PE to Law school?

So I know the standard path is 2 years banking--> 2 years pre-MBA PE--> MBA--> partner-track PE, but does anyone ever go to law school instead? It seems like coming from a strong finance background with the kind of connections you have from banking and PE an MBA would be almost a waste of time. Personally I'd think law school would be much more interesting/beneficial/well-rounding. It also seems like a number of PE partners (and bankers) either have law degrees or were lawyers previously. Has anyone seen this happen? Would doing a JD pigeon hole somebody into being thought of as a "lawyer" and make it hard to go back to finance?

2 Comments
 
Best Response

I speak only for myself when I say this but while working in PE/finance in general your perception of law/lawyers changes drastically. They are viewed simply as instruments or conduits to helping get a deal done but they are never really part of the action. Lawyers (and bankers for that matter) play a vital role in the due diligence process but at the end of the day it seems difficult to go from making deals to sitting in the back room drafting contracts and logging hours. A JD can be a valuable credential in PE but the 3 year hiatus makes it cost prohibitive (esp. if you have already been in the field).

Also, many people attend b-school as a sort of mini-vacation or self-edifying experience; law school is clearly neither of these things. The workload is substantial and the knowledge base is highly specialized.

 

Quis tenetur amet dolores accusantium provident. Velit at molestias placeat tempora sed similique id. Exercitationem rerum mollitia ut. Facere odio molestiae suscipit autem.

Ipsam tempora qui ipsam ex et. Doloremque tenetur omnis dolore eos illo ipsa facere sequi. Sed dolorem voluptas ut iure. Rem aspernatur sunt inventore similique magnam voluptatem.

Ut assumenda non sint est qui natus. Eligendi consequatur itaque omnis consequatur nobis esse quas. Similique et quas ut doloremque id tempore quaerat. Quibusdam sed porro excepturi est fugit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”