32 Comments
 

For what it's worth, having looked heavily into the JD/MBA degree as I was researching for my applications, a 3-year degree is not respected as well as the 4 year options. I can't be bothered to dig out the article, but I believe one of the deans at SLS who was on their action committee when it came up for debate (switching from their 4-year flagship offering to the 3-year everyone seems to favor) simply said, "We considered it because of the competition for students," says Mr. Kramer. "Unaltered, the programs are five years' worth of study. To cut 40% was just not responsible." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124277262053136545.html).

A lot of people think that in this hiring environment, it's wiser to take on less debt and spend less time out of the workforce, but be aware that a lot of firms are aware which programs are 3 years versus 4 and have different ideas of each's worth.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
A Posse Ad EsseFor what it's worth, having looked heavily into the JD/MBA degree as I was researching for my applications, a 3-year degree is not respected as well as the 4 year options. I can't be bothered to dig out the article, but I believe one of the deans at SLS who was on their action committee when it came up for debate (switching from their 4-year flagship offering to the 3-year everyone seems to favor) simply said, "We considered it because of the competition for students," says Mr. Kramer. "Unaltered, the programs are five years' worth of study. To cut 40% was just not responsible." (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124277262053136545.html).

A lot of people think that in this hiring environment, it's wiser to take on less debt and spend less time out of the workforce, but be aware that a lot of firms are aware which programs are 3 years versus 4 and have different ideas of each's worth.

Penn and Columbia offer both a 3-year and 4-year jd/mba programs. And northwestern offers just the 3-year program. From what I have seen, the northwestern students did just fine with job placements, and I don't see any evidence that recruiters are wary because the program was 3 as opposed to 4 years.

 

An MBA is not going to help you much academically. In my opinion, the degree is essentially just a right of passage.

A JD is much more respected and you will actually learn a lot.

All in all, if you plan on doing corp fin down the road (corpdev/M&A) a JD/MBA will help out greatly.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

In my opinion, down the road your MBA will be worthless. From what i have learned about MBA it is only useful as a way to get a job immediately when you graduate or when your company requires it for promotion. It is also useful for the network. It is pretty much worthless down the line say in 5-10years. In 5-10 years you will be the same as anyone else applying for the job and only your network, recommendations and experience will matter. I see plenty of lawyers switching to IB or corp finance without an MBA, but because they've done a good job and have a strong network. IF you are a corporate lawyer you will constantly interact with people all over banking so opportunities to develop relationships are huge.

That said it doesn't seem that an MBA will cost you much more so it might be a viable option, just make sure it doesn't make your JD look weaker.

Do what you want not what you can!
 

Ya, that doesn't make sense. Most people will respect a JD/MBA from accredited institutions.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

JD/MBA sends a mixed message - Are you a lawyer or a banker? While it might be a plus to have law experience in banking I think JD looks stronger in the eyes of law firms.

Do what you want not what you can!
 
bossmanJD/MBA sends a mixed message - Are you a lawyer or a banker? While it might be a plus to have law experience in banking I think JD looks stronger in the eyes of law firms.

This is so fucking dumb it isn't even funny.

Knowing the law in an area of finance sends no mixed signals. Go work in M&A for an A&D firm or other large F500 and see how much value an MBA holds against a JD.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 
Nefarious-
bossmanJD/MBA sends a mixed message - Are you a lawyer or a banker? While it might be a plus to have law experience in banking I think JD looks stronger in the eyes of law firms.

This is so fucking dumb it isn't even funny.

Knowing the law in an area of finance sends no mixed signals. Go work in M&A for an A&D firm or other large F500 and see how much value an MBA holds against a JD.

Actually, he's right. There is a pretty common sentiment that jd/mba's often have a hard time finding legal jobs because of hw bad the market is for lawyers and firms see them as flight risks. And dude, you don't really learn shit in law school the same as MBA programs.
 
Best Response
bears1208
Nefarious-
bossmanJD/MBA sends a mixed message - Are you a lawyer or a banker? While it might be a plus to have law experience in banking I think JD looks stronger in the eyes of law firms.

This is so fucking dumb it isn't even funny.

Knowing the law in an area of finance sends no mixed signals. Go work in M&A for an A&D firm or other large F500 and see how much value an MBA holds against a JD.

Actually, he's right. There is a pretty common sentiment that jd/mba's often have a hard time finding legal jobs because of hw bad the market is for lawyers and firms see them as flight risks. And dude, you don't really learn shit in law school the same as MBA programs.

Actually, he is not right. Not everyone that goes to law school is interested in becoming a criminal defense lawyer, or even working for a law firm.

And you are not right. You learn a lot in law school.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

You probably know this, but --- I think if you're someone who is interested to going into corporate law - m&a or something else with a lot of business considerations - adding the MBA could be valuable. The key thing, however, as some people have alluded too, is that your law grades have to be REALLY GOOD to get a good big law gig these days. Obviously Cornell is a strong law school being in the lower part of the V-14, but it's still not H-Y-S, and you're going to need to good grades. So I guess what I'm saying is: don't let getting the MBA screw up your law school grades.

 

I can make up internet networks as well.

Lloyd Blankfein is in mine.

You still ignored my question about whether or not you are still in college.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 
Nefarious-I can make up internet networks as well.

Lloyd Blankfein is in mine.

You still ignored my question about whether or not you are still in college.

I didn't answer the question because you already knew I am an untraditional senior. And you were attempting to build a fallacious and idiotic ad hominem argument went your posts made it clear to anyone with an passing level of knowledge that you clearly don't understand what you are talking about I regards to law school. As to whether I made up the network, I guess that's a fair concern, but if you had any knowledge of the legal market you would probably doubt it less.

OP, sorry for the side tangent. I don't necessarily have the b school knowledge but my understanding is, that if you are sure you want to work as a lawyer, you are better off taking on less debt and less risk of being perceived as a flight risk. This is especially true if you don't have the work experience commiserate with someone in a top mba program. I'll let someone else answer the question about cornell's mba program.

 
bears1208
Nefarious-I can make up internet networks as well.

Lloyd Blankfein is in mine.

You still ignored my question about whether or not you are still in college.

I didn't answer the question because you already knew I am an untraditional senior. And you were attempting to build a fallacious and idiotic ad hominem argument went your posts made it clear to anyone with an passing level of knowledge that you clearly don't understand what you are talking about I regards to law school. As to whether I made up the network, I guess that's a fair concern, but if you had any knowledge of the legal market you would probably doubt it less.

OP, sorry for the side tangent. I don't necessarily have the b school knowledge but my understanding is, that if you are sure you want to work as a lawyer, you are better off taking on less debt and less risk of being perceived as a flight risk. This is especially true if you don't have the work experience commiserate with someone in a top mba program. I'll let someone else answer the question about cornell's mba program.

K. That is what I thought.

The next time you feel like adding value to a thread, realize you hold only a high school diploma, have no real world experience and thus, have no value to add.

You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake, son.
 

Qui est architecto facilis rem. Et ratione et possimus facere aut. Perspiciatis aut quo iure sed. Nulla ut sed saepe et omnis aperiam sed.

Sed quis rerum animi sapiente corporis voluptatem. Facilis aut enim modi quidem sit assumenda. Ex numquam laborum nisi dolorum et ducimus.

Voluptas architecto natus illum et. Quasi quo labore mollitia. Eveniet et sint vel odio qui.

Doloribus maiores cupiditate minima expedita. Magnam impedit qui dolores voluptatibus id nesciunt.

 

Illo velit veritatis illo recusandae suscipit aperiam cupiditate. Suscipit non distinctio numquam nisi atque recusandae placeat. Natus repellendus voluptas autem. Accusamus culpa laboriosam quibusdam optio reiciendis quia. Sed occaecati beatae et suscipit perferendis. Eligendi quo esse et ut eos atque.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”