Top-tier law firms do need attorney's with MBA skill-sets. For example, expert witness MBA testimony can often be unduly long. Lawyers who make partner spot the one fact that matters. With it, the best option at law is found. As a result, clients like the billable hours and legal outcome.
Coyote77 wrote:
I just posted the same question in the MSB forum
Georgetown or McCombs:
**really looking forward to any current students responses**
My goal is to land a top consulting or i-banking job. I know they are two different paths, but my goal is to see a lot of companies post-graduation. I think I-banking is more that route - but I am an attorney, so I think consulting firms might be attracted to that. I know that here in Texas - that one or two years of consulting or i-banking in NYC opens up every job in the world in Texas finance. thoughts?
I'll be straight with you. You've been fed a line of bull. One or two years consulting/banking will definitely not open up every job in the world in Texas finance. In fact, a few years of I-banking/consulting won't likely open more doors than you would have at b-school. Consulting recruiters are masters at selling the exit opps, but the truth is, if you really want to exit to a c-suite job with a big company, you will probably need to put in enough time to make director/partner at your consulting firm and your chances thin dramatically as you go down from mbb to lower tier firms. If you want a mid level management job, well then what is even the point of going into consulting/banking as you can land those jobs right out of B-school? And these companies will be coming to recruit you, rather than you having to do all the footwork.
So if you already know you want to move into corporate finance, why not just go straight there from your MBA?
But if you are dead set on it banking/consulting than I-banking makes more sense if your long term goal is corporate finance. It seems like most consultants exit to things other than finance - business development, strategy, operations, product management etc. Though I'm sure some do move into finance I just don't see how consulting is the door to it. Bankers on the other hand tend to move into finance roles, though they can certainly move into other roles too.
I haven't looked into Georgetown much so I can't say which would be better. Given that McCombs is generally a little higher ranked I'd guess it would offer a slightly higher chance of getting a top consulting/banking job.
That being said, I wouldn't say that either school gives you a particularly great shot at the top tier firms. That is, if you are talking about the m/b/b and goldman/jpm tier. IF you are talking about Deloitte or citibank, yeah you might have a good shot from either school. But I also don't think that they will open the same doors as those more prestigious firms would.
Last point cause this is getting long. Your goals and background make it seem like you aren't quite sure what you are doing. You're an attorney, who either wants to go into i-banking or consulting (two very different paths which are completely different than law) with the goal of working in finance after a year or two. Just seems very muddled, there is nothing really tying things together.