Let's talk about Atlanta! Forum

[Anonymous User]

I know KTS and TS are a step or two begin K&S and A&B, but do they stay close salary-wise after the first year? Or are they just so far behind the other two that they don’t even pretend to be peer-like firms

[Anonymous User]

Salary or Bonus-wise, is Arnall (AGG), anywhere close to KS or AB? Are they less of a Sweatshop than KS or AB?

[Anonymous User]

Salary or Bonus-wise, is Arnall (AGG), anywhere close to KS or AB? Are they less of a Sweatshop than KS or AB?

My friend's father worked there for years. They do not pay the same as the others. I don't know salary progression or the current specifics about bonus or salary numbers, but I know they start lower (last I heard it was like 140k starting vs 165k for KS/AB - this could be wrong) and salaries don't get as high. But I have heard the lifestyle is better. If you make partner pay is good but generally won't be up at the level of K&S or AB. That being said, my friend's father made enough that anyone would consider him rich.

[pumpkinspicedchai]

Bump. There was a lot of pre-OCI chatter around this time last year as salary increases were coming in, but the thread has gone pretty dead. Has anyone seen any pre-OCI interview movement or does that happen much in Atlanta? I'm at a mid-T14 with top 10-15% grades and strong local ties with family and spouse's family in North Georgia. Only 2-3 ATL firms are participating in my school's OCI, so I've submitted applications to pretty much every big- and mid-law firm in the city and have only heard back from one so far. Wondering if my experience is consistent with others?

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

[Anonymous User]

Alston is doing pre-oci screeners at least.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

Current clerk eyeing Atlanta here. Thanks a ton for that. Very helpful. Do you know what clerkship bonus would K&S pay for a district court clerkship? What about for district plus COA? And do they give seniority for the full term of a 2-year clerkship or just for 1 year per clerkship regardless?

[broadstreet11]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

It's obscene that the Atlanta firms still get away with this scale. Dallas is at Cravath and is probably more affordable than ATL when considering state income tax.

[SplitMyPants]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

It's obscene that the Atlanta firms still get away with this scale. Dallas is at Cravath and is probably more affordable than ATL when considering state income tax.

Texas has that oil and gas work. You have to be able to bill the associates out at Cravath level rates to justify that scale.

[SplitMyPants]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

Any idea about bonus scale?

[pumpkinspicedchai]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

It's obscene that the Atlanta firms still get away with this scale. Dallas is at Cravath and is probably more affordable than ATL when considering state income tax.

Texas has that oil and gas work. You have to be able to bill the associates out at Cravath level rates to justify that scale.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but I was under the impression that K&S and A&B did bill associates at the same rate across offices. Besides those and Jones Day and Paul Hastings, the other big firms don’t have nearly the national presence, so I doubt the others are billing at market rate.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone share the full associate salary scale for the top ATL firms like A&B and K&S? I'm a mid-level at an NYC firm but considering moving home to Atlanta. Curious how big of a cut I'd take on base.

For K&S:

1: 165
2: 175 (I think?)
3: 185
4: 205
5: 220
6: 240
7: 255
8+: not sure

It's obscene that the Atlanta firms still get away with this scale. Dallas is at Cravath and is probably more affordable than ATL when considering state income tax.

Texas has that oil and gas work. You have to be able to bill the associates out at Cravath level rates to justify that scale.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but I was under the impression that K&S and A&B did bill associates at the same rate across offices. Besides those and Jones Day and Paul Hastings, the other big firms don’t have nearly the national presence, so I doubt the others are billing at market rate.

They may. But that likely just means that A&B NYC is just taking in less from their associates relative to other NYC firms bc I bet they bill them out at Atl rates (and therefore less profit relative to their Atl A&B colleagues). First years and summers at my NYC firm bill out at almost $600/hr. No way in hell A&B Atl is billing out at that rate.

[Anonymous User]

Anybody know if the patent scale is still different from the regular scale?

[Anonymous User]

Anybody know if the patent scale is still different from the regular scale?

As of 2016, when NYC raised to 180k, and Atl moved to 155k, A&B and KS stayed at 160k for patent. Idk what’s happened since and idk what fish and finnegan do. My guess is that they do not, and almost certainly not for pros with how commoditized that has continued to get and how high cravath starting scale has gotten.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know the bonus scale for K&S/A&B? How far off is it from market?

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know the bonus scale for K&S/A&B? How far off is it from market?

I don't know the scale. I can tell you that at K&S, the hours requirement for bonus is 2050. An interesting twist is that for every hour billed above 2050, you get an additional set dollar amount per hour billed (the set amount increases each year). It isn't much to start, but at the senior associate level, I believe the amount is $100 an hour or more. So those hours billed in December feel a little less like lost time.

[Anonymous User]

Does anyone know much about Smith Gambrell & Russell? I don't hear them discussed almost at all, but they seem to be growing, have 110+ attorneys, pay market ($165k), and a former GA Supreme Court Chief Justice is a partner. How does the sophistication of work compare to say Troutman and Eversheds? Do they just have a tiny summer class?

[Anonymous User]

K&S extended offers for pre-OCI callbacks this week.

[GACommLitLaw]

Any thoughts on lateraling to Balch & Bingham as a 2nd year litigation associate? Or thoughts on B&B in general?

[Sprinkler]

Salary or Bonus-wise, is Arnall (AGG), anywhere close to KS or AB? Are they less of a Sweatshop than KS or AB?

Yes, much less of a sweatshop. Work can be slower at times than K or S. Does anyone here have any info on their bonus situation...I understand that it's [much] less than K or A.

[Anonymousez]

Any post-CB movement?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone get an offer post CB from any of the top 5 in ATL yet?

[Anonymous User]

I had CBs at three of them and radio silence from two. Update from JD yesterday saying they were done with callbacks but hadn’t made decisions yet.

[Anonymous User]

Thank you. That's very reassuring. I also had CBs at 3 (though 1 I have yet to attend), and have not heard a peep from any of them.