Law and Motion Associate (California)

Job Description

Job Description

About the Role

This is a writing-focused associate seat on the law and motion and appellate team at a well-established national civil litigation defense firm with more than 170 attorneys across multiple offices. Rather than being siloed into a single practice area, you will draft motions, oppositions, and briefs across all 35 of the firm's practice areas, giving you unusually broad exposure to substantive California civil law. The billable hour target is 1,920 hours per year.

The ideal candidate has 2 to 10 years of civil litigation defense experience, a genuine passion for legal writing and research, and active California State Bar membership in good standing. You are someone who thrives on complex issue-spotting, takes pride in the quality of your written work product, and wants to grow your craft inside a collaborative team that treats law and motion as a core strategic function, not a support role.

Key Responsibilities

1. Draft pretrial motions and oppositions, including pleading-related, discovery, and dispositive motions across multiple practice areas
2. Prepare trial documents such as motions in limine, trial briefs, pocket briefs, and jury instructions
3. Conduct in-depth legal research and deliver strategic written recommendations to litigation attorneys on complex legal questions
4. Draft post-trial motions including motions for new trial and motions for attorney fees
5. Support appellate matters and, over time, participate in appellate arguments alongside experienced appellate practitioners
6. Collaborate with litigation partners and associates across practice areas including premises liability, complex litigation, and governmental entity defense
7. Manage multiple concurrent writing assignments while meeting quality standards and billing targets

Required Skills & Experience

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree
• Active California State Bar membership in good standing
• 2 to 10 years of civil litigation defense experience with a strong law and motion or legal writing focus
• Experience at a civil litigation defense firm (not Big Law)
• Demonstrated experience drafting motions, oppositions, or appellate briefs
• Solid knowledge of California civil procedure and substantive law
• Strong analytical skills for complex legal issue-spotting
• Writing sample required at time of submission
• Ability to work on a hybrid basis from the Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, or San Francisco office
• Comfortable with a 1,920 billable hour annual target
• U.S. work authorization required (no visa sponsorship available)

Preferred Skills

• Prior judicial clerkship or externship
• Law review membership or significant formal legal writing experience
• Exposure to criminal defense work