<p>Ok, so I know that many lawyers in the financial/business/corporate sector do some of the following: 1. advise wealthy clients about their $$$ 2. are involved in mergers, acquisitions, and purchases between companies 3. advise large companies, etc etc etc. So, if one decided that he/she doesn't want to be a practicing lawyer anymore (and DOES NOT have a finance/business degree), can they simply go to the finance/business sector (non-attorney kind of work)? On this law school forum, I see a lot about corporate finance, investment banking and the like, and keeping in mind that business lawyers don't know EVERYTHING abt finance/banking, can they still pursue a career in this kind of field ? (seeing as how they have experience with these matters) You probably couldn't do this right ? Since you'd probably need an MBA or other business/finance degree, despite being a business lawyer ?
Also, 1) What exactly is corporate finance and investment banking (are they both associated with the stock market?) 2) Do you need to be sharp with numbers and good with math to enter these careers ?</p>
<p>I had a roommate in law school who left a blue-chip law firm after a year for a job with an investment banking firm. He had excellent grades, an undergraduate degree in Econ from Harvard, and a perfect score on the LSAT. "For many are called, but few are chosen."</p>
<p>I know lawyers who have left the practice of law to become writers of fiction novels, columnists for magazines, entrepreneurs, investment bankers (and similar roles at private equity funds and hedge funds), business development managers within corporations, human resources leads, recruiters, stay-at-home moms (and dads), stockbrokers, fundraisers for non-profit organizations, compliance leads at corporations and hedge funds, real estate developers and real estate brokers. Those are just the jobs my "former lawyer" friends and former colleagues have off the top of my head. </p>
<p>You don't necessarily have to have a finance degree or an MBA to do the finance/business related jobs, though it certainly doesn't hurt. It all really depends on the opportunity that presents itself to you (or which you seek out based on your interests).</p>
<p>I have a number of law school friends who've gone into admissions or admissions counseling.</p>
<p>well, on wikipedia.org under "goldman sachs" it says "acquisitions, mergers" ...... a lot of corporate lawyers are familiar with these processes, so corporate attys can kind of "slip" into invesment banking if they want to quit law, correct ?</p>
<p>I know many lawyers with corporate transactional backgrounds who have transitioned into investment banking -- no "slipping" about it. That said, that kind of transition (at least in NYC) is typically possible only if you are coming from one of a very few top corporate firms (Wachtell, S&C, Davis Polk, Cravath plus a few others). If you have a JD/MBA there is probably more opportunity coming from additional law firms. I actually know several corporate lawyers who have started out in law, left for investment banking, and then come back to law.</p>
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can they simply go to the finance/business sector (non-attorney kind of work)?
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<p>Some lawyers go into management consulting. I read somewhere that the biggest single employer at Harvard Law is not any law firm or any other law-related organization. It's McKinsey. </p>
<p>It may be harder for a lawyer who is already practicing to jump to consulting. But I'm sure some have done it.</p>
<p>Government or to Academia</p>