Advice - MBA vs JD Conundrum

Graduate School Law School
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An MBA, precisely because it is so broad, is a much better degree for someone who fundamentally doesn’t know what she wants to do than a JD. If you get a JD, or “just” a JD, chances are good you will be roped into practicing law, at least for a while, and if you don’t actually want to do that it will be excruciating.

By the way, many things that get said, perhaps with justification, about MBA or JD degrees in general, have little or no applicability to an MBA degree from a top-5 school, or a JD/MBA degree from one of the four schools in the top 5 where that’s possible. At that level, either degree (or both) is effectively a guarantee of full employment, unless your personal demons make full employment impossible.

Introvert vs. extrovert is not the issue. In the business world and in the law world alike, there are many, many successful introverts. What there may not be is many, many successful people with severe social anxiety. You have to be able to manage communication with other people and teamwork in either world. If you are not doing that successfully now, you should invest some of the tuition you are not paying in some serious therapy/coaching about it.

It has been true forever that most JD/MBAs are contemptuous of their business school classroom work. It’s not as intense as law school, even when it is intense. That said, relatively few of the JD/MBAs I know stayed in law for long. The degree that’s most valuable to them is the MBA. As others have said, though, the business world has plenty of “only” JDs who have flipped over to the business side.

My wife has a JD, and she hasn’t practiced law in 30 years. She finally let her bar membership lapse a decade ago, when she was running a $25 billion government agency. She is well-known in a field where no one has a law degree. But she would never tell you that her law degree is useless. She uses lawyer analytical skills constantly. (And when she was running the huge organization, the lawyers knew better than to try to push her around, as they often did to other agency heads.)

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^ Though analytical skills can be gained many ways and many folks besides JD’s have analytical skills. Pretty certain our OP does.

Though JDs would learn law. Possibly useful (then again, learning other fields may also be possibly useful).

For pure opportunities/network/brand, however, I’d take an M7 MBA over any T14 JD. Heck, I’d take an MBA from any of the 15 or so schools among the top 10 MBA programs over any T14 JD besides YHS.

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The concern about being an introvert applies in OP’s case because she identified an MBA with “management”.

With respect to the practice of law, OP never mentioned nor indicated that work as a trial lawyer was being considered.

I agree with OP that if one is drawing broad overview pictures, that an introvert would more easily fit in with the practice of law versus an extrovert who would fit in better with MBA programs & careers.

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Thank you all! This forum has truly helped me so much. I think I will stop looking at it from an introvert vs extrovert lens and try to embrace this next period. You’re making me realize it is quite silly to feel inadequate for not having a law background. It is funny how the mind works when you’re in certain surroundings and being bombarded with messages. I thank you all for your honest perspective.

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@Publisher yes I still agree with this. Even MBA programs are more “extroverted”. I am hoping I use the next two years to grow and develop leadership skills that make me comfortable in the business world.

I am not sure if it’s worth taking on a law degree just because I’m introverted.

But I will see how this works out!

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OP: Again we posted at the same time.

Almost all of your work in an MBA degree program will be done in groups of 5 or 6 people. You will need to be a bit extroverted in dealing with others & in presenting your work product during your time in the MBA program. Nevertheless, the type of work which is open to MBAs does include many positions suitable for an introvert. Certainly, many, probably most, non-trial practice areas in law are suitable for an introvert.

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@Publisher I’m generally okay working in small groups. I like how the programs are structured to make sure you meet as many classmates as possible through forced interaction. Im hoping this limits a lot of strife. I just would need to balance having to go out all the time and networking. It’s a task

What’s funny is that in law, the type of law I find kinda cool seems to also require a lot of human interaction. Criminal, entertainment, human rights. Not interested in tax or documents, etc. I guess government policy work would be for introverts?

And I even hear that to move up in corporate biglaw requires schmoozing with the partners? I would really hate if I became a lawyer to escape having to network and meet people but then I end up encountering that in the law career.

I would rather have to make myself uncomfortable for something I’m actually passionate about

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This is a crucial skill in Law. It’s how lawyers get clients. Lawyers who can’t/don’t do this will starve.

In private practice, you need to schmooze the partners to move up the ladder. And you need to schmooze clients to make it rain. In house Corp and government work is a bit different but there still is “office politics.”

Anyone who thinks law in general is for introverts doesn’t know what they are talking about. Some law does well with introverts. Just like some business does well with introverts.

And much of law school is group work. It’s how you refine your arguments and positions on things. Even boring corporate law can have some drug out “battles” as to the best way to accomplish something.

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@yourmomma: I do not believe that anyone has suggested that “law in general is for introverts”. Just that certain types of practice areas & that certain functions performed by attorneys are suitable for introverts.

Many lawyers earn large incomes without being rainmakers.

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OP: Regarding the introvert versus extrovert concern: With respect to schooling, an introvert can graduate at the top of one’s class in law school, while an introvert must engage in activities which require dealing with small groups of people in order to do well in a full time elite MBA program.

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Remember that “partner” in Big Law (or “MD” in consulting or IB) essentially means “salesperson”. These are all client-driven businesses, which means bringing in and servicing clients.

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@PurpleTitan: Agree that that is fairly accurate for the ever increasingly rare “equity partner”, but not necessarily so for “non-equity partners”. “Relationship building” is a bit more appropriate in my view.

And, quite often, partnership status can be conferred in order to maintain a relationship with a major client.

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You need a new circle. :smile:

That is just law school spin based on the fact that at the US produces 2x as many lawyers as the market can absorb. Thus, the concept, ‘you can do anything with a law degree so spend $300k earning one.’

Well sure, but you could do the exact same thing without a law degree (other than appear in court).

Hopefully, while running your business, you won’t be in court very often; hopefully, never. I was a former C-Level execs for a $50M business and I managed our outside counsel. Over 15 years, we never went to court. Over 15 years, we only had a couple of potential suits and those were disgruntled employees (in which understanding state Labor law is a key).

If you want to be in business get the MBA. If you want to be a lawyer, get a JD.

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@bluebayou 's post is spot on. There is a reason that those who handle lawsuits are now more commonly called “litigators” rather than “trial lawyers”.

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Nope. That sells the law degree short. Everyone thinks you “lean the law” in law school. Nothing can be further from the truth, as the law changes over time. What you learn is critical thinking, analysis, communication, being wrong, being right, being challenged, having to support an unsupportable position, happiness, frustration, and tears. For better or worse, there is a reason lawyers tend to be leaders – government, business, local orgs, etc.

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@yourmomma: @bluebayou’s point, I think, is that it is a waste of time & resources to spend 3 years in law school if one doesn’t intend to practice law. Your position is correct in that one who earns a law degree is not limited to the practice of law, but it would not be wise to get a law degree for one seeking a career in business. In addition to unnecessarily wasting time & money, many employers shy away from hiring those with law degrees if not for a legal position for fear of being sued by their own employee. Theory being that one who holds a law degree is much more likely to take a disputed matter to court.

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Which is exactly my point. No where in your response did you mention anything about learning legal stuff, for which you are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars and 3 years of opportunity costs of you life.

There are plenty of other – and cheaper – ways to learn critical thinking skills (for example, try organic chem) and analysis (science, philosophy) and communication (an extremely popular major today). Don’t need 3 years of law school to do it. (The fact that many college grads have poor critical thinking skills is a different topic.)

And you are assuming that one will not learn any critical thinking skills in b-school…

As a matter of fact, I would submit that the students who ace 1L already have reasonably well developed critical thinking and analytical skills – that’s how they are able to do well over their colleagues.

A cynic would say that law grads go do something else bcos: 1) they don’t enjoy the lifestyle, particularly Big Law; 2) or, as I mentioned earlier, there are 2x as many newly-minted JD’s as the market can absorb. So, by definition, half of the grads have to go do something else. Many are smart, and they would have done well absent the law degree.

Correlaton <> causation.

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@yourmomma I wonder if this might also be the case because some of the smartest, most ambitious college students often apply to law school although they do not want to be lawyers. It’s just the thing to do. When I graduated, if peers didnt go to medical school, they applied to law school. Two very traditional professions. A lot of these kids are already smart and already have great critical thinking skills pre law school.

Smart and ambitious people are more likely to make it to the top with a law degree or not

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I agree with everything shared by @bluebayou in this thread. But @yourmomma also is correct.

Placing the discussion in an introvert versus extrovert frame may be a bit too limiting.

MBA programs are not about developing intellectual depth–certainly not to the extent that is the focus of law school.

MBA programs stress working well with others (teamwork) and in gaining an understanding of a broad array of business disciplines in order to become an effective decision maker. An introvert would need to expand beyond his or her comfort zone in order to excel in an MBA program which is essentially a networking experience in a learning environment.

Law school is quite different. Working well with others will not result in multiple sought after job offers. One’s demonstrated intellectual & analytical abilities will result in multiple prestigious job offers.

MBA school is about the pedigree and the ability to work well with others. Graduate from an M-7 MBA program and one should have a promising future. (M-7 MBA programs are Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Chicago, Northwestern, Penn-Wharton & Columbia.)

Law school is primarily about one’s class rank. Pedigree is also important, but teamwork is somewhat irrelevant.

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I would add some layers to @Publisher’s law school comments. I agree that the work of law school can be done solo – study groups are useful but not mandatory. But summer positions and full time jobs at “big law” very much requires effective teamwork skills. I worked in biglaw for a long time, and we dinged plenty of “smart-on-paper” prospective hires who would not mesh with the team environment. There are exceptions, sometimes you may need the brilliant mind in a specialty area and bring them on, even though they are not going to work well with the team. But the practice of biglaw is all team-based so being someone who responds well to supervision, is accountable to the team, and can supervise others lower on the team as they themselves progress, are essential skills.