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Profile: John Livingston, JD-MBA Class of 1993
On December 1, 2005 we had an opportunity to interview John Livingston. The following answers were paraphrased from the information John provided during the interview.
Northwestern JD-MBA Graduation Year: 1993
Undergraduate School: Princeton University
Current Employer: McKinsey & Co.
Title: Principal
Current Hometown: Chicago, IL
Family: Wife: Dawn; Children: Will age 2, Jake age 4
(AN = Alumni Newsletter, JL = John Livingston)
AN: Can you tell us a little bit about your past, where you grew up, what you did before the JD-MBA program at Northwestern?
JL: I grew up in Northbrook, Illinois and attended Princeton University. After completing a degree in Economics with an American Studies minor, I went directly into the Northwestern JD-MBA program.
AN: Tell us a little about the JD-MBA program as it was when you were here at Northwestern?
JL: I began by applying to the law school, and only later decided to apply to Kellogg. However, once I had been admitted to both schools, I decided to begin the program at Kellogg. There were 5 JD-MBA students that began the same year I did, and about half of them started at Kellogg too. Thus, my second year was all law school, and then I split time at both schools during the 3rd and 4th years. Overall, I would say that I enjoyed my time at Kellogg a little better, though I was a big fan of a few of the law classes, including con law and contracts.
AN: Why the joint degree?
JL: My father had attended law school, but never practiced law, and I guess he provided some influence on why I wanted both degrees. I wanted to learn how to “think like a lawyer” even though I was fairly certain that I ultimately wanted to work in the business world. The joint degree allowed me to gain the legal understanding I wanted to gain, while also expanding on some of the business knowledge I had acquired through summer internships during college. Ultimately, I would like to own a few businesses of my own, potentially focusing on turnarounds and bankruptcy, and the joint degree will help me in that venture.
AN: Where did you intern during the summers you were in the JD-MBA Program?
JL: In my first summer I interned with PricewaterhouseCoopers in their mergers and acquisitions group, primarily completing valuation exercises. In the second summer I had just completed my first year of law school and located an internship with a law firm in Phoenix. During the third year, I took the spring quarter off to work for three months at McKinsey & Co. I then spent a couple weeks with the same firm in Phoenix before heading back to Chicago to work with Mayer Brown for the remainder of the summer. Although I was quite busy that third summer, I really enjoyed the opportunity to compare my experiences in consulting and law so closely.
AN: How did you make the decision to work at McKinsey?
JL: I had a wonderful experience with McKinsey the summer I interned there, and really enjoyed the work I was doing. I went into the JD-MBA program with an interest in ultimately working in the business world, and the opportunity with McKinsey was too great to pass up. I have been very happy with my decision.
AN: Can you tell us a little about your day-to-day routine?
JL: Since I’ve been with McKinsey, the majority of my work has been around the intersection of the telecom, high-tech, and media industries. I’ve worked on a number of cases in all three of these industries, and have completed assignments across multiple functions, including corporate finance, marketing, and operations. Up to now I haven’t really focused on a functional specialty, and instead have built expertise in the industries just mentioned.
AN: Can you tell us how the JD-MBA degree has benefited you in your career, and do you feel it differentiates you from your peers?
JL: I believe the joint degree has provided me a framework for logically breaking up a problem, helped my writing, and helped how I structure documents. From a career perspective, I would guess that business school is more valuable to someone starting out in corporate law, than law school is for someone going into business. However, I have been very happy with my joint degree and how it prepared me for my career. In addition, the joint degree provided me a somewhat unique opportunity to gain experience in the law, and more specifically in bankruptcy as I learned a great deal in that area during my internship with Mayer Brown.
AN: Are you able to keep in regular contact with your classmates from the JD-MBA program? Has having them in your network opened any new opportunities for you?
JL: Overall, I’d have to say that I haven’t done a great job of keeping up with people from both schools. I did, however, leave school with three or four really good friends from both Kellogg and the joint program. Part of the problem with the program while I was there was that you started to form ties with people at both schools, but there was no coordination from a graduation standpoint, and thus it was difficult to keep up with everyone.
AN: Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?
JL: In 5 years I think I’ll still be here at McKinsey, continuing the work that I do now. I’ve really enjoyed working at McKinsey and plan to stay here for a while. In 10 years, I’d like to venture out and do something on my own, although I’m not exactly sure what that means. I have always had an interest in business development, and I could see myself as a long-term investor in growing businesses.
AN: Do you have any parting advice for current students?
JL: The most important advice I would give to current students is to make sure you leverage your time in the program and try both careers if possible. I’d recommend students use their summers to try something they may not have done before, to ensure you can make an informed decision regarding your career when you graduate.
AN: John, thank you very much for your time today.
JL: Thank you.
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