LLM or MBA?

[sollicitus]

Which is worth enrolling in more, an MBA or an LLM? (assuming you already have a JD or are jointly enrolled) and why?

[legalpractitioner]

MBA would not be worth the extra effort if you are going to practice law.  The LLM is of dubious value as well since the JD is considered the highest professional degree in law.

[sollicitus]

MBA would not be worth the extra effort if you are going to practice law.  The LLM is of dubious value as well since the JD is considered the highest professional degree in law.

how can it be the highest if there is two degrees about it?

But that being said, both are essentially useless then?

[legalpractitioner]

JD is the highest US professional degree in law, there is a LLM  for foreign law school graudates that permits them to take the bar.  The other LLMs are quicky specialty degrees like tax.  The highest academic degree would be the equivalent to a PhD in Law or a foreign LLD but those are not on a professional track. 

[IrrX]

Don't forget the SJD.

[sollicitus]

Don't forget the SJD.

Thats the one I was thinking of. Not may places offer it, but you'd think that would look good on a resume. Heck even if the JD was a CBE degree if the SJD was ABA that would still look badass.

[legalpractitioner]

SJD is an academic degree  Most law school faculty have JDs.

[Maintain FL 350]

For the vast majority of people neither degree is worth the extra student loan debt. If your goal is to practice law the MBA will not give you an advantage because law firms are hiring you to be a business administrator (at least not straight out of law school). LL.Ms are rarely required and often not even preferred. In most cases an LL.M is a "soft factor" at best.

The exceptions are LL.Ms in Tax or Environmental/Natural Resources Law. For most students who are pondering a random LL.M, however, the expenditure will likely not result in increased earning potential. For those who don't believe me, scrool through the attorney profiles for any firm, large or small, and see how many non-tax/non-environmental LL.Ms you spot.

The SJD is a purely academic degree and would make sense if your goal was to become a professor. If your JD was from  non-ABA or non-elite ABA schoolhowever, I think you'd probably have a tough time getting into one of the better recognized SJD programs. Academic jobs are extremely competitive, and even small, local law schools often hire people with pretty impressive resumes.   

Bottom line: for most jobs the JD is sufficient, and an MBA/LL.M/SJD will not really help.

[Maintain FL 350]

Sorry for all the typos. Meant to say "law firms are NOT hiring you to be a business administrator."

[sollicitus]

SJD is an academic degree  Most law school faculty have JDs.

any lawschool that does not offer a JD is not an ABA law school.

As for the SJD it is offered by some of the more respected law schools which as far as I can tell require you already have a JD LLM and practicing experience before you can enroll.

Are any non license required degrees egostrokes? Well, yeah, duh.
Dosn't mean it dosn't make the ego feel good to stroke it though.