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Level of interest advised to undertake Law? / JD or LLB?

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MrCommerce:
Hi guys!  ;D

Currently in tertiary preference week and would greatly appreciate some assistance.

So i am highly interested in banking and finance (perhaps investment banking if i'm capable) and am basically willing to undertake any course that will maximise my potential in this industry for my future career - hence i'm thinking of taking up Law (along with Commerce) as i have been advised that it may make me more employable. In regards to actually going into the law industry (i.e. becoming a lawyer, solicitor or barrister), i don't see it happening - but who knows, i might become more interested whilst undertaking tertiary studies.

I have constantly heard that i should not undertake Law unless "i am genuinely interested" otherwise i am simply wasting time/money/opportunities/mental health. My question to you (law students  8)) is what exactly constitutes a "genuine interest"? Do i have to actually enjoy reading countless case studies? Is my slight interest sufficient? - i took Legal Studies (yes, i know it isn't really representative of tertiary level law) and quite enjoyed it but simultaneously i wasn't the biggest fan of reading case studies - though some of them, commerce-related ones in particular, often gauged my interest.  I went ahead and researched some of the content involved in a Law course and i can see myself really enjoying civil law, contracts, mergers, acquisitions but would be less enthused by criminal law. Would be awesome if you guys could advise me on whether i am truly cut out for law - my deepest fear is taking com/law at Monash and dropping law and then being stuck with Monash Commerce (in which case, i would much rather UoM Commerce and would rather not deal with external transfer dilemmas).

Secondly, what are your opinions in regards to taking a guaranteed entry pathway to UoM Juris Doctor (Full Fee + maintaining a 75 GPA) as opposed to a Commerce/Law Monash double degree? In regards to the excessive cost of JD, i am not OVERLY concerned (because i don't want to base my tertiary choice on monetary reasoning) and in regards to the 75 GPA, i can see myself achieving it as long i work hard  :'(. I like UoM's facilities and location (20 mins by public transport) whilst Monash's facilities are perhaps less appealing (also takes me 40 mins by public transport). I am getting the feeling that more people in my position tend to go the Monash pathway, could someone enlighten me (or correct me) as to why this is?

Anyways, sorry for rambling! I apologize for so many questions - just that i never considered JD before because i didn't think i would get the ATAR for the guaranteed entry  :'(.

Thanks alot!

appianway:
On a side note, why do you want to do law to do investment banking? If you really want to do finance, wouldn't it be better to do the single degree, work hard, do extracurriculars and see whether you get good internships which lead to job offers? Law won't really relate to much to IBD, and if you want to work on the markets side, you'd be better off learning another language or picking up more math or programming.

ninwa:
- Law has little relevance to investment banking

- Investment banking is highly competitive and you need really top marks and extra-curriculars for that. Law will not only bring down your GPA but also reduce the amount of time you have for extra-curriculars

- Nobody can tell you whether you'll be good for law, that is something only you can know. However out of "civil law, contracts, mergers, acquisitions" - not sure what you mean by "civil law" do you mean as opposed to criminal? Contracts is studied in first year, and we do not study mergers/acquisitions (which is prolly a combination of contracts and corps), don't think there's an elective subject on that specifically. Crim is only 2 units out of many and nobody enjoys every single law subject they take so dw about that. It doesn't sound like you really know what studying law is about (which is fine, most people don't and it's hard to really convey to those who haven't taken a law subject!)

- If you don't like reading cases you're gonna have a bad time, it's perfectly easy to pass a law degree without ever reading cases but if you're aiming for a high-achievers field like investment banking which requires high marks - well, its possible to fluke good marks without ever reading cases but you'll be playing Russian roulette with your degree/career

- I advise people to choose Monash law pathway before the UoM Model because that way you are guaranteed a law degree rather than risking failing the LSAT. However in your position - you're not sure whether you even want to do law and your preferred career does not require law - I think undergrad commerce is a better option. You'll have a much better idea of what you want out of life after 3 years in uni and you can re-evaluate when you graduate as to whether you want to go the JD pathway (and if you do, Monash JD does not require LSAT I believe)

I am at work hence short/grammatically questionable replies (sorry) but am v happy to answer any questions you have about law

MrCommerce:
Thanks for the replies!  :)

That's interesting, i was under the impression that it was common for students to undertake com/law for finance. So you're saying that for a finance career (which i'm pretty much set on btw), it is more suitable to perhaps take a single degree Commerce and go for a high GPA?

Admittedly, i don't have much of an idea of what the Law course involves - i can't seem to make it out of merely the university brochures  :-[ + i'm only looking from the extensively limited scope of VCE Legal Studies  :-\.

Would law be of any material benefit in my pursuit for a finance career? - I've always wanted to do more than a Commerce single degree. I'm just a little scared of the UoM pathway, because i could see the temptation of graduating with the undergraduate degree and going full-time in the workforce.

Also, i was reading the Law FAQ, and you say that both the JD and LLB are functionally the same. Is the fact that JD is a masters degree irrelevant then? Is the content in JD any more difficult than the law undergrad?

Thanks again!!!

meganrobyn:
A legal background helps in a whole RANGE of professions and definitely looks good on your CV, so it will come in useful in a general sense. It's a fair tangent if you're not interested, and a fair bit of work, but it won't ever be *useless* as a qualification.

Funny thing - on my first day of LLB I was one of only two, perhaps, people in the (large) seminar who said they were doing Law because they actually wanted to be a lawyer - I'd wanted to be a barrister since PRIMARY SCHOOL. Fast-forward a few years and I know a lot of people from that class are working lawyers....

....I'm not.

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