The JD/PhD Advice I Share with Prospective Students
I’ve found myself fielding questions about doing a JD/PhD (with the PhD focusing on CS/Info/Comm) more often than I anticipated. While I’m still working on completing both programs and feel my path has been less than optimal, here is the crux of the advice I give students considering this dual-degree route.
Disclaimer: The following advice stems from my experience and conversations with other CS-adjacent JD/PhD students. Talk to other people! Especially those who have the post-grad job you hope to have!
What I Tell Prospective JD/PhD Students
- Have a Clear “Why” for Both Degrees
Doing a JD/PhD makes both (already challenging) degrees harder than they would be on their own. Spend considerable time reflecting on why your goals necessitate both degrees. While others will offer opinions on whether your motivation is “good enough,” it’s essential to have an articulable reason to guide those conversations (and something you can remind yourself of further down the line when things are difficult).
2. Choose Your Institutions Wisely
If possible, I recommend completing both degrees at a single institution or at schools with an established partnership. This approach often comes with significant benefits:
- Tuition savings
- Opportunity to double-count certain classes
- Smoother administrative processes (cannot be overrated)
3. Timing and Communication are Key
If you’ve already begun your PhD program and are considering adding a JD, inform your PhD advisor and committee about your law school aspirations early. You will need their buy-in, so get them on your team early (but I think it’s good to have your “why” settled first).
4. Law school is expensive
Don’t wait until the end of the decision-making process to consider the financial cost of the JD/PhD. Make sure you are thinking about financial aid, scholarships, and loan forgiveness.
Understanding the Reality of Law School
I’ve found that many PhD students don’t have a clear conception of the purpose and day-to-day experience of a JD. The JD is a professional degree, primarily preparing students for legal practice.
- Law school classes focus on understanding legal doctrine rather than academic writing or research methods. You read a lot of cases and then discuss what the judge was trying to say and what the law means because of that case.
- Law schools, especially those considered “elite,” are institutionally conservative. While most students and professors may identify as Democrats, this political leaning doesn’t translate to a curriculum focused on examining law through the lens of social change or inequality. These topics are of secondary or tertiary importance in the overall law school experience. The primary focus remains on traditional legal doctrine and practice. The traditional law school experience does not teach you how to do policy work.
- Law school is exam-heavy, and you typically won’t take electives until your second year. As a rule of thumb, you take one exam per class at the end of the semester. My exams are either 4-hour in-person exams or 8-hour take-home exams. These are very unpleasant.
- Research opportunities in law school differ significantly from PhD programs. Independent research can be challenging to arrange with professors. Faculty-sponsored research assistantships often involve tasks similar to undergraduate research (e.g., literature reviews and citation checking).
My Personal Timeline (not a recommendation for what to do)
To provide context, here’s an overview of my academic journey:
- Fall 2019: Started PhD at UC Berkeley School of Information
- Fall 2021: Applied to law school (beginning of 3rd year of PhD)
- April 2022: Accepted to Stanford Law School
- August 2022: Completed PhD qualifying exam, advancing to candidacy
- Fall 2022: Began at Stanford Law School
- Anticipated graduation from law school in June 2025.
- Anticipated graduation from PhD at some point in 2025.
Final Thoughts
Pursuing a JD/PhD makes everything more complex — but can be professionally and intellectually rewarding. It requires careful planning, clear goals, and a realistic understanding of both academic environments. If you’re considering this route, seek advice from multiple sources, including professionals in your desired field.
Best of luck!
