Let's talk about Atlanta! Forum

[Ruxin1]

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.

I don't think a lot of people realize that prestige in one area does not equal prestige in another area.

[stratocophic]

Tagging this thread for curiosity's sake. My contribution is to say that Atlanta's a monumental pain if you don't go to a school that Atlanta firms ordinarily recruit from.

[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.

Yeah, I'll be doing Emory in NY too...it's going to be a hectic week. Did you fare a lot better in the NY bids? If so, then maybe it was just the ties

[McQueen]

You probably arent allowed to cancel at this point.

We just discussed it and we’ll all be headed south to keep our appointments (we are not interviewing at the same firms). The thinking (more like hope) is that T10 median and southern ties is only a part of the equation. Optimistically, we’ll win them over with northern charm!

[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.

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.

King & Spalding's class is small too? That's kind of scary if A+B is the only firm with a big (20+) person summer class

[Anonymous User]

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.

emory top 20%, journal, tiger+science background here, but i only got KS, two other firms, and a couple of alts. shut out from the other big atl firms fish rich, sutherland, troutman, etc. i'm also not from atlanta but stated in my cover letter that i wanted to stay...i guess it's time for the mass mailing.

[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.

King & Spalding's class is small too? That's kind of scary if A+B is the only firm with a big (20+) person summer class

Yeah. People aren't joking when they say the city's a bloodbath. Check the NALP pages to be certain, but I'm 99% sure no other firm in ATL has a summer class of more than 15. Different firms, different philosophies: not everyone is roaring into the mini-recovery and most of those that are have been playing it extremely cautiously. A&B's Amlaw numbers have been very very good, could be part of the bigger class size but I dunno, they've been big two years in a row now.

[Anonymous User]

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.

This person has something else going for them that you aren't mentioning or you aren't aware of.

[bazinga!]

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.

King & Spalding's class is small too? That's kind of scary if A+B is the only firm with a big (20+) person summer class

nalp has K&S expected class size at 11.

[bazinga!]

a few things i've been pondering. (1) i talked to my career counselor (yes, yes, i know. they're full of it, stupid, whatever) and was told atlanta seems to pick from southern schools only in as much as there is relatively little interest in atlanta from top 5 law schools. NY/CA pick up the bulk of top 5 students with DC/Chi rounding it out. could be school specific, but she told me not to stress about breaking into the southern market. (2) found this thread http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... w=viewpoll where many poasters seem to think grades matter less at southern law firms.

conflicted.

[BruceWayne]

a few things i've been pondering. (1) i talked to my career counselor (yes, yes, i know. they're full of it, stupid, whatever) and was told atlanta seems to pick from southern schools only in as much as there is relatively little interest in atlanta from top 5 law schools. NY/CA pick up the bulk of top 5 students with DC/Chi rounding it out. could be school specific, but she told me not to stress about breaking into the southern market. (2) found this thread http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... w=viewpoll where many poasters seem to think grades matter less at southern law firms.

conflicted.

Honestly, I want to know which CSO this is because frankly they don't know what the hell they're talking about.

First, Atlanta is really pretty heavily desired in general. Yeah kids at HYS aren't breaking down the doors to get to Atlanta but outside of that a substantial number of people want to work there because of the very low COL for such a large global city and the high salaries. Further, for many people who aren't from the South, it's the only place in the South where they are willing to work. As a consequence if they are considering bidding on one Southern market, guess which one it is? The other thing is that for many Black students it's especially attractive because of the huge community of professional blacks---something that makes it very unique in comparison to other major legal markets except maybe DC.

Further, the idea that Atlanta firms view schools as "the top 5" and then everyone else is downright laughable. Look I know TLS started that schtick years ago and it's stuck, but it's rather common knowledge outside of this website that, for the most part, it's HYS and then everyone else in the top 14 (yes top 5 or 6 or whatever is legit for NYC and maybe California but that's about it). Making the top 5 thing even more inapplicable to Atlanta is that Atlanta actually has TWO top 14 schools in it's own market AND a top 20 that is only 4 hours away and is universally recognized as an elite school throughout the region. As much as this website would like you to believe that Atlanta firms are going to the bottom of the class at NYU because it's a "top 5" and shunning UVA students with a similar rank because they aren't at a "top 5"--that's pure unadulterated TLS bullshit. Honestly, that's as bad or worse as saying that Chicago firms are passing up NU students for NYU one's because it's not a "top 5" and I'm sure those familiar with the Chicago market will say that's b/s too.

Talk to people on this site with heavy experience with Atlanta firms and they will tell you that it's a blood bath and that it's very very grade focused. During the boom they took almost anyone from UVA and Duke with ties, but that's changed big time now.

[rad lulz]

I echo what Bruce Wayne said above.

[bazinga!]

a few things i've been pondering. (1) i talked to my career counselor (yes, yes, i know. they're full of it, stupid, whatever) and was told atlanta seems to pick from southern schools only in as much as there is relatively little interest in atlanta from top 5 law schools. NY/CA pick up the bulk of top 5 students with DC/Chi rounding it out. could be school specific, but she told me not to stress about breaking into the southern market. (2) found this thread http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... w=viewpoll where many poasters seem to think grades matter less at southern law firms.

conflicted.

Honestly, I want to know which CSO this is because frankly they don't know what they hell they're talking about.

First, Atlanta is really pretty heavily desired in general. Yeah kids at HYS aren't breaking down the doors to get to Atlanta but outside of that a substantial number of people want to work there because of the very low COL for such a large global city and the high salaries. Further, for many people who aren't from the South, it's the only place where they are willing to work. The other thing is that for many Black students it's especially attractive because of the huge community of professional blacks---something that makes it very unique in comparison to other major legal markets except maybe DC.

Further, the idea that Atlanta firms view schools as "the top 5" and then everyone else is downright laughable. Look I know TLS started that schtick years ago and it's stuck, but it's rather common knowledge outside of this website that, for the most part, it's HYS and then everyone else in the top 14 (yes top 5 or 6 or whatever is legit for NYC and maybe California but that's about it). Making the top 5 thing even more inapplicable to Atlanta is that Atlanta actually has TWO top 14 schools in it's own market AND a top 20 that is only 4 hours away and is universally recognized as an elite school in the region. As much as this website would like you to believe that Atlanta firms are going to the bottom of the class at NYU because it's a "top 5" and shunning UVA students with a similar rank because they aren't at a "top 5"--that's pure unadulterated TLS bullshit. Honestly, that's as bad or worse as saying that Chicago firms are passing up NU students for NYU one's because it's not a "top 5" and I'm sure those familiar with the Chicago market will say that's b/s too.

Talk to people on this site with heavy experience with Atlanta firms and they will tell you that it's a blood bath and that it's very very grade focused. During the boom they took almost anyone from UVA and Duke with ties, but that's changed big time now.

good to know. as an aside, she didn't specifically say "top 5 or bust". She listed a few schools, but I was being lazy. roughly CCNMVP-ish. but ultimately said the south in general enjoys having students from "top" law schools and are willing to dip lower into classes. this is something I hear commonly. i also hear commonly this blood bath scenario so i remain conflicted. ultimately I guess it doesn't matter as each person's experience is unique. but as a general matter, i'm interested in knowing if and how far atl is willing to dip into higher ranked schools, or if ITE they have chosen to play it close to the chest and choose top grades over top schools. again, i realize this is impossible to know for sure.

[BruceWayne]

a few things i've been pondering. (1) i talked to my career counselor (yes, yes, i know. they're full of it, stupid, whatever) and was told atlanta seems to pick from southern schools only in as much as there is relatively little interest in atlanta from top 5 law schools. NY/CA pick up the bulk of top 5 students with DC/Chi rounding it out. could be school specific, but she told me not to stress about breaking into the southern market. (2) found this thread http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... w=viewpoll where many poasters seem to think grades matter less at southern law firms.

conflicted.

Honestly, I want to know which CSO this is because frankly they don't know what they hell they're talking about.

First, Atlanta is really pretty heavily desired in general. Yeah kids at HYS aren't breaking down the doors to get to Atlanta but outside of that a substantial number of people want to work there because of the very low COL for such a large global city and the high salaries. Further, for many people who aren't from the South, it's the only place where they are willing to work. The other thing is that for many Black students it's especially attractive because of the huge community of professional blacks---something that makes it very unique in comparison to other major legal markets except maybe DC.

Further, the idea that Atlanta firms view schools as "the top 5" and then everyone else is downright laughable. Look I know TLS started that schtick years ago and it's stuck, but it's rather common knowledge outside of this website that, for the most part, it's HYS and then everyone else in the top 14 (yes top 5 or 6 or whatever is legit for NYC and maybe California but that's about it). Making the top 5 thing even more inapplicable to Atlanta is that Atlanta actually has TWO top 14 schools in it's own market AND a top 20 that is only 4 hours away and is universally recognized as an elite school in the region. As much as this website would like you to believe that Atlanta firms are going to the bottom of the class at NYU because it's a "top 5" and shunning UVA students with a similar rank because they aren't at a "top 5"--that's pure unadulterated TLS bullshit. Honestly, that's as bad or worse as saying that Chicago firms are passing up NU students for NYU one's because it's not a "top 5" and I'm sure those familiar with the Chicago market will say that's b/s too.

Talk to people on this site with heavy experience with Atlanta firms and they will tell you that it's a blood bath and that it's very very grade focused. During the boom they took almost anyone from UVA and Duke with ties, but that's changed big time now.

good to know. as an aside, she didn't specifically say "top 5 or bust". She listed a few schools, but I was being lazy. roughly CCNMVP-ish. but ultimately said the south in general enjoys having students from "top" law schools and are willing to dip lower into classes. this is something I hear commonly. i also hear commonly this blood bath scenario so i remain conflicted. ultimately I guess it doesn't matter as each person's experience is unique. but as a general matter, i'm interested in knowing if and how far atl is willing to dip into higher ranked schools, or if ITE they have chosen to play it close to the chest and choose top grades over top schools. again, i realize this is impossible to know for sure.

The people in the first group haven't applied to Atlanta firms, the latter group have. Note that I'm not commenting on the bolded as it pertains to other Southern markets--just Atlanta.

Frankly, ITE Atlanta firms are not dipping very far AT ALL into the class at ANY school not named HYS. If you have ties and can interview well, median at UVA/Duke and above MIGHT have a chance.

[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.

Yeah, I'll be doing Emory in NY too...it's going to be a hectic week. Did you fare a lot better in the NY bids? If so, then maybe it was just the ties

I fared about the same. 6 interviews, 2 alts. Really I can't complain about anything. I really want to be in Atlanta though. We'll have to see what happens!

[Anonymous User]

Getting kinda nervous reading all these posts... currently Top 25% at UGA... secondary journal... and summer at an atlanta firm... does that leave me with any chances at Atlanta Big Law??

[Aberzombie1892]

Getting kinda nervous reading all these posts... currently Top 25% at UGA... secondary journal... and summer at an atlanta firm... does that leave me with any chances at Atlanta Big Law??

Since you are on TLS.com, I feel comfortable being a straight shooter with you.

No, barring science PhD or engineering MS.

[Anonymous User]

Getting kinda nervous reading all these posts... currently Top 25% at UGA... secondary journal... and summer at an atlanta firm... does that leave me with any chances at Atlanta Big Law??

I think you'll get a few interviews if you worked hard on your cover letters. I wouldn't expect much from OCI. Work really hard to get on moot court, she takes care of her people.
There are people with your grades in big law this summer. You need to hustle, keep expectations for OCI low, and use your connections. You'll get something for sure, it just may not be what you want.

[rad lulz]

Getting kinda nervous reading all these posts... currently Top 25% at UGA... secondary journal... and summer at an atlanta firm... does that leave me with any chances at Atlanta Big Law??

Chances are very low.

[Anonymous User]

anyone hear anything from mass-mailing?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know the salary for a 1st year assocate at Burr Forman?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone know the salary for a 1st year assocate at Burr Forman?

I was actually JUST trying to find this as well. No luck.

[Anonymous User]

130,000 for Burr Forman

[bazinga!]

anyone hear anything from mass-mailing?

this?

[Anonymous User]

anyone hear anything from mass-mailing?

this?

Top 1/3 at DCNG, here for the summer working and mass mailed about 2 weeks ago. No response from anybody.