By any measure, Powell Goldstein is one of the top firms in the country. We are among the largest full-service firms with the capacity and dedication to handle all of the legal needs of our various clients. As such, we have practice areas ranging from traditional civil litigation and general corporate to specialized labor and employment, health care, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, tax, government relations, employee benefits, energy, real estate and securities practice areas, among many others.

The Firm's size and connections give it an unsurpassed quality and breadth of practice areas. We enjoy many economies of scale, while still keeping a warm and friendly atmosphere. Please see below and the Industries & Practice section of this website to read more about our representative clients and recent deals.

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Powell Goldstein's client list includes Fortune 500 corporations as well as companies in emerging markets.

Our clients include some of the country's top companies, including Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer; the Anaheim Angels; Rollins/Orkin; Mariner Health Care; and Kimberly-Clark.

The Firm also represents some of the nation's leading financial institutions, such as Wachovia and the Bank of America, as well as the premier online bank, NetBank, Inc. and a large number of community banks. Powell Goldstein also serves health care providers nationwide, and American Online is just one of the Firm's many technology and telecommunications clients. Our multinational clients include BIO (the Biotechology Industry Organization) and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

Please see the Industries & Practices section of this website to read more about our representative clients. Read what some of our clients have to say about Powell Goldstein here.

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Attorneys are valued at Powell Goldstein, and not just for the short term. We hire every associate with the ultimate goal of making him or her a partner, in time. Given today's changing legal landscape and the shifts in some firms' partnership criteria, some new lawyers enter the field wondering whether they will need to change firms after a few years in order to eventually become a partner. At Powell Goldstein, there is no need to wonder. You can see our partnership election record by looking at our NALP forms.

In addition, Powell Goldstein recognizes the need for alternative career paths for its lawyers. We have other high-level positions, such as "Counsel" and "Staff Attorney," to provide alternatives to partnership.

Finally, we recognize that, for various reasons, some associates will not wish to stay at Powell Goldstein for the long term. We have a history of placing our attorneys in in-house positions for clients. We also strive to maintain strong relationships with our alumni, as exemplified by our publication of a directory that lists the name and contact information of virtually every firm alumnus and alumna, from the 1950s to the present. The directory, which is updated annually, is distributed to all alumni and current Powell Goldstein attorneys.

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The training opportunities available here are among the very best. What every law school graduate needs are actual lawyering skills. A lawyer's confidence is built on the ability to "do it" as opposed to mere abstract manipulation of legal principles. When you come to work with us, you will quickly learn that our dedication to attorney training is not an idle recruiting promise.

Our associate training program addresses three major areas: legal skills (such as legal writing, legal research and negotiation skills), practice-specific skills addressing the substantive demands of each practice area, and business skills (such as marketing and presentation skills). Our in-house training program is so established that it has a name: "PoGo University."

We want to make sure that you know not only how to do a specific task, but also why you are doing it. As an example for summer associates or new lawyers, the Firm's trial lawyers will explain what a complaint must accomplish, how to put it together and what the purpose is behind the different parts. Litigators are also taught how to answer a complaint, what affirmative defenses mean and when to assert them. Training on the different aspects of discovery (from interrogatories to motions to compel) goes beyond boilerplate and explains strategies and techniques in a lawyer's daily practice context. PoGo University puts all of these skills, and more, into practice, as new attorneys are given a case study and actually perform the various tasks and prepare the various documents they learn about.

The Firm takes training so seriously that it hires outside consultants to conduct hands-on seminars on different nuts-and-bolts aspects of law practice. For example, in the past few years, we have engaged consultants to run training seminars on understanding and evaluating financial statements, trial practice, the taking and defending of depositions, negotiation skills and techniques, legal drafting and advanced corporate finance. Some of these seminars require one or more days of preparation and attendance, and the Firm adjusts the associates' schedules to allow them to participate.

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There is no "typical" Powell Goldstein lawyer. Our attorneys come from more than 100 undergraduate and law schools, from every region of the United States and several other countries, and from a wide variety of ethnic, religious, political and social backgrounds. We consider this breadth of interests, temperaments and talents a strength of the Firm.

Rather than "tolerating" differing views and ideas, we embrace them and use them to benefit our clients. Our commitment to diversity, personal growth and autonomy is evident in the types of activities our lawyers are engaged in both within and outside the Firm. Powell Goldstein is a great place to grow into a complete lawyer and enjoy doing it.

At Powell Goldstein, we know that diversity is much more than gender and ethnicity. In hiring, we focus on respect for every individual and respect for each person's differences.

Everyone at Powell Goldstein strives to develop and take advantage of our diversity, which permits us to serve a broader range of clients more skillfully and creatively, enriching all of our lives in the process. We do this by:

• Fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect, caring and support for all individuals working at the Firm.
• Promoting a better understanding of how individual differences may contribute to the strength of the Firm and its ability to deliver quality legal services to our clients.
• Cultivating an environment in which every person is encouraged and empowered to achieve his or her full potential.

Additionally, we have established a Diversity Committee to focus on these efforts. We are proud that the results of our efforts can be shown by our rankings in national surveys. The 2005 Vault Guide of the top 100 law firms ranked us 2nd in the nation in overall diversity, 2nd in the country for diversity for women, 1st in the country for diversity for minorities and 7th in the country for diversity for gays and lesbians.

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Our work environment is a good home away from home. Attorneys here work hard and thus spend the hours necessary in the office to get the job done. Fortunately, Powell Goldstein is a big firm with a small-firm feel, where people care about people.

You will not find a more open firm. We'll talk to you and let you know what's going on with the Firm. If you have a question, ask - you'll get a straight answer. We all have an open-door policy. Everyone is on a first-name basis.

In addition, you will be supported by an able staff that looks forward to helping you. You will experience this enthusiasm immediately from paralegals, members of the library staff, word processing personnel, the human resources department and other support team members, who are committed to making you successful. We regard our staff as vital members of our client-service team, and will expect you to do the same.

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The Firm is managed by a Board of Partners, a Chairman and an Executive Committee, along with its administrative directors and managers. Associates are encouraged to play an active role in their practice groups -- to help develop group marketing plans and to assist in the professional development and management of the practice.

Associates are routinely asked to serve on the committees that directly impact associate life. Whether it is the Associates Committee, Training Committee, Hiring Committee, Diversity Committee, Pro Bono Committee or others, each group affects an associate's experience and requires associate representation.

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Although the Atlanta office is older and houses most of the administrative functions, its partnership with the Washington, Dallas and Charlotte offices is truly symbiotic. Attorneys at all offices often work on cases and deals together and often market clients jointly, offering a range of services that only a truly national firm can offer. Lawyers from all offices attend partners' and associates' retreats as well as other Firm-wide events throughout the year.

No Powell Goldstein lawyer has ever been required to relocate to any other office. Conversely, we strive to accommodate those attorneys who may wish voluntarily to transfer from one office to another. For example, a recent summer associate in our Atlanta office decided she preferred to live in Washington, and she signed on as an associate in our D.C. office.

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Our Associates' Committee is one example of our commitment. The committee is composed of associates at various levels, plus partners and members of the Professional Development Department. It is designed to hear and address the concerns of our associate group in a fair and democratic manner. Recently, the Associates Committee has tackled the issues of compensation, retreat planning and alternative work schedules.

Another demonstration of our commitment is the formation of our Professional Development Department in the late 1990s. Powell Goldstein was one of the first firms ever to create an entire staff devoted solely to the needs of associates in their continuous evolution as professionals. The department is involved in all aspects of our associates' professional lives, from the first interview to first-day orientation through associate evaluations and partnership eligibility. The staff acts as a resource for all associates, whether the issues they raise are large or small.

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Powell Goldstein is committed to community service and believes that every successful lawyer should be involved in the community. From the very beginning of your career at Powell Goldstein, you will be encouraged to nurture relationships with business and personal acquaintances for your own personal and professional development.

We encourage our lawyers to become involved in pro bono and civic activities. Powell Goldstein lawyers serve on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs, Legal Aid, the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyer Foundation, Junior Achievement, the Atlanta Ballet, the American Heart Association, the Special Olympics, Central Atlanta Progress and local Rotary Clubs and botanical gardens, among other civic organizations. For example, some of Powell Goldstein's litigation partners recently volunteered to provide an extensive training program for Legal Aid's new lawyers.

We believe community service contributes to your progress at the Firm and your advancement in the profession and permits you to become involved (or remain involved) in matters of personal and general interest. The Firm has sponsored and participated in group activities, such as building Habitat for Humanity houses, assisting Miriam's Kitchen with their breakfast program and participating in an annual AIDS walk.

The Firm established a fellowship with Atlanta Legal Aid in 2002 to demonstrate its continued support of pro bono work. This fellowship is awarded to an incoming associate who has demonstrated a commitment to pro bono and community service. Fellows spend six months working at Atlanta Legal Aid on a variety of matters ranging from education law to landlord/tenant disputes.

Powell Goldstein has established a Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year Award that is given annually to the attorney who best exemplifies a commitment to professional excellence in the delivery of pro bono legal services and community service. The award is given to an attorney in each office, and a cash contribution is made in the attorney's name to the charity of his or her choice.

The Firm also encourages attorneys to participate in bar association and other professional activities. For example, in addition to regular, practice-related bar activities, Powell Goldstein lawyers have accepted prominent positions as presidents of state and local bar associations and chairpersons of countless bar committees.

We record and credit pro bono service hours because they contribute to your progress in the Firm and your advancement in the profession. Upon reaching the Firm's 1900 billable hour requirement, up to 50 hours of credit for approved pro bono work will count as billable time, and, accordingly, will apply toward the billable-hour requirement of the hours-based bonus.

Moreover, pro bono and community service is yet another way of permitting individual lawyers to become involved (or remain involved) in matters of personal and general interest. Ample opportunities exist to participate in a wide variety of programs such as Everybody Wins!, an elementary literacy program; the Saturday Lawyer Program that helps indigent people; death penalty work for inmates; public school truancy projects; Hands on Atlanta; and activities for local arts organizations, among many others.

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In an effort to attract and retain the best legal talent available, the Firm has developed a comprehensive associate compensation package designed to provide associates with a predictable base compensation and significant incentives for outstanding performance. Powell Goldstein's overall associate compensation package is competitive with those of our peer law firms. The Firm expects, of course, that associates will strive to perform at or near their peak level and recognizes that the measure of outstanding performance involves more than just a tally of billable hours. As such, the Firm anticipates that each associate will contribute to the Firm, to our communities and to the legal profession in a variety of ways.

We ask that each associate bill 1900 hours a year, and we have implemented bonus systems to reward extraordinary effort and individual achievement over both the short and long term. In that same vein, we also have adopted a merit-based compensation structure for associates that provides them with the potential to earn the compensation levels of associates in the class at one level above their own class.

Members of the Associates Committee conduct biannual formal reviews of all associates that not only evaluate past performance, but also highlight specific areas for future development. As part of the review process, along with the feedback provided by supervising partners, associates are asked to assess their own performance and accomplishments, emphasizing their progress in engaging in billable, pro-bono and other firm-related matters.

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