UGA for M&A

[Pricer]

I know that biglaw is out of reach for most UGA students, as the school only has a 15% NLJ 250 placement in the last released data. I am not assuming anything, so try to answer the question without telling me how I should not assume I will be in the top 15%. My question is: If one managed to end up in the top 10-15% of his class at UGA, would an M&A biglaw job in Atlanta be possible? Or would one need to work in a primary legal market (NYC, DC, LA, CHI) for such positions?

I have a BBA in finance, so M&A seems like something I would enjoy doing. UGA has offered me $10,000 a year plus I am in state, so I am looking at $60k debt total (living expenses, etc.). At other schools I applied to (Mich, UVA, Cornell, UCLA, Texas, USC, Vanderbilt) I expect to pay sticker, if I even get in (which isn't looking promising). I am very opposed to taking on $200k in debt, so I am heavily considering UGA at this point. I know the risks that I am taking (15% NLJ 250 vs 35-55%, worse ITE), but I also know that I can pay the $60k without a biglaw job.

I am simply asking, since a JD from UGA means one is essentially confined to GA/southeast, are there biglaw M&A jobs in Atlanta available to the top graduates of UGA? What class rank would one need for these positions? Top 15%? 10%? 5%? Also, considering the other schools I have listed, which of those would present the best opportunity for an M&A biglaw position? Would I be correct in assuming that NYC has the largest market for this type of work, making Cornell and Michigan the most attractive of my choices? Or am I mistakingly giving Michigan credit for high placement in NYC? I would think that they perhaps place better in Chicago, where I have little interest in living.

[HugerThanSoup]

I know that biglaw is out of reach for most UGA students, as the school only has a 15% NLJ 250 placement in the last released data. I am not assuming anything, so try to answer the question without telling me how I should not assume I will be in the top 15%. My question is: If one managed to end up in the top 10-15% of his class at UGA, would an M&A biglaw job in Atlanta be possible? Or would one need to work in a primary legal market (NYC, DC, LA, CHI) for such positions?

I have a BBA in finance, so M&A seems like something I would enjoy doing. UGA has offered me $10,000 a year plus I am in state, so I am looking at $60k debt total (living expenses, etc.). At other schools I applied to (Mich, UVA, Cornell, UCLA, Texas, USC, Vanderbilt) I expect to pay sticker, if I even get in (which isn't looking promising). I am very opposed to taking on $200k in debt, so I am heavily considering UGA at this point. I know the risks that I am taking (15% NLJ 250 vs 35-55%, worse ITE), but I also know that I can pay the $60k without a biglaw job.

I am simply asking, since a JD from UGA means one is essentially confined to GA/southeast, are there biglaw M&A jobs in Atlanta available to the top graduates of UGA? What class rank would one need for these positions? Top 15%? 10%? 5%? Also, considering the other schools I have listed, which of those would present the best opportunity for an M&A biglaw position? Would I be correct in assuming that NYC has the largest market for this type of work, making Cornell and Michigan the most attractive of my choices? Or am I mistakingly giving Michigan credit for high placement in NYC? I would think that they perhaps place better in Chicago, where I have little interest in living.

See http://www.nalpdirectory.com/

Advanced Search > query: "F-Law Firm"; "City: Atlanta"; "Practice Areas: Mergers & Acquisitions"

[Pricer]

I always fail to remember I can do that on NALP. I appreciate the help.

edit: Ha I'm going through the profile. They interview at UGA, Emory, Penn, Vandy, and Florida, but they seem to only accept one student for an SA position, which seems to lead to the one hire they do per year.

[HugerThanSoup]

You should just do a quick search for "Atlanta" though because you'll get a better picture of the entire legal market.

[Aberzombie1892]

M&A is high profile work. You would likely have to work at a big law firm or a prestigious mid law firm to be able to do this kind work. Therefore, you need to have the grades that would get you a position with these employers.

I will go as far as to say you generally need to have remarkable academic credentials to do this kind of work right out of law school if you don't attend a T14 (and are even above median there). There are other factors that are considered beyond grades, but generally speaking, falling outside the top 33%ish of any non-T14 prevents you from having a shot at almost all M&A work.

[Pricer]

M&A is high profile work. You would likely have to work at a big law firm or a prestigious mid law firm to be able to do this kind work. Therefore, you need to have the grades that would get you a position with these employers.

I will go as far as to say you generally need to have remarkable academic credentials to do this kind of work right out of law school if you don't attend a T14 (and are even above median there). There are other factors that are considered beyond grades, but generally speaking, falling outside the top 33%ish of any non-T14 prevents you from having a shot at almost all M&A work.

I wouldn't expect a job of this nature coming out below 15% at UGA. I was just wondering if I was being too optimistic with this 15% wall I have in my head. I am wondering if I would, in reality, need to be in the top 10% or 5%, or if it is out of reach for UGA completely due to Atlanta being a secondary market with access to grads from Vandy, Duke, and UVA.

Also, although I have a BBA in finance, I had a GPA of 3.7, which was not high enough to secure any type of finance job I wanted out of undergrad. Would employers see this and worry that I did not learn what they deem necessary from my finance classes?

I have changed my mind a few times, but I have been set on UGA recently due to the $60k vs. $200k debt situation. I am trying to get a realistic picture of what it would take to get the jobs I want coming from UGA rather than the other schools I have applied to.

[krillas]

I promise you there are many firms in ATL doing M&A. NALP info is often incomplete and outdated. There is no possible way R&H is the only firm doing M&A. I can't speak to what rank is going to get you ATL biglaw from UGA, but I would suspect it is something around 20%. Less if you have good WE, less if you interview well, less if you have good ties, etc. Undergrad GPA will not matter.