Changing from Law
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Changing from Law
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1) why did you post the same thing under two different names? 2) your best bet will be to contact alumni from Harvard. While you may not have access to OCR, you will likely have access to an alumni database and you can make connections to get your foot in the door for an interview. Problem is, you're a bit late here as interview season is happening now. Just try your best to get something this summer and build relationships that you can lean on for full-time recruiting.
I have no idea how it got posted twice. It seems like some kind of technical glitch since I only have one account.
What banks should I be targeting at this point?
You will be hated by your analysts
It's a little late in the game to be networking so you've got to get moving ASAP. If there are any HBS recruiting events going on, go to those and try networking directly with bankers there. Outside of that, your best bet is reaching out to HLS alumni working at banks (of which there are a good amount). I'm sure they would be more than willing to help you, but it's important to get started now.
I haven't gone through FT MBA recruiting so I can't tell you what that's like, but I've heard that there are very few spots available so if you don't land anything for next summer, it's important that you be proactive in networking with alums.
If you're really interested in banking then go after those contacts but my boss went undergrad --> law school --> Real Estate PE firm. If that's your end goal, go right at it.
i remember some dude named llyod blankfein went harvard law --> IBD....i think he did okay for himself
so yeah its possible.
Like most who've made the transition, Blankfein went to biglaw before ending up in finance.
In my humble opinion, sir/ma'am -
It's possible, yes, but why do it????!!!!
1) I know there is tons of criticism going on about law schools right now, but you're at HARVARD LAW! The #1 Law School in UMRICA!
2) I understand the debate nowadays about law school is that its only a good investment if you get into Big Law. Harvard Law students have the highest chance of getting into Big Law - look at their job placements!
3) You are probably going to be working at the Analyst level if you join IB - aka - undergraduate level, and will not, I repeat WILL NOT be getting a return on what you paid for law school.
4) If you are you going after prestige - a lawyer from Harvard Law has 5x more prestige than an IB Analyst (this is relative ofcourse). Why do you think they call Analysts the scum of the earth.
The above 4 points are only my opinion. I will however say that Blankfein (aka 'God's Banker') was a Harvard Law graduate. Thus, you can do it, yes - its very possible, but not the best return on investment unless you KNOW you will be the next Blankfein or the like.
:)
These are all good points, and I do have a Biglaw internship lined up for this summer. However, I am not interested in Biglaw at this point because it'll probably be harder to switch into finance later than now. It seems that the only exit options available from the law firm I'm going to are in-house positions, which I'm not interested in. The chances of making partner are pretty slim, so it's better to switch now. I don't mind coming in as an analyst since there's probably more upside.
You're basically living my alternate dream reality (Harvard Law School with a BigLaw internship lined up) and you're not interested in doing it...
Just f*ck my life.
1) HLS will always be #2, not #1.
2) An HLS grad working in biglaw is basically an IB analyst with far, far fewer exit opps, three years of wasted opportunity, and a few hundred thousand dollars of debt. If you can find me someone who's gone into biglaw since 2005 who wishes they hadn't just gone the finance route I'd be extraordinarily surprised.
3) You're correct that he'd likely end up an analyst, especially if he went straight from college to law school.
@OP -- you've got a pretty tough road ahead of you.
After three years the finance guy has the biglaw guy beat, and has zero debt.
Again, being a biglawyer from even HLS is less prestigious than being a BB/boutique banker who went to a target school. One place where the fancy law degree might pay off would be if said person went into government/politics, but that's about it.
You will best fit in in an M&A group / execution group given your background. Most of the lawyers I know in finance do M&A
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Associate
(He almost certainly will not get an associate job.)
What caliber firm do you have a summer off with? V10? V50?
I'm in biglaw now myself, looking to make the jump at some point.
V50. If I had gotten a V5 offer, I would probably have stuck with law for a few years before making the jump. You?
V10. I go back and forth on how much Vault rankings matter. I think there is definitely a correlation between vault ranking and exiting to finance, but not sure there's causation.
if it makes you guys feel any better (or worse), a friend who's at a V3/top 3 firm wants to transfer to banking or HF/PE and has no idea if it'll be possible for him, though people have obviously done it. it's definitely not easy
I have two good friends who still work biglaw (one from Y and one from H). They're both high-performers at top-tier firms (S&C and Cravath) and a year or two from possibly making partner.
They both completely regret going to law school altogether and actively try to dissuade people with options from going LS/biglaw. It's absolutely miserable and they both claim that they should have just done the finance grind after college (anyone smart enough to get YLS then Cravath probably could have just ended up at GS/MS then real-deal buyside without having three years of law school debt).
I think people make a mistake when they choose a career strictly for money reasons. I think that's why so many law students/lawyers are miserable--they went to law school because that was supposedly a guaranteed high salary job. However, many find out that they absolutely detest the work.
From high school through 7 years of work I've always found our legal system fascinating and I gravitate towards that work. I would hope there are some people who are genuinely passionate about the field.
Law partner makes more than IB MD -
It all depends on the partner and the MD you're talking about.
This statement alone should prove 90% of everything you've typed on this thread is complete and utter bullshit - I swear I wanted to gouge my eyes out reading some of your comments about how a banker "three years in is better off than a big law lawyer three years in," "my [made up] Harvard and Yale friends hate law!" blah blah blah. Jesus Christ, you couldn't sound more like an undergrad kid with his analyst --> buyside blinders on. The only accurate/relevant statement you've made thus far is that "it depends." Do you think there are more F500 CEO's with law degrees or with badass IBD analyst experience under their belts? It's completely subjective, quit acting like some scrub at Stifel in Baltimore is better off than OP... "you have a tough road ahead of you..." Spare me buddy.
OP - might be a little late at this point, but if you can secure 1-2 finance related internships, you are in a very good place. Have several friends who went straight from uva and USC law to the buyside, another from Georgetown that went to a hedge fund. If you can get some experience under your belt, you are a viable candidate high finance. Your school has a strong presence in every industry in the world, so a few phone calls and cups of coffee shouldn't be unreachable for you. Good luck
I think this may be the only place in the world where someone from Harvard law school would be criticized about their career decisions.
Probably--and the difficulty of the path ahead of him is being greatly exaggerated. I know one person that didn't go to a t14 school, worked at a v10 firm for 5ish years, and then exited to pretty well known PE fund, and is now a principal. Technical skills developed in law school have an increasingly greater amount of relevance the higher up you go in the ladder (deal structuring, negotiation, etc.).
Said person is an absolute outlier and you know it.
It's ridiculous isn't it!
Someone mentioned earlier.. 'You've got a tough road ahead of you'
Can we please get some perspective in here.
I followed this path - law school directly into banking. Best decision I ever made. PM me and we can discuss further.
The only way you will get an associate summer offer from a BB bank without prior work experience will be if you are in the JD/MBA program. Is it too late to apply for this program with HBS? Not sure what the process is like to do that, just asking....
The issue is that the finance courses at law schools (even top ones) are not as geared toward entering finance as they are for undergrads and MBAs.
I know someone who went to law school at a Top 15, then got a job with the DA's office and is currently going to a top night/weekend MBA program while they are still working. Overall, she enjoys the DA job despite the low pay as the work is much more interesting than 'Big Law' and it's essentially a 9-5 job. A person with this background would be highly attractive to most banks for an associate position.
Keep trying and PM me if you have any specific questions.
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