Law Degree?

[BoxingBoy]

Do you guys (1811's) think getting your J.D. without any job experience would still make you competetive for a 1811 job? Sorry if I have asked a lot of questions recently.

[Kimble]

Do you guys (1811's) think getting your J.D. without any job experience would still make you competetive for a 1811 job? Sorry if I have asked a lot of questions recently.

Will a JD make one competitive? Sure. Will it alone make them among the most competitive that actually get a job offer? Depends on what the other applicants applying bring to the table. We've got several JD-holders in my agency, but none that I've met that didn't also spend some time using that degree in the legal field (all that I know were former prosecutors in the military or civilian sectors).

I've heard it said - and I agree with this - to get a JD if you want to practice law if you never get an 1811 position. Otherwise that's at least $100k of pain you'll have to pay back with no guarantee that it will get you an 1811 position.

[retdetsgt]

To me, going to law school to be a cop is like going to medical school to be an ambulance driver.

When I was working, we always had at least a half a dozen law school grads, a couple even passed the bar exam. I sure can't see that it made them better cops or investigators by any stretch.

That being said, I guess the FBI likes lawyers.

[BoxingBoy]

Thank you for the replies. You guys think the better route to becoming a 1811 would be to work for local/state police for a few years would be a more qualified candidate?

[Kimble]

Thank you for the replies. You guys think the better route to becoming a 1811 would be to work for local/state police for a few years would be a more qualified candidate?

Yes, though there's many routes one could take to successfully become an 1811: local/state LE, military (enlisted or officer), private sector, uniformed federal LE... one of the classmates in my basic 1811 class was a former high school English teacher, so there's no single way to get there, just choose a professional field you could see yourself being happy working if an 1811 job never pans out. If that's being a lawyer, get a JD, if not, go another route.