Let's talk about Atlanta! Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm the original quoted OP. Good to know my grades are competitive. Any firms I have a better shot at than others?

[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.

I am not sure who you know, but there are no Vandy 2Ls at K&S this summer.

[Anonymous User]

median at CCN checking in. from GA but haven't lived there since graduating high school, went to undergrad at a non-prestigous school in the "south" (not deep south). are people generally hedging bets with NY firms? i'm trying to figure out whether to bid at OCI on a firm's NY office I'm mass mailing for ATL (i.e. Sutherland, Bryan Cave). Thoughts? does it look disingenuous or show interest in the firm?

[BruceWayne]

median at CCN checking in. from GA but haven't lived there since graduating high school, went to undergrad at a non-prestigous school in the "south" (not deep south). are people generally hedging bets with NY firms? i'm trying to figure out whether to bid at OCI on a firm's NY office I'm mass mailing for ATL (i.e. Sutherland, Bryan Cave). Thoughts? does it look disingenuous or show interest in the firm?

Not to scare you but median at CCN is not a good place to be for Atlanta. The Vandy girl has a better shot than you. Atlanta is very very grade focused. More than they are school focused (unless it's HYS).

K&S and Alston will be very difficult. Troutman and Mckenna are probably your best bet. Honestly, I would hope for the best but plan for NYC biglaw.

[Anonymous User]

median at CCN checking in. from GA but haven't lived there since graduating high school, went to undergrad at a non-prestigous school in the "south" (not deep south). are people generally hedging bets with NY firms? i'm trying to figure out whether to bid at OCI on a firm's NY office I'm mass mailing for ATL (i.e. Sutherland, Bryan Cave). Thoughts? does it look disingenuous or show interest in the firm?

Not to scare you but median at CCN is not a good place to be for Atlanta. The Vandy girl has a better shot than you. Atlanta is very very grade focused. More than they are school focused (unless it's HYS).

K&S and Alston will be very difficult. Troutman and Mckenna are probably your best bet. Honestly, I would hope for the best but plan for NYC biglaw.

Idk about this.. granted, I am at HYS but I know people with only 1H, all P grades, and even an LP (all well below median) that have gotten ATL at all ranges of firms the last couple of years with ties. I just can't imagine CCN being that far away from HYS. Median at CCN isn't getting turned down in Atlanta because of grades. Not saying he is certain to get a job with how small classes are but from what I know I doubt he is out of the running for any of the major ATL firms (not including Paul Hastings) solely because of grades.

[BruceWayne]

median at CCN checking in. from GA but haven't lived there since graduating high school, went to undergrad at a non-prestigous school in the "south" (not deep south). are people generally hedging bets with NY firms? i'm trying to figure out whether to bid at OCI on a firm's NY office I'm mass mailing for ATL (i.e. Sutherland, Bryan Cave). Thoughts? does it look disingenuous or show interest in the firm?

Not to scare you but median at CCN is not a good place to be for Atlanta. The Vandy girl has a better shot than you. Atlanta is very very grade focused. More than they are school focused (unless it's HYS).

K&S and Alston will be very difficult. Troutman and Mckenna are probably your best bet. Honestly, I would hope for the best but plan for NYC biglaw.

Idk about this.. granted, I am at HYS but I know people with only 1H, all P grades, and even an LP (all well below median) that have gotten ATL at all ranges of firms the last couple of years with ties. I just can't imagine CCN being that far away from HYS. Median at CCN isn't getting turned down in Atlanta because of grades. Not saying he is certain to get a job with how small classes are but from what I know I doubt he is out of the running for any of the major ATL firms (not including Paul Hastings) solely because of grades.

The difference between HYS, in ANY market, and CCN is HUGE. Frankly it's the biggest difference within the top 14; and probably the only significant one outside of CCN's advantage in NYC (outside of, obviously Chicago in UChi). It's surprising how many people really don't realize that the whole idea of "CCN" is more or less something patented on this website and only, for the most part, applicable to NYC.

The other thing about your comment that intrigues me is that you probably wouldn't say "median grades at UVA isn't getting turned down in Atlanta because of grades". Because anyone familiar with that market knows that UVA is no different than CCN for Atlanta. Just like median at UVA is not a good place to be for Atlanta big law (although it's possible) it's not a good place at CCN either. Atlanta is a very very grade focused market.

Your Harvard example just isn't a good comparison. Harvard + any secondary market + ties to that market= firm job period (really probably even a top firm). Non NYC firms view Harvard in an entirely different light than CCN. Hell NYC one's probably do for the most part.

[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.

I am not sure who you know, but there are no Vandy 2Ls at K&S this summer.

There actually is one at K&S DC whose GPA is comparable, but regardless, I know someone who had an offer at K&S ATL, so I know what kind of stats they like in the ATL office.. A 3.55 out of Vandy with no connections to ATL is more than enough.

[McQueen]

1L/ T-10 with median grades. I signed up for the Atlanta Fair as did two friends (roadtrip!!). Since then I received 25 OCI interviews and I now believe the overnight trip to Atlanta (to visit 3 top ATL firms) is probably not worth the time. My friends disagree, mainly citing ITE reasons and the interviewing experience.

The point of all this is to ask, how tough is it to get into Atlanta these days? Seems like Emory, UG, GS, Mercer, Duke, Vir, etc. etc., would make the trip a real long shot. None of us are better than median (and for one friend that might be slightly stretching it). I also wonder if Atlanta firms interview many from NE schools.

BTW: My diversity is pretty slim ‒ one grandparent was Latino. My sister lives in Savannah (not exactly a stellar tie) but we are close.

[BruceWayne]

1L/ T-10 with median grades. I signed up for the Atlanta Fair as did two friends (roadtrip!!). Since then I received 25 OCI interviews and I now believe the overnight trip to Atlanta (to visit 3 top ATL firms) is probably not worth the time. My friends disagree, mainly citing ITE reasons and the interviewing experience.

The point of all this is to ask, how tough is it to get into Atlanta these days? Seems like Emory, UG, GS, Mercer, Duke, Vir, etc. etc., would make the trip a real long shot. None of us are better than median (and for one friend that might be slightly stretching it). I also wonder if Atlanta firms interview many from NE schools.

BTW: My diversity is pretty slim ‒ one grandparent was Latino. My sister lives in Savannah (not exactly a stellar tie) but we are close.

It's one of the hardest markets in the entire country.

[McQueen]

1L/ T-10 with median grades. I signed up for the Atlanta Fair as did two friends (roadtrip!!). Since then I received 25 OCI interviews and I now believe the overnight trip to Atlanta (to visit 3 top ATL firms) is probably not worth the time. My friends disagree, mainly citing ITE reasons and the interviewing experience.

The point of all this is to ask, how tough is it to get into Atlanta these days? Seems like Emory, UG, GS, Mercer, Duke, Vir, etc. etc., would make the trip a real long shot. None of us are better than median (and for one friend that might be slightly stretching it). I also wonder if Atlanta firms interview many from NE schools.

BTW: My diversity is pretty slim ‒ one grandparent was Latino. My sister lives in Savannah (not exactly a stellar tie) but we are close.

It's one of the hardest markets in the entire country.

Oh yeah, then there's that! I am a heartbeat away from cancelling.

I keep reading about "hardest markets," are there any not hardest markets?

[BruceWayne]

Oh yeah, then there's that! I am a heartbeat away from cancelling.

I keep reading about "hardest markets," are there any not hardest markets?

NYC is the closest thing. Although it's not as easy as people make it out to be.

[de5igual]

1L/ T-10 with median grades. I signed up for the Atlanta Fair as did two friends (roadtrip!!). Since then I received 25 OCI interviews and I now believe the overnight trip to Atlanta (to visit 3 top ATL firms) is probably not worth the time. My friends disagree, mainly citing ITE reasons and the interviewing experience.

The point of all this is to ask, how tough is it to get into Atlanta these days? Seems like Emory, UG, GS, Mercer, Duke, Vir, etc. etc., would make the trip a real long shot. None of us are better than median (and for one friend that might be slightly stretching it). I also wonder if Atlanta firms interview many from NE schools.

BTW: My diversity is pretty slim ‒ one grandparent was Latino. My sister lives in Savannah (not exactly a stellar tie) but we are close.

It's one of the hardest markets in the entire country.

Oh yeah, then there's that! I am a heartbeat away from cancelling.

I keep reading about "hardest markets," are there any not hardest markets?

if you've got nothing else going on during those days, you might as well, especially since you get a roadtrip with some buddies out of it. worst case scenario, you get some interview experience pre-OCI. but yeah, T-10 with no ties probably won't get anything considering that ATL requires top grades even from southern T14s with ties.

[nmcdgt]

Anyone have an idea of what the summer class sizes are going to look like for 2013? Specifically K&S, A+B, Troutman, Kilpatrick, McKenna, Sutherland, etc.

[Anonymous User]

Still no idea what the employers are really looking for. Top 15% at Emory (with ties) got me interviews with K&S, A+B, Paul Hastings, Sutherland, and Arnall Golden Gregory but nothing at McKenna, Troutman, Kilpatrick, and some of the smaller firms. I would have guessed it would have turned out the opposite way 99 times out of 100

[Anonymous User]

also at emory. did anyone get a bondurant interview? not that i was expecting one, i'm just curious.

top 15 pct, 5 interviews and 2 alts, in case anyone wanted to know.

[Anonymous User]

Still no idea what the employers are really looking for. Top 15% at Emory (with ties) got me interviews with K&S, A+B, Paul Hastings, Sutherland, and Arnall Golden Gregory but nothing at McKenna, Troutman, Kilpatrick, and some of the smaller firms. I would have guessed it would have turned out the opposite way 99 times out of 100

Also have no idea what employers are looking for. Top 25% with LR got me 3 interviews (including K&S) and no alts... Got more interviews from Emory in NY. Pretty disappointing as I want to stay in Atlanta.

[Anonymous User]

also at emory. did anyone get a bondurant interview? not that i was expecting one, i'm just curious.

top 15 pct, 5 interviews and 2 alts, in case anyone wanted to know.

Original anon poster here. I got an alternate spot with Bondurant, which is honestly better than I was expecting. Were you on a journal?

Also have no idea what employers are looking for. Top 25% with LR got me 3 interviews (including K&S) and no alts... Got more interviews from Emory in NY. Pretty disappointing as I want to stay in Atlanta.

Three interviews with LR? That really surprises me. Did either of you guys have ties to ATL? I was top 15% with a secondary journal, plus lifelong ties, and got 15 interviews and 3 alternates. And TBF the rest of my resume isn't anything out of this world . . . solid undergrad and some internships but that's about it.

[Anonymous User]

i'm the anon who asked about bondurant.

not on a journal.

i think you and i are generally equals apart from the fact that you have journal and lifelong ties to atl which probably got you interviews with some of the midsize firms that rejected me right out, even though i would say i've got healthy ties to the area. i'm not super upset with how things went for me, i got a couple firms i wasn't expecting and lost a couple i wasn't expecting to lose. considering i'm also doing nyc, i'll have enough interviews to prepare for.

[Anonymous User]

median at CCN checking in. from GA but haven't lived there since graduating high school, went to undergrad at a non-prestigous school in the "south" (not deep south). are people generally hedging bets with NY firms? i'm trying to figure out whether to bid at OCI on a firm's NY office I'm mass mailing for ATL (i.e. Sutherland, Bryan Cave). Thoughts? does it look disingenuous or show interest in the firm?

Not to scare you but median at CCN is not a good place to be for Atlanta. The Vandy girl has a better shot than you. Atlanta is very very grade focused. More than they are school focused (unless it's HYS).

K&S and Alston will be very difficult. Troutman and Mckenna are probably your best bet. Honestly, I would hope for the best but plan for NYC biglaw.

i'm not sure about this either. I know a bottom third, no ties CCN at A&B/K&S (won't out which) and s/he said s/he got offers from both no trouble. I've heard ATL is prestige whorish > grade whorish.

[bazinga!]

tag.

[AllTheLawz]

Still no idea what the employers are really looking for. Top 15% at Emory (with ties) got me interviews with K&S, A+B, Paul Hastings, Sutherland, and Arnall Golden Gregory but nothing at McKenna, Troutman, Kilpatrick, and some of the smaller firms. I would have guessed it would have turned out the opposite way 99 times out of 100

I emailed them materials weeks ago and haven't heard a peep.. looks like I should expect to.

[Anonymous User]

also at emory. did anyone get a bondurant interview? not that i was expecting one, i'm just curious.

top 15 pct, 5 interviews and 2 alts, in case anyone wanted to know.

Original anon poster here. I got an alternate spot with Bondurant, which is honestly better than I was expecting. Were you on a journal?

Also have no idea what employers are looking for. Top 25% with LR got me 3 interviews (including K&S) and no alts... Got more interviews from Emory in NY. Pretty disappointing as I want to stay in Atlanta.

Three interviews with LR? That really surprises me. Did either of you guys have ties to ATL? I was top 15% with a secondary journal, plus lifelong ties, and got 15 interviews and 3 alternates. And TBF the rest of my resume isn't anything out of this world . . . solid undergrad and some internships but that's about it.

Yea I'm surprised too. I have decent ties to Atlanta but definitely not lifelong ties. I really thought LR would have counted for something, but it looks like grades win the day.

[McQueen]

After reading the responses, I am still confounded about whether to attend. The firms (all major ones) that accepted are aware that my T10 grades are median-ish. Since these firms are undoubtedly flooded with applications and their interview process is time consuming, why would they accept my bid?

[eandy]

1L/ T-10 with median grades. I signed up for the Atlanta Fair as did two friends (roadtrip!!). Since then I received 25 OCI interviews and I now believe the overnight trip to Atlanta (to visit 3 top ATL firms) is probably not worth the time. My friends disagree, mainly citing ITE reasons and the interviewing experience.

The point of all this is to ask, how tough is it to get into Atlanta these days? Seems like Emory, UG, GS, Mercer, Duke, Vir, etc. etc., would make the trip a real long shot. None of us are better than median (and for one friend that might be slightly stretching it). I also wonder if Atlanta firms interview many from NE schools.

BTW: My diversity is pretty slim ‒ one grandparent was Latino. My sister lives in Savannah (not exactly a stellar tie) but we are close.

It's one of the hardest markets in the entire country.

Oh yeah, then there's that! I am a heartbeat away from cancelling.

I keep reading about "hardest markets," are there any not hardest markets?

You probably arent allowed to cancel at this point.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have an idea of what the summer class sizes are going to look like for 2013? Specifically K&S, A+B, Troutman, Kilpatrick, McKenna, Sutherland, etc.

Alston had (IIRC) 26 2Ls and 4 1Ls this summer. They've got the biggest ATL class by far, but they've also got the biggest ATL office by far - I think the others generally have ~10 or less. I haven't heard anything that would cause me to believe that those ranges will change by more than 4 or 5 people for any one firm.

median at CCN checking in. from GA but haven't lived there since graduating high school, went to undergrad at a non-prestigous school in the "south" (not deep south). are people generally hedging bets with NY firms? i'm trying to figure out whether to bid at OCI on a firm's NY office I'm mass mailing for ATL (i.e. Sutherland, Bryan Cave). Thoughts? does it look disingenuous or show interest in the firm?

Not to scare you but median at CCN is not a good place to be for Atlanta. The Vandy girl has a better shot than you. Atlanta is very very grade focused. More than they are school focused (unless it's HYS).

K&S and Alston will be very difficult. Troutman and Mckenna are probably your best bet. Honestly, I would hope for the best but plan for NYC biglaw.

i'm not sure about this either. I know a bottom third, no ties CCN at A&B/K&S (won't out which) and s/he said s/he got offers from both no trouble. I've heard ATL is prestige whorish > grade whorish.

Sounds like we know the same person. I'd agree that ATL firms are more inclined to be prestige whores than grade whores, I had a total of three interviews in ATL with baller grades from an Emory peer. Remember though kids, one interview is all it takes so take them seriously.