How many CEOs have a law degree?

Asked by: Prof. Augustine Gorczany  |  Last update: September 17, 2023
Score: 4.3/5 (36 votes)

We looked at about 3,500 CEOs, about 9% of whom have law degrees. They were associated with nearly 2,400 publicly traded firms in the S&P 1500 from 1992 to 2012.

What percentage of CEOs have law degrees?

In so doing, Bader joined a small, but potentially growing cadre of CEOs who have J.D.s. According to an August 2017 article in the Harvard Business Review by University of Chicago law professor Todd Henderson, 9 percent of the 3,500 CEOs that he and three colleagues examined in a massive study had law degrees.

Can you be a CEO with a law degree?

Lawyers are trained to avoid and resolve issues related to business growth, so those who study corporate law are often drawn to entrepreneurial endeavors. This can transition into a CEO/COO position.

Why do so many CEOs have law degrees?

According to a study co-authored by Feng Chen, Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Toronto, companies who have JD CEOs on board are 74% less likely to be stricken with lawsuits. This makes sense because having an attorney as a CEO discourages other companies from litigating for obvious reasons.

What degree do most CEOs have?

The education background of CEOs

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Business Administration was the most popular undergraduate degrees among Fortune 100 CEOs, with 53% of CEOs identified as having obtained one of these two degrees.

Why So Many CEOs Are Engineers

21 related questions found

What degree does Elon Musk have?

Where did Elon Musk go to school? Elon Musk went to Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he received bachelor's degrees in physics and economics in 1997.

What percentage of CEOs have a PhD?

CEOs are well-educated

Chief Executive Officers are generally well-educated professionals. Globally, 98% of the sample hold at least a Bachelor's degree; 64% hold at least a Master's degree or equivalent (including MBAs); and 10% hold a Doctorate degree.

Do lawyers make good CEO?

Some studies lend credence to the notion that lawyers may not be best situated to lead companies. Research published in the Harvard Business Review suggests that attorneys tend to be better leaders in industries with high litigation risk—but that lawyer-CEOs reduce value in most other corporate settings.

Are a lot of CEOs lawyers?

I collaborated with Irena Hutton, Danling Jiang, and Matt Pierson to compare the behavior of CEOs with law degrees with those who earned a bachelor's degree, MBA, or other degree. We looked at about 3,500 CEOs, about 9% of whom have law degrees.

Is studying law good for business?

Although legal careers are not completely recession-proof, business law is an area that is always required to help businesses navigate complex issues, whether the economy is up or down.

Which degree is best for company CEO?

A bachelor's degree followed by a master's (preferably an MBA) in a business-related field. For instance, one can benefit from degrees in Business Administration, Management, Accounting, Finance, or Economics.

Can lawyers become COO?

That's not to discount the importance of legal experience which provides an essential foundation for a COO. Lawyers excel in communication, problem-solving, and logical thinking, while years of experience have honed their ability to simplify complex information.

Can you become an ambassador with a law degree?

While there is no specific degree required, many ambassadors have earned degrees in fields such as international relations, political science, public administration, or a related field. Some ambassadors may also have degrees in business, law, or economics.

Do you need MBA to be CEO?

At the CEO level, what matters most is what you've accomplished throughout your career — not whether or not you have an MBA. Many CEOs founded their own companies or rose through the ranks without an MBA. The potential benefits of an MBA to CEOs also depends on the size of their company and their specific industry.

How many CEOs have a finance degree?

Another 28.5% of the CEOs have undergraduate degrees in Business fields. Dominating the Business graduates are Business Administration majors, who comprise 20.7% of the CEOs; just fewer than five percent (4.8%) of the CEOs are Accounting majors, and 3.0% majored in Finance.

What are my chances of becoming a CEO?

The odds of becoming a CEO are 1 in 135,000.

Can you be a millionaire as a lawyer?

Lawyers can also earn extremely high salaries from working for leading law firms in the legal industry or prestigious corporations as in-house lawyers. Some can also achieve millionaire status by working hard and starting their private law firm.

Are lawyers highly respected?

Many people view the lawyer profession as one with a high level of prestige. This typically stems from their impressive degrees and the level of authority they have over others. This profession demands respect and is often viewed as glamorous by the media.

How many millionaires are lawyers?

Not according to the work done in The Millionaire Next Door which pegged lawyers at just 8% of the country's total millionaires.

What do you call the CEO of a law firm?

Who Ranks Highest in a Law Firm? The King, which is the Managing Partner (or law firm CEO) at the top.

Is being a lawyer a happy career?

As a whole, lawyers rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.0/5. Some lawyers are happy with their work environment, but it does not seem to be a meaningful contributer to career satisfaction for most.

Is lawyer a fulfilling career?

What's the primary reason that lawyers will be less needed going forward? Automation and artificial intelligence, which will replace a lot of jobs, including ours. Since many blue collar jobs have already felt the automation axe, white collar jobs, such as ours, are the next to bite the dust.

Who has 7 PhDs?

Bruce Banner

In fact, Banner claims that he has seven doctoral degrees in “Thor: Ragnarok”.

Who has 5 PhDs?

Meet Dr Abdul Karim, world's most educated man with 5 PhD, speaks 18 languages.

How many CEOs have a Master's degree?

34.6% of top CEOs have a master's or doctorate degree. 22.3% of top CEOs have an MBA (Master of Business Administration) 16.4% of top CEOs studied abroad. 4.7% of top CEOs are women.