legal assistant

associate

business development manager

attorney

legal support assistant

Alston & Bird

I spent four months with this law firm in a finance capacity and was forbidden to reach out to clients unless the attorney gave explicit permission in writing or if an account balance is in excess of mandated ceiling; thus, I was never able to work more than 30% of clients assigned to my portfolio while I witnessed the company keep billing hours and reporting on outstanding balances.  Despite these restrictions, I believe I still made significant strides in collecting outstanding invoices but no matter how much money was collected, issues resolved or how productive I was, it seemed impossible to gain the satisfaction of my manager.  

All required verbiage, protocols and terminology mandates were followed (I codified 29 issues, policies and rules which were all adhered to) but I was told “not enough performance improvement” was achieved after one meeting with HR so I was invited to resign with no further discussion.  In my experience, if management doesn’t like you or if you don’t fit into the desired mold, it will be impossible to be successful at this company no matter how well you perform or the positive impact you can show which, in my experience, this company will be completely uninterested in hearing or considering.

I applied for an open position at A&B (Resource Specialist), and had a phone interview with the HR manager, and also took a cultural assessment test, which I was told I passed.  I was so so excited and eager to be interviewed and take their software tests, but unfortunately the whole interview got cancelled by the agency who'd referred me to the job, because I cancelled the appointment I had to go into the agency.  

So because I couldn't meet with the agency on the day I originally planned, I lost out on a great opportunity.  No second chances, no rescheduling even.

I am so disappointed and bumb about it, as I'd heard and read so many wonderful things about A&B.  Not to mention, I currently work part-time temp so it would've been great to finally have a home with a wonderful company again.  

I'm hoping I can still re-apply and be considered for another opportunity at some point in the future.

A typical day involves reviewing documents for discovery purposes.  Some of the cases can be very interesting, but it is hit-or-miss.  There is not a lot of automatic feedback and normally not any substantive training on the doc review platforms.  There is always an initial relatively concise and sometimes efficient case overview provided by the attorneys assigned to the particular case.  Questions regarding the review are normally answered relatively quickly.  Almost everyone on your team will be at least cordial.        

Working in the Healthcare Group was a great experience because of the individuals in the group. 
●	Provided strategic advice and acted as the primary point of contact for external clients on matters pertaining to but not limited to: ongoing legislative and regulatory activity, education on policy trends and opportunities or threats that may impact their mission and businesses, billing, event coordination, scheduling and various administrative operations
●	Performed high volumes of confidential diversified and advanced duties across projects requiring broad and comprehensive experience, skills, and knowledge of organizational policies and practices to ensure timely delivery and receipt of confidential information

A&B is "not" a terrible place to work.  The culture and most of the people are very genuine.  I would definitely recommend this company to others; however, my ultimate reason for leaving was because I was looking for a better salary.  In my opinion, companies benefit in the long run when they promote and pay a better salary to good/loyal employees that work hard and smart.  Company would benefit if they refrain from the politics and favoritism.  Again, overall pleasant place to work.

My typical day would be to report for work, complete any assignments given to me which sometimes consisted of transcribing tapes; making phone calls to update mailing lists; creating file labels and logs to send files to storage; make edits to documents; answering the phones when the receptionist was absent for the day or on lunch break; making copies for the visiting attorneys as needed; and any other tasks or assignments asked of me.

I was hired as an intern and was paid by a temp agency so I was technically not under their staff but, they sure made me feel apart of their team. I was hired to help with their Fortune 100 Best places to work for application by gathering content for a website that is sent over to the Fortune list judges. So the entire time I was here all I did was learn about how good they have it. They are one of the best law firms in the country from all sides.

It of course is still BigLaw and thus comes with many of those considerations/expectations/etc., but from everything I've seen and experienced, it is truly unique in terms of support, culture and transparency. They are deliberate about hiring and generally forthcoming about hiring and promotion processes. Everyone I work with is genuinely great to be around and does their best to be accommodating/understanding when it comes to balancing life and BigLaw.

Alston & Bird has had growing pains during the time I worked there (initially one office in Atlanta and currently a top-ranking international firm), but overall it still maintains a casual and open atmosphere while being respectful and considerate of its employees.  It has the honor of being on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list 20 years in a row due to its team culture and benefits.

A typical day at work - come to work with a positive attitude and nobody is going to bother you
What did I learn - We are customers of each other
Management - A1 type of Management at the top, but department heads, kinda pushy and bossy
Co-workers - Great people and great relations to last a life time
Hardest part of the job - commute
Most enjoyable part of the job - holiday parties

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Legal assistant 1 salary reported	$16.50 per hour
Associate 3 salaries reported	$198,333 per year
Business development manager 1 salary reported	$92,500 per year
Attorney 4 salaries reported	$105,000 per year
Legal support assistant 2 salaries reported	$59,250 per year

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