I am currently a sophomore at University at Buffalo majoring in Economics and English and want to pursue a career in financial/corporate law. I was wondering if anyone could give me some insight as to the admissions process for JD/MBA programs. What I am wondering specifically is if it is wiser to apply straight through the JD/MBA program or to apply to just the law school and try to apply to the accompanied business school after being accepted to the law portion. Just a side note that I am hoping to do this straight out of undergraduate education.
Thanks so much in advance for your advice and knowledge.
There is no need to get an MBA to practice corporate law. I know many corporate lawyers and can’t think of one who has an MBA. This includes lawyers who handle financial related matters.
Plus, my opinion is that MBA holders who worked before going to MBA just "got it’ more. Plus, you can get an employer to pay for it. Punch those dollars into your future yield calculator!
I understand that I don’t necessarily need a MBA in order to get into corporate law. However, there are fields of finance that interest me and making that transition down the road may be easier if I do have an MBA alongside of my JD if that makes sense.
Do not go to law school straight out of undergrad. K-JD kids are never as well received as those with work experience. If finance interests you, go work in finance for a couple years, then decide if you still want a JD, MBA, both or neither. You should also try to intern with a law firm handling the kind of transactional work you like. Nothing beats firsthand experience.
^Good point. Likely you’ll have to work in groups. No offense but I always wanted to work with those who could carry their weight and the fresh college grads were often those that weren’t used to the workload.
The only reason I wouldn’t want to work in finance right after undergrad is because I’m not sure how marketable my degree in economics is to an investment bank.
My buddies who were recruited by IBs to be analysts out of college had a wide variety of majors: history, english, econ, Asian languages. You’re mistaken