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Applicant Question: Do Law Firms Ask JD-MBAs to Submit an LSAT Score?

This post is part of my focus on answering applicant questions during the MBA and JD-MBA admissions process, something I’ve been concentrating on for the past year and a half now.  In my view, there has been an increasing need for such collaboration and information sharing, not only for the MBA admissions process, but especially for the JD-MBA admissions process, given the lack of information on the programs and on the process of applying to those programs.

I recently received a question about Northwestern’s JD-MBA program. The question comes from a potential applicant that has asked about the role of the LSAT in the application process and later in the recruiting process. I also received the same question from a JD-MBA applicant who I met with on campus this past week, as he was preparing for his on campus interview at Kellogg. As such, I figured the question was worthy of posting here on my website.

See below for the reader’s question and below that for my response.

Thanks for reading.

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Applicant question

Hi Jeremy,

Hope you are doing well.I have recently started thinking about applying for NWU’s JD-MBA program.

I am currently working in investment banking and have already taken my GMAT. I understand that LSAT is not required for the JD-MBA program; however, the LSAT (or lack thereof) would be a problem if I choose to pursue a career in law? More specifically, do law firms require one to submit LSAT scores as part of the application/interview process?

I also reached out to some members of the Law School Career Services and they responded to my question.

Thank you for your help.

(Name)

— This mail is sent via contact form on www.JEREMYCWILSON.COM

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My response

Hi (Name),

Thanks so much for writing and for your question about the JD-MBA program. I’m glad to hear the law school has already responded to your question, and I’m happy to provide a quick follow-up as well. Since it sounds like your question was pretty technical, I suspect our answers will coincide, so I’ll keep my response brieft.

The short answer is that law firms do not ask students about their LSAT scores. This is something that the JD-MBA program has also listed on the admissions website.  Instead firms tend to rely more on a number of other data points.

First, firms usually ask about data points such as law school GPA and the schools journals you’re a part of.  This tends to be enough information for the firms to assess your “intellectual ability” and writing ability, without asking for your LSAT score.  Secondly, law firms will also ask about a range of other things, such as extracurricular activities, leadership experiences, and work history, though these things still tend to play a much smaller role than grades at most firms. And even though that trend has been evolving over time, at most firms, grades still usually outweigh those other factors. And finally, all firms will take the interview process itself into account. Law firms, just like anywhere else you interview at, are looking to hire people that are good fits for the firm and that get along well with the current employees.

For specific reference, about 50% of JD-MBAs go into law every year (i.e. the summer prior to graduating) on average, and the the LSAT score is never brought up. And that fact is not only true of the JD-MBA program but also for the law school students at Northwestern Law. The only time its ever tends to come up is during the admissions process. But even then, it’s often the case that it you only have to put it in your application and don’t have to talk about it during you interview.  In fact, I recently received a question about whether the LSAT will come up during the JD-MBA interview (different from the JD-only interview), given the test is not technically required. Please click here to read the post.

I hope this information is helpful. Good luck in the application process.

Jeremy