re: OT Attorneys - Is an MPA/JD dual enrollment worth my time?

It isn't SUPER difficult to find a job. It certainly isn't easy but employment rates aren't at like 5% or something.

The issue is really that jobs as an attorney that you can find these days are some combination of (a) soul crushing, (b) dead end, and (c) poorly compensated. It is a field full of the biggest assholes you will meet that is having huge troubles adjusting to the modern marketplace (see the billable hour).

You spend inordinate amounts of time trying to keep old arse attorneys that have little comprehension of what daily life for an associate is like in the email era. Even if you somehow find your way into a decent associate position, these same old arse attorneys may change the requirements to become a partner solely to ensure they keep a bigger share of the pie.

I work in house where it is significantly better, but that makes me just another corporate drone putting up with HR and IT while trying to figure out how to make it into management. Despite that nearly everyone I went to law school with would stab me and leave me in a ditch to have this position.

The market is slightly better than when I graduated though... So there's that.

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CorporateTiger

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If I wanted to go into the public policy realm, do you think the JD would help, or is it a waste?

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that it is SUPER DIFFICULT to find a job as an attorney if you aren't in the top 10%

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FIFY

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Plenty of ibankers have law degrees, so do plenty of Bain and McKinsey analysts. It can be a good start to get you in the direction you want to go.

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I've been telling my friends in law school if they don't get a job to jump into finance. JD's stick out like a sore thumb on an application. Also, if you want to start your own business/fund I feel like a JD/MBA would be extremely valuable. But I'm just some loser that only has a BS

I have a friend who did quite well in law school, got a good job at a prestigious law firm and then decided he wanted to do policy work.

He still couldn't get a job in public policy and ended up going for a MPA. So no, I don't believe so. I am on the private sector side though so that isn't my wheelhouse

And you just keep repeating talking points like "JDs are versatile."

The number of positions where a JD is the best degree to have is really limited. Even to the extent there are other option like regulatory advisor or landman they are currently competing with other, more targeted degrees and oversupplied with JDs from the 2009 era onwards.

On top of that even a cheap law school is going to be more expensive than the targeted degree I mentioned above.

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JDs are not versatile. That is an urban legend and/or a past truism

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"Even if you don't practice, a JD is still very valuable. It opens the door for all types of jobs. Not just being a lawyer."

Yeah. You can be a law clerk.

Go work for a year or two--whether in your undergrad field, or just waiting tables somewhere. No matter what degree you think you want, take time to be on your own and supporting yourself, and then go back to school if you still want to.

Not enough people do this, and they go straight into law school and never have a real perspective on life. They graduate, are unemployed, and have no clue what to do.

Whatever path you want to go down, first, don't take OT advice (other than mine) and most importantly, take a year or two off before going to grad school.


ETA: if you want to do tax work, an LLM will be important which puts you in law school for another year. If you can't get into what field you want with a JD/LLM or JD/MBA, you're fricked anyway

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I would get an LLM in tax if you plan on doing ta. What type of "tax law" do you want to practice?

FYI - I have my LLM in tax and do mostly TT&E and tax controversy.

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To be fair you also live in the finance capital of the country too.

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The only thing keeping me from even thinking of practicing law is that I have heard from people on here, as well as friends that got their JD and passed the bar, that it is SUPER DIFFICULT to find a job as an attorney.

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It all depends on where you go to law school and were you rank in your class.

If you go to a lower ranked law school and rank high you should be able to find a good job. If you rank middle or lower in your class you will have to hustle and starve for a while (unless you know someone). If you go to a higher ranked law school you should be able to find at least a solid job regardless of where you rank and a buffet of lucrative options if you rank middle or higher.

The key question you must answer for yourself is whether you want to practice law or not. If you really do, then commit to it and work really hard. If you don't, then do not go to law school; work toward another graduate degree.