In the interest of full disclosure, I was a businessperson for a number of years, before I became a lawyer.  Needless to say, this colors my view regarding the merits of a joint degree.  More importantly, any educational decision is an intensely personal one, and needs to be tailored to your own situation, plans and desires.  So read the following and take it for what it is, one guy's opinion.  In addition, I recognize that there may very well be folks out there who are so together that they know precisely what they want to be doing in twenty years, e.g. investment banking (although methinks this ain't exactly a hot field these days) and a JD/MBA will get them there.

Beginning in the mid '90s, many law schools began offering students an opportunity to earn both a JD as well as an MBA, for an investment of additional time and tuition dollars.  Most schools describe the benefit as essentially "synergy", that is, it takes less time and money than it would to earn each degree separately.  That said, I tend to believe that a JD/MBA is not worth the additional educational investment.  It's sort of like "super sizing" your fast food meal, when your not really hungry.  In other words, an MBA is a waste, if you really want to become a lawyer.  And a JD is unnecessary, if you really want to become a businessperson.

More importantly, I believe that this joint degree is actually dilutive, in terms of your legal education.  I further believe that my position is sustainable, based upon what I believe is the dirty little secret presently occurring in law and business schools-  that interest and enrollment in these programs has steadily declined over the past five years.

Simply, a JD/MBA will mean virtually nothing, if you plan to work in a law firm.  Legal work is so technical and so specific, that from your very first day on the job a a lawyer, you will find yourself drawn increasingly into a specialty practice area.  All of your assignments will accrete to that specialty and, generally speaking, one day you will wake up and realize that you have become a skilled litigator, transactionalist, family lawyer and the like.  In other words, the only way to become a lawyer, is to engage in your practice.  And if you want the JD as a mere credential, you should seriously introspect.  This is a hugely expensive "credential" and with public opinion toward lawyers as it is, it may not be as good a credential as you think.

Further, I suspect that the JD/MBA label may be viewed by law firms as a lawyer who really wants to become a businessperson.  Read that as "short-timer".  In other words, those precious firm jobs may go to old-fashioned JDs, because firms won't want to invest in someone who is planning to leave as soon as Donald Trump retires.

This is not to say that the business education you gain cannot help you in virtually anything you can do, it can and will.  However, the same can be said for virtually any educational curriculum.  The question is whether it's worth an additional year of your life and perhaps $50,000-$60,000, depending upon your living expenses. 

More importantly, the question is whether the extra year will actually hurt your chances of getting a decent legal job.  I had friends in law school who pursued the joint degree and spent an extra year in school.  Whenever we talked about things like summer employment, recruiting and jobs, these hapless folks always seemed a bit lost.  The were, in essence, a year behind everyone else and the law school OCI process simply wasn't geared to their schedules.

If your goal is ultimately to become a business lawyer and/or corporate titan, and you feel strongly that a JD/MBA will get you there, let me offer a lower-cost alternative.  First of all, bet the best grades that you possibly can, in the hopes of landing a good job with a decent firm.  Today, virtually all significant transactional work is going to the big, prestigious firms.  So your goal should be to get a job with one of these firms.  The only way that will happen is if you succeed hugely in your first year of law school (for an in-depth discussion on who gets the good jobs out of law school, and a suggested methodology to get there, I'm afraid you are going to have to read my book, "Law School Labyrinth-  A Guide to Making the Most of Your Legal Education").

If you are fortunate enough to land one of these firm jobs, the rest will pretty much take care of itself.  This is because these firms do sophisticated work for business clients.  These business clients are constantly seeking ways to reduce legal expenses.  The best way to do this is to bring as much legal work in-house as possible.  So, you go to work for a good firm in their transactional practice area and within 3-5 years, it is likely you will get a job offer to go in-house.

Once you are in-house, you will work on a daily basis with businesspeople, and often with senior management.  Candidly, your legal education and background will give you a huge advantage.  It is likely that you will be among the smartest, most analytical people within the company.  This will make you a natural choice for management roles as they become available.  By working effectively with businesspeople, you can easily become one, if that is your goal.

Further, throughout this process you will be refining your legal skills and gaining valuable business skills in the process.  You would be amazed at the number of senior executives in publicly-traded companies who were lawyers first.  A lot of them just don't talk about it.

So, if you thing a JD/MBA will be your ticket to a successful business career, think again.  You would be better served (and save time and money) by becoming a successful lawyer, and then moving in-house.  Otherwise, you risk being labeled as neither a lawyer nor businessperson.