<p>I was told by a friend that accountants have to deal with lawyers and that businesses will start to hire lawyers with accounting background so they save money, so i was wandering if this is true? I was interested in becoming an accountant but now I’m not so sure.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the field, but I wouldn’t recommend that you get a law degree if you want to be an accountant. It seems like a lot of debt to go into, especially if you don’t plan on directly using the degree (i.e. being a lawyer).</p>
<p>Someone else who knows more about accounting may be able to give better advice, but that’s my two cents.</p>
<p>If you want to be the Treasurer, VP Tax, VP Finance or VP Accounting of a major corporation, you will need both finance/accounting and a law degree. Lawyers do accounting, finance and tax planning.</p>
<p>^I really doubt that the above is true. A quick Google search of people who hold the title (and related ones, like CFO) reveals that very few of them hold JDs. In fact, the most common degree held in my search was an MBA, typically with a concentration in finance or accounting.</p>
<p>If a major corporation needs a lawyer…they will hire a lawyer, preferably an experienced one. But if they need an accountant - they will hire an accountant. Accounting is one of the most important things that a company can do; they want to hire someone specifically trained in that, and it’s hard to be both an excellent lawyer and an excellent accountant (and have the requisite background experience to get hired to do either at a major firm).</p>
<p>Lawyers don’t do accounting; accountants do accounting. Lawyers may assist with some complicated legal aspects of accounting, but typically accountants are trained in the basics of that because that’s their job. Lawyers may also assist with financial planning and tax planning, but they will work alongside accountants, and very few of them have dual degrees.</p>
<p>Accounting is a shortage field at the moment, so if you want to be an accountant and you haven’t attended college yet, your best bet is to go ahead and major in accounting at the undergrad level. If you have, then you’ll need a master’s in accounting or an MBA with a focus in accounting. Those programs usually have some prerequisites, so check them out.</p>
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Not a bit of truth in that. I was an attorney at several major corporations. None of the individuals holding those titles had a law degree, and certainly didn’t need one.</p>
<p>I know that many law schools offer combined JD-MBA degrees, which are ideal for those who are thinking of joining the corporate sector. For the MBA concentration you can pick accounting. The joint degree I think is doable within 3-4 years, instead of the typical 3 years JD degree. In that way you’ll have both specialties.</p>