Tara Liscombe JD/MBA '06

With an undergraduate degree in marketing, Tara Liscombe JD/MBA '06 figured the next step would be a business career and an MBA.

And then a friend preparing to take the LSAT convinced her to take the test with him. "I did well enough to consider applying to law school," she says. "When I was accepted at Quinnipiac School of Law, I thought, 'Why not?'--especially after learning about the JD/MBA program."

"I may not have slept enough during those few years," says Liscombe, "but the differences between the two fields of study made completing both degrees at the same time manageable." While pursuing her JD, she completed a concentration in alternative dispute resolution.

The combination degree has been ideal. She works in the corporate world as a senior contract negotiator for Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy LLC in Wilton, Conn.

She wanted a job that would combine her negotiation skills with her business background. Liscombe calls her position "a perfect mix of business and legal work."

Her company's activities include the storage, merchandising, marketing and transportation of a wide range of energy and energy-related products in domestic and international markets. Liscombe
negotiates purchase and sale agreements of coal, power, oil and natural gas from producers to end users, such as other energy companies, or utilities. The producers can range from large, multinational companies to, as she puts it, "those who find resources in their backyard."

The job involves overseas communication, dealing with foreign legal systems, and working odd hours due to involvement in international markets.

Liscombe says getting both degrees has paid off.

"I couldn't have crafted a better job to make use of both my business and legal backgrounds. I work with intelligent and dedicated people, and I'm always learning. It's not often that someone can say they found the perfect job soon out of school, but I think I did."