The Value of a MBA

It is official – I will be heading back to school in the fall. (Clients, lest you start anxiously looking for another attorney, don’t worry – my practice will continue on a part-time basis, and you’ll still get the same workaholic, round-the-clock service that you’re currently getting!)

As part of my research and networking, I have been talking to MBAs, JDs, and JD/MBAs. I have had fantastic conversations about the law and business, and the occasionally strained marriage between the two. One conclusion I have come to is that lawyers rarely value a MBA.

The JD/MBAs I have talked to discovered that they receive little or no recognition by their firms for the additional degree, even though it has mattered to their clients. The MBA degree may help them give better advice to and better serve their clients. It may even bring clients to the firm who would otherwise go elsewhere. But there is no remuneration in the attorneys’ paychecks.

That really puzzles me.

There are generally two attitudes in attorneys: those in a “profession” and those in a business. Obviously there are elements of both – we have ethical rules that a non-lawyer business does not have, and yet we all work for a paycheck/client’s check. And I accept that many are very wedded to the idea of the esteemed profession, and these attorneys will always frown on the “business” attorneys. But I see many attorneys look down on a MBA who are otherwise talking about profits and developing marketing plans.

I have chosen to earn a MBA because I think it will help me better serve my clients. I also thought it might make me more marketable to law firms. And now I’m finding that the first goal will definitely be met, but the latter is unlikely.

I don’t get it. It seems so irrational. If you can shed some light on this, please e-mail me and share your perspective. It's really starting to bug me...