Litigation Associate, Premises Liability Defense

Litigation Associate, Premises Liability Defense | Tampa, FL | $125,000 to $200,000 | General Liability (Premises and Slip and Fall)

Wet floor signs win more cases than closing arguments do. In premises liability, the outcome is usually decided long before trial: in the maintenance log, the surveillance footage, the incident report somebody filled in at 6am, and the question of how long that spill had really been there. Good lawyers in this practice know that. The great ones are the lawyers who were trusted to run the file from first notice to final motion.

I'm Ryan Jaiswal at Distinct Recruitment, and I'm hiring for an insurance defense firm in Tampa that wants exactly that kind of lawyer: someone who owns their premises and slip and fall files properly, not someone who drafts the discovery and hands it up the chain.

What the work looks like

• A caseload of slip and fall, trip and fall, negligent maintenance and broader premises claims for retail, hospitality, property management and commercial clients

• Running files yourself: early evaluations, written discovery, depositions of plaintiffs, store managers and experts, mediations and dispositive motions

• Real hearing time and trial work, with first chair opportunities as your experience supports it

• Regular, direct contact with adjusters and clients, so the reporting is yours and so is the credit

Who I want to hear from

• Florida Bar members in good standing

• 2+ years of litigation experience, ideally in insurance defense or general liability

• Senior associates and counsel level attorneys are very welcome. The more experience you bring, the bigger the files, the more trial work and the more say in how cases are run

• People who enjoy the detail of notice, causation and comparative fault arguments, and can explain them simply to a jury

How the role is set up

• Hybrid, based in the Tampa office with time at home built into the week

• 1,900 billable hours a year, stated up front

• Salary of $125,000 to $200,000. The range is wide on purpose so an experienced attorney is paid like one, not squeezed into a band built for someone with half their experience

Why it's worth a conversation

Plenty of firms say they give associates their own files. Fewer let those associates depose the store's corporate representative, argue the summary judgment motion and sit in front of the jury when a case doesn't settle. That's the kind of exposure this role is built around. If you've been doing the groundwork on cases somebody else gets to try, this is a better use of your next few years.

Want to chat before applying, or talk through an application you've already sent in? Call me, Ryan Jaiswal at Distinct Recruitment, on View phone number on click.appcast.io, or connect with me on LinkedIn. You can also grab a slot in my calendar at whether you're still thinking it over or you've already applied and want to go through it together.