Carpet Bagger = Persona Non Grata??? Forum

[Impending1L]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

[ru2486]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

do you have a time-machine, and are you planning on applying to firms circa 1875?

[Veyron]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

I don't think even native southerners can be confident about making 60-80k out of UGA.

[Tom Joad]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

do you have a time-machine, and are you planning on applying to firms circa 1875?

That cracked me up, Bruce.

[ru2486]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

do you have a time-machine, and are you planning on applying to firms circa 1875?

That cracked me up, Bruce.

Thanks Tom Joad, I appreciate that. It's been awful tough to get ahold of you, ya know.

"The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin down here in the campfire light
Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad."


Also, Impending 1L, do you have any other options? What's the final cost after this scholarship from UGA?

[flem]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

lol

If you miss biglaw out of UGA, enjoy doing DUI defense in Warner Robins making 45K.

[JoeFish]

If you miss biglaw out of UGA, enjoy doing DUI defense in Warner Robins making 45K.

TBF, they've got a damn good little league team...

[pballer]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

Rising 2L at UGA here. Being from the north will not be helpful in smaller cities in georgia, but firms in atlanta couldn't really care less

[bazinga!]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

Rising 2L at UGA here. Being from the north will not be helpful in smaller cities in georgia, but firms in atlanta couldn't really care less

being from a small town in GA (not too far from warner robins) and knowing several judges and lawyers i second the above. small towns hold on to some of that xenophobia but ultimately good grades from uga should get you the same chance as anyone else there without connections. and ATL is a mix of people so there's not the same anti-northern sentiment.

[lisjjen]

In my most humble opinion Dear Suh, the recent and unfortunate events that have transpired between the beloved Jefferson Davis and the late Abraham Lincoln have put a tarnish on the relationship between those above and below the former Mason Dixon line. I am certain those of us who are striving to build a new South will accept talent from wherever we can find it in an attempt to mend the close friendship of the states to which the Articles of the Confederation refers (and not this new fangled Constitution that people nowadays seem to misunderstand, what with their concepts of the "Supremacy Clause," and the "Commerce Clause.")

[BruceWayne]

Not to be a jerk, but the issue with you going to UGA is not that you aren't Southern; it's that your assumption that the next option after missing Atlanta big law is a 60-80K a year job. Hell if that was the case I would have went to UGA--but that's not how it works. If you miss firm work you'll be lucky to find a job if you didn't position yourself for Georgia public interest work from the beginning. In any case, you almost certainly won't make 60-80k if you miss the firm job boat. Only go to UGA if you can go for under 50K total.

[RedBirds2011]

In my most humble opinion Dear Suh, the recent and unfortunate events that have transpired between the beloved Jefferson Davis and the late Abraham Lincoln have put a tarnish on the relationship between those above and below the former Mason Dixon line. I am certain those of us who are striving to build a new South will accept talent from wherever we can find it in an attempt to mend the close friendship of the states to which the Articles of the Confederation refers (and not this new fangled Constitution that people nowadays seem to misunderstand, what with their concepts of the "Supremacy Clause," and the "Commerce Clause.")

Lol

[jarv1506]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

Rising 2L at UGA here. I'm from the north and I've had no problem being viewed as an outsider. I have several northern friends who got mid law work in places like Macon and Savannah. Honestly, if you have the grades you could be from Mars and get a job. The real issue of course is doing well, but thats the rub everywhere. The school has a ton of connections around the state, the tough thing about small/mid law firms is that they don't do OCI, so you need to network. I can tell you from personal experience that if you put in some effort you don't come across as completely socially awkward, no one will care that you're from the north. The father of one of my classmates is the DA in a large rural district in South GA (which is the REALLY rural part) and he's from MD. So there's hope for a northerner even in south GA. If you do decide to come here, just be sure you really do want to stay in GA b/c the school can't really help you too much with getting a job in New England. PM me if you need anything else.

[flem]

Rising 2L at UGA here. Being from the north will not be helpful in smaller cities in georgia, but firms in atlanta couldn't really care less

This is 100% credited, so you only have like a 70-80% chance of getting fucked if you don't hit ATL grades.

Also, are you actually comfortable with living in Georgia long term? It's quite a bit different than the north, you know.

[iShotFirst]

As some others have said, there are a few people from New England here and most firms dont care much, at least in the Atlanta area, which is probably the only area you would want to live in anyways, being from up north. It will be hard to convince firms from Augusta or Columbus that you are really into moving there and staying there.

The thing that worries me about your post is that you say you wouldn't mind staying in GA for 5-7 years after graduation, its not going to be easy to go back to New England, especially if you dont get Biglaw. Our degree doesnt get much play outside of GA.

[JamesChapman23]

Stop taking about firm jobs, 85% of the class will not be doing that kind of work (--LinkRemoved--). Even for firm anything outside the very largest firms want local connections.

You will be totally screwed looking at any other kind of job with solid local connections and background. The midwest and south is crazy when it comes to getting these local connection (i have seen firms that post their associate's high school to prove they are a local boy for god's sake).

[Easy-E]

I was given a tuition equalization scholarship from UGA, but am from New England. While I love New England, I wouldn't mind living in Georgia at least in the initial 5-7 years after school. The dirt cheap cost of living appeals to me and even if I miss Big Law, one can live very comfortably in GA making 60-80K. My worry is if I strike out with Big Law, will I be looked at as an outsider because I'm a yankee and black-balled by small/mid law firms? I've had brief input on this before, but kind of looking to expand my knowledge with others' experiences.

do you have a time-machine, and are you planning on applying to firms circa 1875?

sonofabitch I spit coffee on a file I was acting like I was working on.

[BeautifulSW]

FWIW, a young friend of mine graduated from a lower T1 in the Upper Midwest and moved to South Carolina, found a decent job in a more rural area with enough income to service Sallie Mae and still buy the occasional cheeseburger, and tells me that the folks down there might be a bit clannish but once you get known, they treat you pretty much like anyone else.

I lived in Georgia myself many years ago and visited the South just recently. Outwardly, at least, the changes are breathtaking (though I did see the Stars and Bars flying EVERYWHERE. Not the infamous Confederate battle flag that seems to adorn every NASCAR entrant but the CSA national flag. Very pretty banner, too, if you don't think too hard.)

EDIT: I really like Charleston and the Sea Islands but the inland Low Country is also amazing.

SECOND EDIT: And you had better really like the flavor of bacon grease.