Corporate Law? And is a business/econ undergrad major the best option?

<p>I'm currently a high school senior, and I will be attending the University of California, Berkeley next fall as a Political Science major. My ultimate goal is law school from there.</p>

<p>I'm still deciding as to what type of lawyer I would want to be. So far, the profession of a corporate lawyer attracts me, although unfortunately the stigma surrounding the occupation conflicts with my liberal beliefs, and due to this, I am still pondering about whether if it is possible to still be a corporate lawyer but remain liberal in political (and to some extent, economic) thought in some aspects. If I can come to a consensus on this matter, I will pursue corporate law for sure. I realize that the job is an extremely difficult and stressful one, and corporate lawyers should not be as severely criticized as they are now. I would be fine if my payroll wasn't as high, I just want to be a corporate lawyer because I like the profession, the stability of the job, and the good pay, but by all accounts I would be fine if the pay wasn't nearly as high, as long as it was reasonable and stable, I would be more than happy to be a corporate lawyer. </p>

<p>But let's say in a hypothetical situation, I came to a firm conclusion that I wanted to pursue corporate law. I realize that this career is heavy on business interactions, and many aspiring corporate lawyers are business or economics majors. I however, have an innate affinity towards political science, and it is in this subject that I want to major in. I am not particularly allured towards the prospect of majoring in business economics for example, or even minoring in economics for that matter (I am not confident that I would be able to manage both a major in poli sci and a minor in econ at Berkeley and still receive high grades needed for a top law school). </p>

<p>If anything, I would want to focus on political science, because that is where my interests lie, and take additional economic classes if my schedules permeates such space. In my spare time, I would most definitely study economics.</p>

<p>Would this course of study be harmful to me in the future however? Do you think that it is necessary to major in a business related field prior to law school? Would an undergraduate degree in Political Science with minimal business/economics classes essentially screw me over when I enroll in classes needed for corporate lawyers in law school? Would those who did major in a business related field have a significant advantage over me?</p>

<p>If the answer is yes, then I will reconsider my undergraduate goals, and try to switch to business or see if I can manage a minor in economics in addition to my poli sci major. I don't want to however; despite the interest I have in business/economics (which isn't that much, I don't like the subject to the extent that I would want to do extensive study and research on the subject), I would much rather stick to coursework relating to political science with a few miscellaneous business/econ classes.</p>

<p>Also I want to clarify that my questions are not relating to getting into law school, but rather how I would fare if I am pursuing the path of an aspiring corporate lawyer.</p>

<p>First, focus on your studies at Berkeley. Study political science if that is what interests you. Don’t worry too much about what type of lawyer you want to be – you may find that you don’t want to be a lawyer at all by the time you graduate. In fact, most people entering law school do not know what type of lawyers they want to be. You will have plenty of opportunity to figure that out later.</p>

<p>Second, if you are interested in pursuing any type of corporate career, it is not a bad idea to take macroeconomics, microeconomics, a basic accounting course and a basic corporate finance course while in college. Even if you don’t end up working in corporate America, those courses will be invaluable in understanding the world around you throughout your life. </p>

<p>Finally, there are plenty of corporate lawyers with very pronounced liberal political views. I wouldn’t worry too much (especially now) about reconciling the practice of corporate law with a liberal point-of-view.</p>

<p>Major in whatever you want.</p>

<p>darkjak777,</p>

<p>You have stated the following:</p>

<p>“I realize that this career is heavy on business interactions, and many aspiring corporate lawyers are business or economics majors.”</p>

<p>Is this based upon any report with trustworthy source? Business/finance major has not been looked upon favorably for pursuing law school on this board.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>hey abhishek.</p>

<p>Major in Accounting.</p>