Well every lawyer has heard it at least few times – you can do anything with a law degree. Old adage, meet this article from Slate which pours some cold water on the party. From our view, there is some merit in this article – a J.D. alone does not empower you with broad skills to do anything. However, a J.D. combined with years of experience dealing with business issues and problems can be a great background for other careers in the business world – and don’t forget that there are quite a substantial number of CEOs who started their careers as lawyers. But as the article points out, toting just a J.D. in a tough job market in a limping economy may not give an advantage overall against other candidates:
When I was considering going to law school, I asked my dad for some advice. What if I don’t like being an attorney? What if I don’t end up like The West Wing’s Sam Seaborn, jumping between a lucrative private practice and rewarding government work? “Don’t worry,” said my usually sagacious father, “you can do anything with a law degree.” My dad isn’t an attorney. But now I am, and let me assure you: My dad didn’t know what he was talking about.
Read: You can do anything with a law degree? No, no you cannot at Slate.