Hi, I'm thinking about making a transition to consulting. I am a rising second year law student ("2L") at a top-20 law school. I don't have an official business degree.I have a bunch of questions. If someone could answer one or two, that would be great.(1) What position, if any, would I be eligible for (i.e. "analyst", "associate," or what?)?(2) What firms, if any, would I be competitive at?(3) For law, firms usually take a student after he finishes his second year to work as a "summer associate" and then the person generally signs on to work long-term after he finishes his third year. Do consulting firms do something similar?(4) How much can I expect to make?(5) When should I start submitting applications for next summer?Thanks.

1) Usually, you'd be considered at Analyst level. Some of the large firms take JD/MSc students as "senior analysts" - i.e. second year analysts2) Almost all - nothing you've mentioned would rule you out of applying for mainstream firms. Niche/boutique firms are more likely to require specific experience/academic knowledge or business degrees, but even they often take in some generalists and train them up.3) You can do an internship with a target firm in your penultimate year; in consulting this is not tied to returning to that firm post-graduation, although I don't imagine anyone getting an offer this summer will be turning it down.4) Pay varies by location, firm, and any work experience. Somewhere in the $50-75k band most likely. Try glassdoor.com for specific firms' typical salaries.5) Applications for summer 2010 open in September/October 2009, though some firms also hire in January and April/May. I think those later application dates may be more common next year as firms are more cautious about anticipating the strength of their pipeline.