PharmD/JD dual degree...good idea?

[dumplingman]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm a pharmacy student thinking of pursing a law degree after my PharmD and I was just wondering what types of careers are available for a PharmD/JD and if it was worth going for (salary and opprotunity wise).

 

[Epic]

class action lawsuit attorney specializing in suing big pharma (King of Torts - John Grisham)

Healthcare Law... defending healthcare practitioners... or malpractice law.. suing healthcare practitioners.

Or chase ambulances.

 

[RxWildcat]

We have had a few lawyer/pharmacist teach at our school, they seemed to dab in a little of everything. One of them works at a pharmacy full time and drafts wills, etc. on the side. He also represents pharmacist that get in legal trouble sometimes. I dunno about pay but I'm sure its not too shabby

 

[Sevarious]

PharmD/JD might not be a bad idea if you're interested in patents or intellectual property.

You may want to consider doing some kind of internship or fellowship at a pharma company or law firm to make sure you actually like the job before you invest the time and money to get another degree.

 

[rheumlife15]

my friend who is a pharmacist is going to pursue law school soon. I think he wants to help represent practitioners and pharmacists. from what I heard it sounds interesting and is higher pay. Although I do think the PharmD isn't going to help much but whatever

 

[norafena]

Money wise, patent law is the way to go.
I have a friend who has pharm/JD degrees. She is not working now, b/c she is not happy with neither of them😕. YES, and she is very depressed.

So make sure that law is for you.
Good luck on your decision.

 

[Gizmo]

The Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy is a pharmacist and has a JD. He also teaches the pharmacy law course at Wingate and I think at Campbell and UNC too.

 

[jtwcamel]

Yeah, Jay Campbell. I had considered doing this also, I had previously wanted to do law school before deciding on pharmacy as a career. You could definitely work weekends and live a good life

 

[Hpower12]

I kinda want to do this also. I think I would be good, I had to deal with alot of legal crap recently and feel I could be good at.

 

[StallionRx]

This question pops up every few months and sadly never produces a solid answer. I consider going to law school myself, but as this point Im having trouble rationalizing the lost income and paying for law school to make a few more grand a year with twice the time spent in work.

Patent law has been said to be the way to go if your looking for cash. However, the work is considered to be extremely dry and long. Work 80 hours a week in retail and youll clear 200k if your looking for money.

 

[blackjack109]

This question pops up every few months and sadly never produces a solid answer. I consider going to law school myself, but as this point Im having trouble rationalizing the lost income and paying for law school to make a few more grand a year with twice the time spent in work.

Patent law has been said to be the way to go if your looking for cash. However, the work is considered to be extremely dry and long. Work 80 hours a week in retail and youll clear 200k if your looking for money.

A Patent lawyer with a Pharm.D will only start off making ~ retail pharmacist salary (or less) with a minimum 60 hours a week. Eventually through time you have a far better position of moving up and getting paid more, but thats not guaranteed. If its money your looking for, as Stallion said your better off working 80 hours aweek retail. Truth is a Pharm.D does not have that much to contribute to filing a patent. Unless of course you have worked years in the industry doing research, then you might have some worth.

People in pharmacy school have come up with crazy figures and claims of what you can make working patent law, however I have yet to see one ounce of proof. The lawyers I have spoke to as well as the salary figures I have seen show that money wise, you might be better off sticking to retail.