MBA-JD vs MBA
Hello,
If my goal is to become a partner or even start my own firm (best would be to leave for grad school -> come back and work my way up to Principal / VP -> start my own firm),
Is it worthwhile to pursue an MBA-JD instead of only MBA?
It's 4 years instead of 2.
I want to be the best PE professional I can possibly be and get every single advantage I can.
But maybe the opportunity cost of this extra 2 years or only getting the education without working in law is what makes it not wothwhile...?
Please note that the advantage of going to law school might be the network or other less straightforward opportunities.
Would love to hear your honest opinions if you're qualified to do so.
Please feel free to be as detailed as you can and add any further remarks you might have.
Kind regards and a happy successful year to y'all!
(1) I can provide other examples like this as well but what you are basically asking to do is the George Roberts (Cal-Hasting law > Bear > KKR). It is doable but there is a reason why most of those types (Blankfein, Bonderman, Wasserstein, etc) start as a lawyer and then move into finance.
(2) If you can get into a school like Northwestern, where you can get a JD-MBA in 3 years, then it would be worth considering.
I can tell you this as an attorney (with a bschool undergrad) who has gone straight into corp dev, the value you’d get from that type of education in terms of a career in finance to then pivot to having your own shop is largely in the “softer” skills. Things like issue spotting, succinct writing, ability to read eye gouging documents with a smile on your face, those are the types of transferrable skills you’d get. There is value in that. Is it worth it for an extra $100k-plus beyond an MBA? That’s a personal decision.
It also depends on focus. If you are looking to get into an infrastructure role there is more utility in a law degree by the nature of the businesses. But if you are interested in some generic tech fields then it is far less useful.
(3) If you already have an MBA/would get an MBA anyways, the incremental benefit of a JD in terms of being able to market yourself is minimal.
Bump
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