Hi all,
As the title says, I’m split. Always grew up torn between law school and becoming an officer. I finished my undergrad in May and am torn on what to do. Wondering if getting a JD first would open up state / federal opportunities for me as opposed to local pd? Any thoughts or experiences are appreciated. Thank you.
Comments
What state/fed opportunities would be available with a JD that wouldn’t be with a standard degree?
No it wouldn’t, it would be wasted money, if you want to be a lawyer, then be a lawyer, don’t waist your money on a JD if you just want to be LE, you can get a fed job with a bachelors degree.
Zero reason to get a JD to go into law enforcement. What kind of lifestyle do you want to live? Many LEO opportunities are not great money wise or in terms of quality of life. Lawyer can be brutal as well, but your potential there is essentially uncapped and if you can work your ass off, you’ll be earning 3-5x what any cop will ever make
JD to LEO isn’t a common path, but it’s not unheard of. It’s much more common for LEO to lawyer career transition. If you’re wanting to be a patrol officer, just an undergrad is sufficient. If you want to go into investigations a JD may be worth it, especially at the federal level. Even as a prosecutor at the state level you would make a lot less than many 1811 positions with the feds.
I’ve done both. I was a campus cop after undergrad for a bit, then went to law school, now I’m a DA. Don’t go to law school just because you think it might give you an edge in a JD advantaged (but not bar required) job. It’s not worth the significant time, investment, and stress. Law school is no joke, if done right. It’s not like a fluff undergrad major.
A JD will give you an advantage in certain fed jobs. The FBI actively recruits from law schools. But, you don’t need a JD to be an FBI agent, the vast majority of agents don’t have a JD, and if FBI is what you want to do, it’s not worth 3 years of your life and around $150k in debt to get a government job that barely pays $100k if you’re lucky
The conventional wisdom is go to law school if you want to become a lawyer. If not, don’t
I know a few lawyers who became cops. They all regretted it and went back to practicing law. Besides, if you stick with law school you can go onto legal advice subreddits and complain about cops not knowing the law, while you and your paralegal bill hours looking the law up.
I am LEO and have a JD and bar admission in my state. JD doesn’t open any doors, but makes you more competitive with promotions and such. You’ll be a very attractive candidate for sure. I don’t think you should get it solely for LEO.
A solid plan since I assume you’re young would be law school, LEO, retire early, move to law. Last few years of your LEO career start doing some law work. I couldn’t imagine doing law school as a 40+ year old with a family.
Does you state offer any education incentives? That could make it well worth it. There are departments in my state that offer 35% for a masters degree.
Having that will absolutely not assist you in LEO career at all.
Your career earning potential as a Juris Doctor will be far beyond what you will ever make as a traffic cop