Family Law Associate

Family Law Overview

The global Family Law team has been independently rated as a market leader in Tier 1 categories of Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for many years. The department advises on all areas of family law, with a particular focus on the financial issues that arise when relationships are formalised or break down. Much of the work involves the negotiation and settlement of complex financial cases, often with an international perspective and further complicated by tax or trust issues.

The global Family Law team has been independently rated as a market leader in Tier 1 categories of Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for many years. The department advises on all areas of family law, with a particular focus on the financial issues that arise when relationships are formalised or break down. Much of the work involves the negotiation and settlement of complex financial cases, often with an international perspective and further complicated by tax or trust issues.

The family law team is supported by in-house experts in other areas of the firm including Private Client & Tax, Trust Litigation, Corporate and Employment. They provide detailed advice at short notice for clients who are looking for the best location to file proceedings.

Another area of special interest is the resolution of disputes over children, including issues of custody, access, and the problems that may arise when one parent wishes to move to live abroad with the children. In addition advice is given to trustees on the ramifications of a family member's marriage, civil partnership or separation. The global team has a very strong pre-nuptials practice, often with international elements.

The Role

This role will sit in our San Diego office.

• Candidates should have a minimum of 5 - 8 years' experience practicing law in a law firm family law group and should have experience in giving advice on all areas of family law.
• Handle both contentious and non-contentious family law matters for a diverse client base;
• Manage divorce cases involving complex financial disputes, property division, and spousal support;
• Draft, review, and negotiate marital agreements, including prenuptial, postnuptial, and cohabitation agreements;
• Represent clients in child custody and visitation matters, including paternity disputes;
• Provide comprehensive advice across all areas of family law;
• Advise on child support, adoption, guardianship, and parental rights issues;
• Navigate international family law matters, including cross-border custody and asset division;
• Prepare and file court pleadings, motions, and other legal documents; and
• Conduct legal research and stay updated on changes in family law legislation and case law.
• Contribute to the team's profile and undertaking business development activities to establish, develop, and maintain long-term relationships; including, writing articles/posts, attending events/conferences and building networks with private wealth contacts/intermediaries including global and peer firms and counsel.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for the performance of this job, and as such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Key Skills And Experience

• Strong academic credentials (J.D. required);
• Between 5 – 8 years of experience practicing in a law firm's family law group;
• California Bar membership (in good standing) required;
• Able to work as an integrated member of the family team, with a goal of strengthening and expanding the reputation of the family department;
• Proven ability to stay on top of a busy practice – including time recording, proactive deadline and matter management, and taking ownership of assigned projects – and doesn’t require supervision in these areas;
• Demonstrates a genuine interest in contributing to the firm’s success as a whole, including through mentorship of junior team members and development and refinement of firm processes;
• Inspires the confidence of clients, intermediaries and referral sources (internal and external); and
• Takes a practical approach to solving client problems, and is nimble in employing tools to implement these solutions.

For California, the expected salary range for this position is between $260,000 and $310,000. The actual compensation will be determined based on experience and other factors permitted by law.

The Dispute Resolution Practice

Withers has defended the interests of successful individuals, businesses and brands for many years, pursuing matters swiftly and robustly where necessary. With over 180 lawyers across Europe, Asia Pacific, the US and the Caribbean, we have an established international dispute resolution practice acting in complex country-specific and multi-jurisdictional cases, which is well known, among other areas, in the art, sport, fashion, luxury assets and natural resources sectors. We represent a range of domestic and international clients – from high-net-worth individuals and their families to corporate entities and governments – on an array of personal, professional and business disputes, and we are recognised globally for our experience in complex, cross border litigation. Our practice areas include commercial litigation, contract disputes, asset recovery and enforcement, board and shareholder disputes, insolvency, fraud, international arbitration, public international law, tax controversy, media and reputation management, employment and regulatory, divorce and family, trusts and succession, white collar investigations, and professional negligence. With a disputes portfolio valued at $14 billion, we have also pioneered the use of arbitration and mediation in commercial, family and, more recently, trust disputes.

About Withers

A law firm focused on people, performance, and collaboration. For the past 130 years, we have supported some of the world’s most remarkable people and organizations at defining moments in their lives. We are united in our commitment to integrity, quality, and collaboration. We have a culture of high performance and deliver excellent service consistently across the firm. We provide tailored solutions built on trust and partner with our clients to achieve their goals. Many of our clients are shaping the future and creating solutions to tackle many of the world’s problems. It makes for a fascinating and challenging practice. Our role is to get to know each individual client, find out where they want to be, and help them to get there – whether they are building a business, buying a home, or protecting and defending their interests. To meet their unique needs we are exceptionally collaborative, working together across teams and time zones. And we are agile – focusing on strategy rather than rigid ideas and traditional hierarchy. Join us to be part of a team that is always looking to the future. Where initiative, big ideas and bold moves are always encouraged. Where you can truly be yourself. For more information on Withers, please visit the following links: General Career Site, LinkedIn, About Us.

Equal Opportunities Employment Statement

The firm is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Equal employment opportunity has been and will continue to be a fundamental principle at the firm. Employment at the firm is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. The firm prohibits and will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these classifications or characteristics.