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Law School is a sham

I understand a large %(maybe 60-75%) of DO's go into primary care/GP and only 5% or so MDs go primary care.
 
My heart Dr. (board certified) was a DO
 
Decided to apply for the JD/MBA program. Just needed one more year of football. But for realz, I want to open my options up to business stuff.
 
Manifest Destiny said:
Decided to apply for the JD/MBA program. Just needed one more year of football. But for realz, I want to open my options up to business stuff.
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This seems smarter than the straight JD. Especially with a modicum of charisma and intelligence.
 
Manifest Destiny said:
Decided to apply for the JD/MBA program. Just needed one more year of football. But for realz, I want to open my options up to business stuff.
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I kind of wish that I would have done that. I'm thankful to have plenty of legal work right now after having just passed the bar, but it would have been nice to have a business degree to fall back on if my current situation happens to dry up. Those at my law school that did the dual degree program did not complain hardly at all about the additional work, so I think they made a good choice.

I saw a job posting from a small firm today where the starting salary range is between $30,000 and $39,000. I'm sure the firm will get a mountain of applications, given how few jobs there are.
 
richis711 said:
I kind of wish that I would have done that. I'm thankful to have plenty of legal work right now after having just passed the bar, but it would have been nice to have a business degree to fall back on if my current situation happens to dry up. Those at my law school that did the dual degree program did not complain hardly at all about the additional work, so I think they made a good choice.

I saw a job posting from a small firm today where the starting salary range is between $30,000 and $39,000. I'm sure the firm will get a mountain of applications, given how few jobs there are.
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Have friends that started MBA school this year for the duel program instead of 2L at law school. They all love it so far and I feel it will open up a whole new world for me if I so choose. Need to slay the GMAT.
 
richis711 said:
I kind of wish that I would have done that. I'm thankful to have plenty of legal work right now after having just passed the bar, but it would have been nice to have a business degree to fall back on if my current situation happens to dry up. Those at my law school that did the dual degree program did not complain hardly at all about the additional work, so I think they made a good choice.

I saw a job posting from a small firm today where the starting salary range is between $30,000 and $39,000. I'm sure the firm will get a mountain of applications, given how few jobs there are.
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Could be, but I have also heard from numerous business hirers that they discount an MBA that was received through a joint program.
 
Manifest Destiny said:
Have friends that started MBA school this year for the duel program instead of 2L at law school. They all love it so far and I feel it will open up a whole new world for me if I so choose. Need to slay the GMAT.
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I guess, though IMO it is somewhat of a catch-22. Law firms will be reluctant to hire you because (a) they don't think you want to be a lawyer, and (b) they think you'll want too much money; and I don't know what the value of a law degree is to a business if you've never actually practiced law. I guess maybe in-house for a large company that has a training program or something like that.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
I guess, though IMO it is somewhat of a catch-22. Law firms will be reluctant to hire you because (a) they don't think you want to be a lawyer, and (b) they think you'll want too much money; and I don't know what the value of a law degree is to a business if you've never actually practiced law. I guess maybe in-house for a large company that has a training program or something like that.
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I think that you should be up front with law firms about the dual degree program. When applying to law firms, explain to them that you realized there are not a lot of law jobs and that you wanted a back up plan. Maybe in the cover letter say my first choice is the practice of law, blah blah blah. I think there is little value of a law degree to a business if you haven't practiced law. I would explain to the business that the law degree was a back up. I would hope employers would understand this.

I guess I don't look at the dual degree so much as look at me I'm awesome I have both a JD and an MBA, look at what I bring to the table because of this. Rather, I look at it as I have a JD or an MBA, depending on what jobs are out there. I have never understood the real benefit of having both degrees for most people. You will more than likely end up in business or in law, not using both degrees.
 
richis711 said:
I think that you should be up front with law firms about the dual degree program. When applying to law firms, explain to them that you realized there are not a lot of law jobs and that you wanted a back up plan. Maybe in the cover letter say my first choice is the practice of law, blah blah blah. I think there is little value of a law degree to a business if you haven't practiced law. I would explain to the business that the law degree was a back up. I would hope employers would understand this.

I guess I don't look at the dual degree so much as look at me I'm awesome I have both a JD and an MBA, look at what I bring to the table because of this. Rather, I look at it as I have a JD or an MBA, depending on what jobs are out there. I have never understood the real benefit of having both degrees for most people. You will more than likely end up in business or in law, not using both degrees.
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It may be different for megafirms, but in our situation the difficulty is finding students who know that they actually want to be lawyers, and didn't simply end up in law school because it is something for smart people to do. There is a big difference, and small to mid-sized firms don't have the luxury of dumping several years of resources into someone who then decides that they don't want to actually be a lawyer. So, in my position when going through 50+ resumes from each school when starting the OCI process, any resume with a JD/MBA on it automatically hits the trash can. If someone can't make up their mind, then I'm not going to waste my time with them.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
It may be different for megafirms, but in our situation the difficulty is finding students who know that they actually want to be lawyers, and didn't simply end up in law school because it is something for smart people to do. There is a big difference, and small to mid-sized firms don't have the luxury of dumping several years of resources into someone who then decides that they don't want to actually be a lawyer. So, in my position when going through 50+ resumes from each school when starting the OCI process, any resume with a JD/MBA on it automatically hits the trash can. If someone can't make up their mind, then I'm not going to waste my time with them.
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This seems unnecessarily harsh. There are legitimate reasons for wanting both degrees. If you want to go into corporate law and anticipate going in-house at some point, giving legal advice and counsel to a business group, I think an MBA could come in handy. Corporate lawyers do more than straight legal work - they tend to operate as a member of the business team. As such, an MBA certainly couldn't hurt.
 
tsywake said:
So what are the thoughts from our resident lawyers?

http://www.elon.edu/E-Net/Article/101834
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I think the legal ed market is prime for disruption. I'm particularly impressed that they're going to drop prices and reduce the time spent in school, and doubling down on their already strong clinic/practical learning stuff is welcome. Quite a bit of my law school experience was filler classes on subjects that I have not spared one thought on in the 13 years I've been actually practicing law. My old firm has hired two lawyers from the top of the Elon class and they're both excellent.

Just to be snarky though I thought this quote was, well, a tad bit over the top:

Bierman said the new curriculum draws inspiration from Elon University's widely recognized position as the nation's preeminent university for engaged global learning.
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mmmkay. widely recognized in Burlington maybe.
 
Deacon923 said:
I think the legal ed market is prime for disruption. I'm particularly impressed that they're going to drop prices and reduce the time spent in school, and doubling down on their already strong clinic/practical learning stuff is welcome. Quite a bit of my law school experience was filler classes on subjects that I have not spared one thought on in the 13 years I've been actually practicing law. My old firm has hired two lawyers from the top of the Elon class and they're both excellent.

Just to be snarky though I thought this quote was, well, a tad bit over the top:



mmmkay. widely recognized in Burlington maybe.
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All of Alamance County, really.
 
They had to do something to set themselves apart, and this looks like a good start.

In NC, there is a very clear line between Wake and UNC and everyone else. I don't count Duke because so few of them practice in NC. Campbell has made progress since their move to Raleigh, and I think established themselves as the next-best option. NCCU has extremely low tuition and location going for them. Charlotte has no redeeming qualities other than location, but no one cares. The point is, Elon needed something to differentiate themselves. In this market, it's much harder to make the case that attending an unranked law school is not a terrible investment.

For many people, this will make Elon the best option after UNC and Wake. I think the best idea here is letting these kids finish early and take the Feb bar exam, which will let them enter the job market at a time when they aren't competing with tons of other grads from better schools.
 
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