@Midwestmomofboys : One can do exceptionally well in law school without ever engaging in teamwork.
As for the practice of law, teamwork can certainly come into play, but usually to a far lesser degree than for an MBA in a large corporate setting.
Also, interpersonal skills are valued in all work settings regardless of profession.
Important to remember that quantitative skills are needed in MBA programs & in most career paths taken by those with MBA degrees while quantitative skills are rarely needed in law school & in the practice of law.
The vast majority of BL summers are picked via an on-campus recruiting after 1L. Just out of curiosity, how can you assess ‘teamwork skills’ in a 15-20 minute interview?
OP, please be cautious about accepting/following advice given here. There are many who post about the practice of law who have never attended law school, are not lawyers, and have never practiced law, but will give seemingly authoritative advice about law school and the practice of law.
Ok, for the record, I went to a T3 law school, had a federal clerkship, and practiced in biglaw for years. I was on the hiring committee so was involved in hiring summer associates and conducting their performance reviews, including whether to make a permanent offer, as well as involved in hiring full time associates at a major national firm.
Few biglaw firms hire 1Ls anymore so most students are getting 2L offers based on OCI (on campus interviews) plus fly-outs/call backs which involve a half day or full day of interviews in the fall of 2L year. Getting the 2L summer offer is the first step of getting a permanent offer. One has to work well on a team, be collegial, not tick off the administrative staff as well as do strong quality substantive work. So before anyone gets a permanent offer, they typically have been through quite a thorough screening, which does indeed include determinations about effectiveness as a team member. Yes, some students will get hired by biglaw after a clerkship, without having actually worked at that firm, but firms are relying on the clerkship as a screening tool since a clerkship is the ultimate team, with only a few law clerks, the judge, and chambers staff. I now teach, and am often called for references – most prospective employers want to know about someone’s ability to work effectively with others.
So while this conversation has gone well beyond the OP’s question about whether an introvert would be better suited to a JD or an MBA, to be successful in biglaw, one has to be able to function effectively on a team.
And I agreed at the outset that law school can indeed be a solo effort, but the practice of law is generally not, and certainly not at a major firm. Certainly there are other skills which distinguish successful MBAs and JDs, but teamwork is not something one can put to the side in the practice of law.
Not really the case. Employers often don’t hire JDs because they assume they will cost more. That has been my experience and not some perception that lawyers sue their employer more than non-lawyers. It’s clear when you see a job like contracts officer and the ad states outright no JDs need apply. More often than not it’s unstated but still the case