New York Lawyer
August 12, 2004

Q:
I have spent two years as a corporate associate at an AmLaw 100 Manhattan law firm. Although I like the legal work, I would much prefer to be on the business side of the transaction. In addition, although I graduated summa cum laude from a non-top-100 law school, I still felt that my law school name is affecting my chance of success in the legal profession, which is obsessed with credentials.

I recently took the GMAT and have been accepted into a top-10 MBA program. I am struggling to decide whether to stay with the law or to go get my MBA and switch to a business track.

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A:

I can�t tell you whether you will ultimately succeed in switching from law to business, should you follow the path you�re proposing -- you�ll need to ask more of a career type than me. But I�d offer broader guidance.

First and foremost, you need to decide what you would like to do -- your future vision. That internal guidance will tell you far more than any outside person can.

Ask yourself what exactly you like about the "business side" of the transaction. To make sure that you have a realistic view, talk with people in business, especially in industries you�re interested in, and quiz them about what kind of work they do. Find out their thoughts about the value of a legal education plus an MBA to see how it flies, and whether they think it�s worth your time. In other words, start out with the end in mind to see how you ought to get there.

You will also need to do some monetary calculations -- adding up the foregone income while you are in school, the cost of a business education, and so forth -- to make a smart choice about how you want to proceed.

Certainly there are many lawyers who make the leap to business, so it�s a time-honored path. Remember, others go inhouse and then make the transition to the business side, without having to bother going out and getting their MBA. So do a reality check about whether you really want to go back and get another degree. It could be that you can get where you want simply by going inhouse in another couple years.

I agree that the legal profession pays too much attention to credentials and not enough to results. Certainly if you stay with your AmLaw 100 firm for a number of years your experience can start to outstrip your credentials, at least in the eyes of those employing you at present, and probably to the outside world as well. This alone isn�t a reason to switch gears entirely, so I would focus my decision making efforts also entirely on whether you really want to be a business person, and what it will require to realize that goal.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work