Employment Litigation Defense Attorney

Job Description

Job Description

Firm: Employment Litigation Firm

Position: Employment Litigation Defense Attorney

Practice Group: Labor & Employment Litigation

Location: Downtown Long Beach, CA

Schedule: Hybrid — initially three (3) days per week in office, depending upon experience and assignments

Compensation And Billable Expectations:

·       Base salary: $210,000 per year.

·       Billable requirement: A minimum of 1,800 client-billable hours per year.

·       Bonus: A quarterly per-hour bonus is paid on every hour billed to clients above the 1,800-hour minimum. There is no cap on the number of bonus-eligible hours.

·       Benefits include [medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k) with firm contribution; paid time off; State Bar dues, MCLE, and professional association fees; malpractice coverage; parking or transit].

·       The salary listed above is the fixed-based compensation the firm expects to pay for this position.

Status: Full-time

Reports To: Partner / Practice Group Leader

About the position:

·       Our firm is seeking a civil litigation attorney with four to six years of employment litigation experience to join our employment litigation practice in downtown Long Beach.

·       We represent employers — from closely- held businesses to established Fortune 200 companies — in the full range of workplace disputes, from single-plaintiff claims through wage and hour class actions and PAGA representative actions.

·       This is a hands-on role for a lawyer who is ready to take lead on matters from inception to trial.

·       We want someone who is looking to investigate the case, handle discovery, do depositions, draft and argue dispositive motions, appear in California state and federal court, and work directly with the clients on the business problems behind the litigation.

·       You will have partner support and mentorship to guide you through your work.

What You Will Do:

·       Manage a caseload of employment litigation matters in California state and federal court, with partner oversight calibrated to your experience.

·       Defend claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (Gov. Code § 12900 et seq.) and Title VII, as well as leave, disability, and reasonable accommodation claims under the CFRA, FMLA, and ADA.

·       Handle wage and hour matters, including meal and rest period, overtime, misclassification, expense reimbursement, and wage statement claims under the California Labor Code, the IWC Wage Orders, and the FLSA.

·       Work on wage and hour class actions and representative actions under the Private Attorneys General Act (Lab. Code § 2698 et seq.), including class certification briefing and manageability issues.

·       Draft pleadings, demurrers, motions to strike, discovery and discovery motions, motions for summary judgment and adjudication, and trial and arbitration briefs.

·       On occasion take and defend depositions of plaintiffs, managers, PMK witnesses, and experts.

·       Represent clients at hearings, case management conferences, mediations, settlement conferences, and support or second-chair arbitrations (JAMS, AAA, and similar) and trials.

·       Handle administrative proceedings before the California Civil Rights Department, the EEOC, and the Labor Commissioner (Berman hearings).

·       Advise clients on day-to-day employment questions — terminations, investigations, leave and accommodation issues, handbook and policy review, wage and hour compliance — with an eye toward preventing the next lawsuit.

What We Are Looking For:

·       Four (4) to six (6) years of civil litigation experience, with a substantial and identifiable focus on employment law.

·       Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California.

·       J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.

·       Demonstrated experience taking and defending depositions and drafting dispositive motions — please be prepared to discuss specific matters you have handled.

·       Working command of the California Labor Code, the IWC Wage Orders, FEHA, PAGA, and other statutory and common law regulatory schemes.

·       Excellent legal writing and the judgment to know when a shorter brief is the better one.

·       The organizational discipline to carry a real caseload, meet court deadlines without reminders, and keep clients informed.

·       Comfort with e-discovery platforms, case management software, and electronic filing in California and federal courts.

Preferred:

·       Defense-side experience in wage and hour class actions or PAGA representative actions.

·       Admission to the Central District of California and other federal districts in California.

·       Experience conducting or advising on workplace investigations.

·       Conversational or professional Spanish.

Where And How You Will Work

·       This position is hybrid. You will work from our downtown Long Beach office three (3) days per week, , depending upon experience and assignments. More remote time will be considered depending on the attorney’s reliability and the firm’s needs.

·       We are flexible for people who earn it. An attorney who demonstrates that they are dependable, consistently reachable during business hours, responsive to clients and colleagues, and producing high-quality work on schedule may be approved for additional remote days. That decision is made case by case and is subject to court appearances, depositions, client meetings, and the needs of the team.