law graduate, better futurn in law firm or IB?

Bulge bracket IB for win! Goldman or go home.

How did you manage to grad law without knowing anything about the landscape?

The answer, obviously, is "it depends".

word

Depends on whether you have functional buttonholes.

Wouldn't he have to be a partner or managing director/senior vp to get away with functional button holes? I think it would be uncouth for associate/analyst to arrive at work dressed so.

Currently displaying functional button holes. Overshooting worth to BIGLAW firm? No, ambition towards PARTNOR-dom.

Don't you have to at least know something about law firms if you are a law graduate?

I have no experience in investment banking, but I do have some friends who work for GS, MS and others. To listen to them talk, the work is quite limited. However, due to time pressures, and the amount of money that you are moving around, it can be both an adrenaline rush and also quite stressful.

I do have experience in law, and I can say that the work is often quite intellectually interesting, although bits of it are mundane and relatively boring. If you work in an area that involves courtroom work, it can be really challenging and enjoyable.

Both can involve long hours and can impose pressures on family and other relationships.

Both can pay well, although obviously at the upper tiers, IB pays far more than legal work.

he's from australia, law is an undergrad degree there i wouldn't compare him to people working for GS or MS

Is a JD a typical path to IB-dom? How are the two even connected?

OP's from Australia, where you can major in law as an undergrad. He's not referring to a JD, so his case is like any humanities major going into banking in the states, a path that's more common than expected.

As a relatively experienced attorney in NY (>10 years), bankers seem to enjoy their jobs and life more than lawyers do. I know very few lawyers who don't wish they hadn't pursued another path. That being said, it would be very useful to be interested in finance or business for banking. Otherwise, it sounds equally dull yet stressful.

I have only a fraction of your experience, but my observations are similar. Almost every BigLaw lawyer I've met has some serious reservations about his or her career. In contrast, every ex-BigLaw lawyer in investment banking seems to be exceedingly happy with having made the switch.

I think the reasons why are fairly self-evident. To enjoy corporate law or commercial litigation, you've got to believe your corporate clients do good, meaningful work. Too many BigLaw lawyers don't believe that--so, obviously, they have a hard time appreciating what they do everyday. They're just selling their souls bit by bit for an upper middle-class paycheck. On the other hand, those that do believe it might find a career in business or finance even more rewarding. As lawyers, they feel like they're on the sidelines, while making less money and carrying only slightly less risk. It seems to me you've got to love business and really, really love thinking about legal issues to not feel suicidally depressed in BigLaw. That's rare.

I realize this isn't exactly the best place to ask this, but I'm contemplating making the switch in a couple of years. What should I be looking at between now and then to make me attractive to BigBanks? Currently a third year in BigLaw.

Whichever your talent aligns with better is the better choice. Some hate reading, some hate math. If you hate reading, do IB. If you hate math, do law. If you hate both equally and want to hang with big dogs all the time, do management consulting.