Private Equity M&A Attorney

Lateral Link; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 260,000 - 390,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Cravath scale compensation

Client-facing responsibility

Confidential application process

Job summary

A major AmLaw firm in Atlanta is seeking a mid-level associate to join their corporate team focusing on private equity and M&A. The ideal candidate will have 3-6 years of transactional experience, excellent client-facing skills, and the ability to run deals independently. This position offers a competitive salary within the Cravath scale ranging from $260K to $390K, plus bonuses. Candidates should have or be eligible for a Georgia bar admission and will benefit from a collaborative office environment with direct client relationships.

Qualifications

• 3-6 years of M&A and/or private equity transactional experience at a major law firm.
• Experience running deals independently, not just staffing them.
• Eligibility for Georgia bar admission.

Responsibilities

• Conduct buy-side and sell-side M&A for PE sponsors and strategic acquirers.
• Draft and negotiate SPAs, APAs, and related transaction documents.
• Interact directly with sponsors and management teams from diligence through closing.

Skills

M&A transactional experience

Drafting acquisition agreements

Client-facing responsibility

Education

Georgia bar admission or eligibility

Job description

Atlanta's private equity market has quietly become one of the most active in the Southeast — and most of the national firms are still staffing it like an afterthought.

You know this because you're living it. You're a mid-level associate at a solid firm, billing real hours on real transactions, but the deals that land on your desk were sourced somewhere else. The sponsor relationship lives in New York. The lead partner is in Chicago. You're the one drafting the SPA at midnight, but you're not in the room when the deal terms get set, and you're definitely not the one the client calls when something breaks.

You moved to Atlanta — or stayed in Atlanta — because the market is here. The sponsors are here. The middle-market activity is here. You shouldn't need a partner in another city to hand you work that originates two miles from your office.

A major AmLaw firm with a national PE and M&A platform is making a serious investment in its Atlanta corporate team. They're not backfilling a departure. They're building — because the Southeast deal flow justifies it and they want associates who can run with it.

The work includes:

• Buy-side and sell-side M&A for PE sponsors and strategic acquirers
• Platform acquisitions, add-ons, and portfolio company matters
• Drafting and negotiating SPAs, APAs, and related transaction documents
• Direct sponsor and management team interaction from diligence through closing

What you bring:

• 3-6 years of M&A and/or private equity transactional experience at a major law firm
• You've run deals, not just staffed them — you can draft and negotiate acquisition agreements, not just turn comments
• Georgia bar admission or eligibility

What you get:

• An Atlanta office with its own origination and client relationships — not a satellite processing overflow
• The kind of client-facing responsibility that your current firm keeps promising is "a year or two away"
• Cravath scale ($260K-$390K depending on class year) plus bonus

Reach out directly or send your resume confidentially to [e-mail]