FluffMonster wrote:Omerta wrote:
Yup, Atlanta doesn't really compete for people with NYC. Like I said earlier, they're such different markets that people tend to self-select into one or the other. I don't remember many people at my school saying yeah I'd be ok with a job in NYC or ATL. Instead, people tended to be gung ho one way or the other.
My experiences have been the other way around. There are a lot of people not from GA but from the south who have ATL on their radar but are undecided between it and DC or NY. I think even those from the ATL area would be swayed by that much money to go live in NY for 4 years. Personally, I love Atlanta and I can't see myself living in NY, but 55k/yr definitely plays a role in my decision, especially when NY is only temporary.
That's interesting; I didn't really see that dynamic when I was at Emory. edit: to be clear, I'm not saying you're wrong, just that when I was going through OCI, my classmates were either all about NY or decidedly not into NY. I remember some people waffling between DC and ATL but can't really anyone torn between ATL and NYC.
BruceWayne wrote:In terms of the COL thing: yes 55k In loans is the same in NYC as it is in Atlanta. But $1100 in rent vs. $3K in rent makes the $55k feel a hell of a lot different.
Yeah, I mean the argument is always there that you could live absolutely bare bones in NY and pocket the difference, which some people are capable of doing, but I think most people--particularly those on the biglaw grind--end up spending more out of necessity (ordering food rather than cooking, etc.) and to maintain their sanity.
Anonymous User wrote:Any speculation or rumors on what effect the McKenna / Dentons merger will have on Atlanta summer classes / base salary / lateral hiring?
Minimal. Hiring will go up if Dentons' clients use McKenna instead of former counsel for SE projects. Otherwise, I don't see much change. The real difference is going to be where the firm is heading. McKenna was sort of at a crossroad where it had to decide whether it was going to be a national/international firm or a strong regional firm. It chose the former, which I'm not sure was the greatest idea given the market dynamics, but we'll see whether the merger made sense.
If McKenna ends up raising salary, it won't be for a while. One of the big points during the merger is that McKenna wouldn't be obligated to raise its rates (Dentons allows for regional variation). I don't see any serious departure from business as usual until the firm gets integrated/comfortable with the merger.