Litigation Attorney (Southern California)

This is a full-time litigation attorney role at a Southern California insurance defense firm with a deep, carrier-driven catastrophic personal injury practice. The firm is hiring at two levels: a junior track for attorneys 1 to 3 years post-bar who want to build real insurance defense skills alongside experienced senior litigators, and a senior track for attorneys with 5 or more years of insurance defense experience who are ready to run a full file autonomously and step into first- or second-chair trial roles. The practice is focused and stable, not scattered, so attorneys spend their time on meaningful litigation rather than chasing new practice areas.

The ideal candidate is an insurance defense litigator who thrives on courtroom work and independent file management. You manage a caseload of 30 to 40 active matters without needing hand-holding, you are comfortable taking and defending depositions including expert witnesses, and you genuinely want trial experience rather than avoiding it. You work well in a casual, collegial environment with a 2:1 attorney-to-assistant ratio, and you are willing to travel within California for court appearances, depositions, and site inspections. Candidates currently at plaintiff-side firms cannot be considered due to conflict of interest.

Key Responsibilities

1. Manage full lifecycle litigation from initial pleadings and Case Management Orders through discovery, law and motion, depositions, trial prep, and trial
2. Propound and respond to written discovery including interrogatories, requests for production, and requests for admission
3. Draft and argue law and motion matters; prepare and file CMOs with proficiency
4. Take and defend depositions including expert witness depositions across Southern California and, as needed, elsewhere in the state
5. Conduct site inspections and travel within California for court appearances and depositions
6. Serve as first- or second-chair at trial with real courtroom responsibility, not paper-only work
7. Interface directly with insurance carriers, retained experts, and clients with meaningful day-to-day autonomy
8. Collaborate with assigned legal assistants and office colleagues in an open, casual firm culture

Required Skills & Experience

• Active California State Bar membership in good standing (bar number required at submission)
• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school
• Junior track: 1 to 3 years post-bar with insurance defense litigation exposure and a clear commitment to specializing in the practice area
• Senior track: 5 or more years of insurance defense litigation experience, catastrophic personal injury defense strongly preferred
• Demonstrated full lifecycle litigation experience: pleadings, discovery, law and motion, depositions, and trial prep
• Proficiency drafting CMOs and handling written discovery (propounding and responding)
• Experience taking and defending depositions, including expert witnesses
• Ability to manage a caseload of 30 to 40 active matters independently with minimal supervision
• Willingness and ability to commute daily in-person to the assigned office (San Diego, Irvine, or Riverside) and travel within California
• Strong analytical, legal research, and written communication skills
• Unblinded resume with full name and complete work history required; anonymized submissions cannot be accepted
• Must be authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship

Preferred Skills

• Catastrophic personal injury defense case experience
• First- or second-chair trial experience, or active and genuine interest in pursuing it
• Familiarity with Westlaw, LexisNexis, and standard case management software
• Background at a mid-size Southern California defense firm, a national defense firm with California offices, or an insurance carrier in-house legal department