Law School Admission. Work Experience Vs. No Work experience Forum

[Mighty]

New to the board. I've been considering Law school on/off for about 2 years. I just completed my first internship over the summer,and I was asked back to work again with the same company next summer.
A little info, and then I'll ask my question.
Year: Junior
Status: Undergraduate
Major: Double Major-Music Industry (B.A) and Finance (B.S)
Internship/Field Concentration-Entertainment Industry-Club Industry
Job (Internship):Booking Department/Talent Buyer.

I am strongly considering graduate school...I am between doing an MBA which I would be concentrating in Media studies-however, I'm a afraid that might be too much on the same path with what I'm doing with my Undergraduate studies. If I go into a Law program I want to do Business Law-since I really have an interest in it being both Business and Law oriented.

My main question is-How much weight does work experience have in Law School Admissions?
I know work experience is usually preferred for most MBA admissions.

Also-From personal perspective/experience from people here-What is recommended? To work for a few years and go back to Graduate school later...or go right after College/get it over with?

My main career goal is to own my own club/chain of clubs-really focused in the club industry/live entertainment industry. A Law degree is not "required" but I think it would be extremely helpful in the Entertainment field since half of my work in the club industry is dealing with contracts.

Any advice or insight from anyone here-would be great. Thanks!

[badfish]

New to the board. I've been considering Law school on/off for about 2 years. I just completed my first internship over the summer,and I was asked back to work again with the same company next summer.
A little info, and then I'll ask my question.
Year: Junior
Status: Undergraduate
Major: Double Major-Music Industry (B.A) and Finance (B.S)
Internship/Field Concentration-Entertainment Industry-Club Industry
Job (Internship):Booking Department/Talent Buyer.

I am strongly considering graduate school...I am between doing an MBA which I would be concentrating in Media studies-however, I'm a afraid that might be too much on the same path with what I'm doing with my Undergraduate studies. If I go into a Law program I want to do Business Law-since I really have an interest in it being both Business and Law oriented.

My main question is-How much weight does work experience have in Law School Admissions?
I know work experience is usually preferred for most MBA admissions.

Also-From personal perspective/experience from people here-What is recommended? To work for a few years and go back to Graduate school later...or go right after College/get it over with?

My main career goal is to own my own club/chain of clubs-really focused in the club industry/live entertainment industry. A Law degree is not "required" but I think it would be extremely helpful in the Entertainment field since half of my work in the club industry is dealing with contracts.

Any advice or insight from anyone here-would be great. Thanks!

Work experience for law school isn't nearly as important as it is for an MBA program. For an MBA significant work experience can overcome a low GPA or even a low GMAT score. For law school the only two factors that really matter are undergraduate GPA and your LSAT score. If your scores are high enough in both areas, you should have no trouble getting into the law school of your choice (even without any significant work experience). The only real exception to this seems to be Northwester which seems to value work experience a great deal and sometimes uses it to justify taking people with lower scores but more work experience.

Also... Really look into what you want to do with the law degree. If you don't plan on practicing as an attorney (or going into government/clerkship/academia) where you go won't matter as much and you can try to pick up as much scholarship money as you can (at a lower ranked school).

Finally, understand law school is an arduous process and you need to be sure that you want it if you actually go.

[kurla88]

I personally don't have a choice about going to law school straight off, since I have a lovely non-employable liberal arts major. If I stood a chance of getting a well-paying job, I might try it, just to take some time off from SCHOOL for the first time in 21 years and experience the "real world" for a bit, see what I really want.

Also, I second the above poster. Law school is no joke. Maybe in your situation where you just think it would just be helpful you could take some law classes as a guest student? Maybe even during your MBA. (No idea how MBA works, but several law schools will allow you to take a few electives from other grad programs.)

Practicing the law is the only career I have wanted for a long time, and I'm still really iffy about the ordeal that is getting a J.D.!

If you really want one, though, more power to you. I also second the opinion that you should try and go somewhere you get good money. No idea what your numbers are like, but Northwestern tries to structure itself more like a business program, loves work experience and has the only 3-year combined JD/MBA (... if you're that insane). It'd be a good one to look into if you're interested.

[Mighty]

Thanks for the replies!

Well, I would be applying to schools around New York. I want to be back home for graduate school. Also given the chance to work before/between all of that. So I won't have to worry about Northwestern's Admissions.

I definitely plan on doing more research. I don't really know what Law School is actually like. I have a lot of family members have went to law school, so they would be a good outlet to talk to, and I have professors at undergrad. that I have talked to previously about it. I pretty much have my list of what programs I am looking into.

Anymore additional advice would be great.

[Mighty]

Also..I tried to edit my post-but I guess too much time had elapsed.

As far as law as a career-Do I plan to work and make partner in a firm? No.
But I know there are a lot of options of where I could work, outside of just a law firm.
I'm more interested in Corporate Law, as in working for a company...and eventually starting my own company and/or business.

If anyone wants give to extra insight and post about their own law school experience, and any other personal perspective.

That would be greatly helpful too.

Thanks everyone!

[Mighty]

Anyone here have experience in Business Law?

My only concern with going into Law School right away, is I'll be 25 or 26 when I graduate and never having a REAL job,besides working summer programs/internships.

How will that look on a resume? Although a Law Degree would explain the absence (going straight after college).

[vasiok]

Undergrad - MS - hopefully JD.

Will have around 2.5 years work experience and have been running my own business for longer then that.

We'll see if it helps me with NW to overcome my craptastic GPA.

[StevenD23]

Work experience definitely provides a boost, but LSAT scores are really crucial. I'd take a look at Outlines.com for more objective advice.