 0Ls need not apply unless they have experience in accounting.

Having experience as a CPA is useful when recruiting for firm jobs. Note I said experience. Having 3 extra letters after your name means very little.

As far as whether he should go to law school with a 2.9 GPA, that is a totally different question. He's going to need 172+ to get into T14s or in order to get money from strong regionals. Those are really the only 2 situations in which having a JD on top of a CPA is worth it. Otherwise, working as a CPA makes much more sense.

If he is willing to study until he gets a good LSAT score, then I say go for it.

Also, don't get that masters.

Does he have any idea what he wants to do long term or as an end goal? I'm having trouble imagining a long-term plan where getting all of those degrees and certifications is a good use of time and money.

Why shouldn't he get the Master's? He believes that the title would help him stand and would make him more competitive for firm hiring.

His long term goal is to open his own firm, providing both legal and accounting services as they both overlaps in some respects.

Pragmatic Gun wrote:Why shouldn't he get the Master's? He believes that the title would help him stand and would make him more competitive for firm hiring.

His long term goal is to open his own firm, providing both legal and accounting services as they both overlaps in some respects.

Because that masters isn't respected.

Even if he passes all the exams he will still need to work for a year under a CPA in order to get licensed so I don't really understand his timeline. He plans on passing the exams, getting a full time job as an accountant, then, while working full time, get a Masters and then go to law school? Why not go straight to law school and try to get Big 4 tax where he will get the requisite experience to open his own shop?

dabigchina wrote:

Pragmatic Gun wrote:Why shouldn't he get the Master's? He believes that the title would help him stand and would make him more competitive for firm hiring.

His long term goal is to open his own firm, providing both legal and accounting services as they both overlaps in some respects.

Because that masters isn't respected.

I see. Would you mind elaborating on why it isn't respected? What is your basis for this?

As someone who has worked with hiring at both law firms and in-house, I can tell you nobody would give a flip about an MA in "risk management." The CPA is a nice plus, but it's not worth much without good experience to go along with it.

Pragmatic Gun wrote:

dabigchina wrote:

Pragmatic Gun wrote:Why shouldn't he get the Master's? He believes that the title would help him stand and would make him more competitive for firm hiring.

His long term goal is to open his own firm, providing both legal and accounting services as they both overlaps in some respects.

Because that masters isn't respected.

I see. Would you mind elaborating on why it isn't respected? What is your basis for this?

I mean, in addition to actual attorneys in the field telling you it doesn't mean anything, what the hell is an MA in "Risk Management"? What school offers that degree, and what can their graduates do with it?

...