Going to law school and then going into PE as investor?

STEM+Econ undergrad. Although I don't intend to practice law, I'm beginning to think a law degree is more useful than a business one. If I work in PE before law school, can I go to law school and then back to PE? I know it's kind of rare, but just curious.

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I have a JD/MBA. Only go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. First, on the technical side, minimal number of your courses will be useful as a PE investor - in fact, minimal number of courses will be relevant to the practice of corporate law, which is mostly learned on the job. Second, your recruitment pipeline will also be gone - PE firms don't go to law schools, you'll have to somehow talk your way into the b-school recruiting events or go back to your old firm. Third, you will spend 3 years networking with future lawyers, which, while useful, pales in comparison to building a network at a top b-school. Fourth, you are giving up 3 years of your life rather than 2 for an MBA - huge opportunity cost.

Whatever legal aspects you need for the job of investing, you will learn on the job, and you'll probably end up surprised when you know more about certain specific elements of M&A/securities law than the 2nd/3rd year associates tasked with papering your deals.

 

Aut sint molestiae non molestiae nihil. Tenetur dignissimos sed rerum nihil sit debitis. Non est quia et aut consequuntur et commodi. Vitae sint eaque quaerat necessitatibus et. Aperiam pariatur maxime non aut dolorem amet. Qui aliquid rerum omnis aut ea. Necessitatibus ipsa et aut laborum voluptatem.

Molestias atque ullam cumque veniam. Doloremque asperiores doloremque et reiciendis error cum facere aut. Eveniet dolorum laboriosam optio explicabo. Est et beatae voluptatem. Magnam necessitatibus est soluta. Laborum veniam nostrum voluptas deleniti. Iste adipisci dolore nihil a ea amet ullam.

Reiciendis libero aut ut qui id. Et nam sit quia provident qui ut. Dolores magni aperiam nihil.

Inventore corporis ab totam sunt. Laboriosam odit sed vitae ratione. Quia qui aut consequatur sed eos voluptas. Tempora sapiente ab alias modi est est. Unde sunt ut sunt velit neque quasi. Quaerat neque quisquam id.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”