Let's talk about Atlanta! Forum

[terrybhs06]

Hi guys, I'm the OP. Atlanta was a fucking wasteland last year and I was unable to get a SA spot there. Fortunately, I did in another city. For all those trying, I can't stress enough to plan on not getting a spot in ATL and also concentrating heavily on home markets and NY.

This. Fucking wasteland.

Im shocked people are so pessimistic. Maybe it varies wildly by school because I have middle third grades at a HYS and a decent resume (corporate leaning) but recruiters/legal staffing consultants, who shouldn't be biased, are making it seem like ATL is clamoring for students from top schools regardless of grades.

LOL going to the best law school in the entire country might have something to do with ATL not being that hard.

ehh this economy is real.. somewhere around 10% of our class will probably end up without really desirable employment and it definitely isn't just "the bottom 10%" like most believe. Since a significant number of people do get market paying, or close to market, non-biglaw employment the numbers aren't as bad as the typical focus on biglaw shows. Still its not as rosy as 2006 when just about everyone who wanted biglaw got it.

[Anonymous User]

from what i understand from people who have been through it (and i'll tell you if it's true after this year when i go through it), you're not going to find success in atlanta unless you've got two things:

1. top grades, on a sliding scale based on the prestige of your school, and
2. ties or a visible commitment to atlanta.

the firms don't want to invest their time and resources in you if it's new york you want in the end. even if you have 1. and 2., it isn't guaranteed that an atl firm will snap you up, but it certainly puts you in the game. and 1. and 2. are very good rubrics for eliminating large swaths of applicants. i guess that's why atl seems like such a "don't bother" type of place. and again, even if you merit consideration based on 1. and 2., nothing is guaranteed. so cast a wide net, they say.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone comment on how GSU did last year? What kind of firms did top 5% get?

[Anonymous User]

Having ties to Atlanta isn't that big of a deal in comparison to other Southern/secondary markets if you're talking about Alston and King and Spalding. They both rather have someone with sky high grades with no ties to Atlanta than someone born and bred in the peach state with average or worse grades. A person with a 3.8 at UVA who wants to work in Atlanta who isn't from the South will hae far more success there than someone from Georgia with a 3.2.

[rad lulz]

Having ties to Atlanta isn't that big of a deal in comparison to other Southern/secondary markets if you're talking about Alston and King and Spalding. They both rather have someone with sky high grades with no ties to Atlanta than someone born and bred in the peach state with average or worse grades. A person with a 3.8 at UVA who wants to work in Atlanta who isn't from the South will hae far more success there than someone from Georgia with a 3.2.

Not just those two firms either. Last year they took the top of the class at Southern schools. And I mean top. I know two guys, minority but not URM, top third at Texas and Vandy who both struck out in Atlanta but received offers elsewhere. Both were Southerners with solid ATL ties. It's a slaughterhouse.

[eandy]

Having ties to Atlanta isn't that big of a deal in comparison to other Southern/secondary markets if you're talking about Alston and King and Spalding. They both rather have someone with sky high grades with no ties to Atlanta than someone born and bred in the peach state with average or worse grades. A person with a 3.8 at UVA who wants to work in Atlanta who isn't from the South will hae far more success there than someone from Georgia with a 3.2.

Congratulations for pointing out the obvious. I don't think anyone has ever made the argument that average UGA grades with ties can even compete high UVA grades. Average grades aren't getting any kind of big law in Atlanta, so that's an irrelevant comparison. But when you have two 3.8s, ties will become an issue.

[Anonymous User]

quote="eandy"]

Having ties to Atlanta isn't that big of a deal in comparison to other Southern/secondary markets if you're talking about Alston and King and Spalding. They both rather have someone with sky high grades with no ties to Atlanta than someone born and bred in the peach state with average or worse grades. A person with a 3.8 at UVA who wants to work in Atlanta who isn't from the South will hae far more success there than someone from Georgia with a 3.2.

Congratulations for pointing out the obvious. I don't think anyone has ever made the argument that average UGA grades with ties can even compete high UVA grades. Average grades aren't getting any kind of big law in Atlanta, so that's an irrelevant comparison. But when you have two 3.8s, ties will become an issue

LOL you completely misunderstood my post--although I can undertand how because of the wording. What I'm saying is that Atlanta firms would prefer someone who is NOT from the state of Georgia or the South at all who has high grades at UVA, over a person from Georgia (and who even attended college there) who attends UVA and has a 3.3 or below.

Not just those two firms either. Last year they took the top of the class at Southern schools. And I mean top. I know two guys, minority but not URM, top third at Texas and Vandy who both struck out in Atlanta but received offers elsewhere. Both were Southerners with solid ATL ties. It's a slaughterhouse.

I know it's absurd. I honestly think that Atlanta is the most grade conscious market along with DC.

[eandy]

I definitely misunderstood what you were saying, which explains why it made no sense.

[Anonymous User]

I'm curious about the reputation of Morris, Manning, and Martin. Anyone have any input? Unfortunately they aren't on NALP.

Specifically curious about salary, firm culture, strongest practice areas.

[eandy]

I'm curious about the reputation of Morris, Manning, and Martin. Anyone have any input? Unfortunately they aren't on NALP.

Specifically curious about salary, firm culture, strongest practice areas.

They only do recruitment through word of mouth. Find some alums from your school.

[Anonymous User]

Morris, Manning & Martin canceled their entire summer program at the end of summer 2010, and no offered everyone who had summered there that year. Sign me up!

[gavinstevens]

Morris, Manning & Martin canceled their entire summer program at the end of summer 2010, and no offered everyone who had summered there that year. Sign me up!

Good to know.

[Anonymous User]

As a transfer to Emory, what should my plan of attack be? Will any of these firms look at me at OCI? Should I start mailing now?

Stats: Top couple people at a T3/T4

[Anonymous User]

As a transfer to Emory, what should my plan of attack be? Will any of these firms look at me at OCI? Should I start mailing now?

Stats: Top couple people at a T3/T4

For your sake I hope you're talking about Mercer, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane etc.

[Anonymous User]

As a transfer to Emory, what should my plan of attack be? Will any of these firms look at me at OCI? Should I start mailing now?

Stats: Top couple people at a T3/T4

For your sake I hope you're talking about Mercer, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane etc.

I am, if the thing unifying these schools is that they're in the Southeast.

[heeloftar]

.

[Anonymous User]

What if I had connections to Atlanta, but grades at or below median? Biglaw's out, obviously. I don't have much PI experience because I'm with a state judge this summer. So what are my ATL options? It looks like most people in this thread were looking at big law firms.

[Anonymous User]

Don't know exactly how this lines up with previous years but all but one of the 10 or so Atlanta firms coming to Harvard EIP(our version of OCI) have 20 interview slots, the minimum number of interview slots they could pay for. This might indicate that ATL biglaw classes are going to be super small... or could be that they dont plan on getting much interest at Harvard.

[Anonymous User]

Don't know exactly how this lines up with previous years but all but one of the 10 or so Atlanta firms coming to Harvard EIP(our version of OCI) have 20 interview slots, the minimum number of interview slots they could pay for. This might indicate that ATL biglaw classes are going to be super small... or could be that they dont plan on getting much interest at Harvard.

I wouldn't read too much into that. Only about 9 or 10 firms have summer classes large enough to justify applying to. I think the already small classes, combined with anticipated interest at Harvard, means that the 20 interview slot deal doesn't mean much.

[Anonymous User]

Had meeting with a well-regarded/well-connected atlanta legal staffing agency. Said to expect around the same number of SAs as last year... meaning pitiful classes. Identified Paul Hastings as probably the most grade selective of the big law firms with the rest of the big boys being pretty similar in selectivity (this particular part was related to a discussion of my own grades/school so not 100% what it means across the board). Implied that people without legit ties will be at an extreme disadvantage at most ATL firms even with good grades.

[Anonymous User]

how crucial are ties??? i'm a 3.55 at vandy and my ties consist of aunts/uncles/cousins in the area and one side of the family being from the area. went to undergrad in the south.

which firms should i target for OCI and mass mailing?

[rad lulz]

how crucial are ties??? i'm a 3.55 at vandy and my ties consist of aunts/uncles/cousins in the area and one side of the family being from the area. went to undergrad in the south.

which firms should i target for OCI and mass mailing?

Mass mail all the firms not at your OCI. HTH.

[BruceWayne]

how crucial are ties??? i'm a 3.55 at vandy and my ties consist of aunts/uncles/cousins in the area and one side of the family being from the area. went to undergrad in the south.

which firms should i target for OCI and mass mailing?

Honestly for Atlanta, ties just aren't that big of a deal. Going to Vandy in and of itself was probably enough. The bigger issue is your grades. Where does a 3.55 put you at Vandy? Are you on law review? If that's top 10 percent you may have a shot at Alston and King and Spalding. If not I would focus on Troutman, Sutherland, and Mckenna. But they're all very selective.

[rad lulz]

how crucial are ties??? i'm a 3.55 at vandy and my ties consist of aunts/uncles/cousins in the area and one side of the family being from the area. went to undergrad in the south.

which firms should i target for OCI and mass mailing?

Honestly for Atlanta, ties just aren't that big of a deal. Going to Vandy in and of itself was probably enough. The bigger issue is your grades. Where does a 3.55 put you at Vandy? Are you on law review? If that's top 10 percent you may have a shot at Alston and King and Spalding. If not I would focus on Troutman, Sutherland, and Mckenna. But they're all very selective.

It's top 20% or so.

[Anonymous User]

(S)he definitely has a shot at both. I am from Vandy and I know Vandy 2Ls at both K&S and A&B that have similar grades and weaker connections.

how crucial are ties??? i'm a 3.55 at vandy and my ties consist of aunts/uncles/cousins in the area and one side of the family being from the area. went to undergrad in the south.

which firms should i target for OCI and mass mailing?

Honestly for Atlanta, ties just aren't that big of a deal. Going to Vandy in and of itself was probably enough. The bigger issue is your grades. Where does a 3.55 put you at Vandy? Are you on law review? If that's top 10 percent you may have a shot at Alston and King and Spalding. If not I would focus on Troutman, Sutherland, and Mckenna. But they're all very selective.