Awesome. I'm greedy, I like both... 😀 Thanks for your insight!
Alright, I'm here--soon to be PharmD/JD. To briefly answer the questions that have already been asked, yes I think it's a great combo, but kind of like zelman said, make sure you want to be a lawyer first! You'll be a lawyer with a background in pharmacy, not a pharmacist with legal credentials (unless you stay in pharmacy, but that makes no sense). If you like the field of pharmacy, but are more interested in a career in law, then it's a good gig.
I think all the extra schooling was worth it, however, the legal market is even more saturated than the pharmacy market. If you're going to go to law school, you have to be serious about it--take time to study and ace the LSAT and get into one of the top law schools. Grades and the school you go to are
extremely more important than in pharmacy school. While I feel my background helped me out immensely (for many patent law jobs you cannot even apply if you do not have a bachelors in a science degree, and sometimes they require a doctorate), if I had gone to a worse school and/or did not have good grades, it's very possible I would not have found a job.
Related, I'm not sure where you're at in your schooling, but because the law school you go to is so important (and will forever be attached to your name), it may not be the best idea to rush through and get the PharmD/JD as a dual degree. Don't settle for a school because it has a joint program if the law school does not have a good reputation--you may end up just practicing pharmacy anyways. A couple of the better law schools offer part-time programs, so you can work as a pharmacist and receive your law degree in 3.5-4 years. Of course, it will take more time, but gaining work experience in pharmacy before shifting over to law can also help you find a better job as a lawyer.
There is definitely a niche market for the PharmD/JD. It's a rare combo since the PharmD is a professional degree, but there are plenty of PhDs and other scientific degrees in the legal field. In fact, in order to take the patent bar exam (not required for patent litigation--just patent prosecution--but it seems the majority of litigators are registered as well), you must have some type of degree in science. As such, the patent law field is full of engineers and scientists (so it's not as weird as you think to be a pharmacist working in law).
Look up Hatch-Waxman litigation--this is a type of patent litigation that is closely tied to the FDA. In my opinion, this is the best niche for a PharmD/JD. You could also practice FDA law, biotech or general patent law, draft PBM contracts, prosecute patent applications, etc. There are a lot of options and your background will really help to market yourself in these areas.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
