The salary for this role is $100K - $190K/year
Our client is a California insurance defense firm with four offices and a high-volume catastrophic personal injury practice. We are hiring Litigation Attorneys at both the senior (5+ years) and junior (1–3 years post-bar) levels across our San Diego, Irvine, and Riverside offices.
What we're looking for:
We need an insurance defense litigator (ideally with a strong catastrophic personal injury background) who can run a file independently from pleadings through trial. You should be comfortable managing a caseload of 30–40 active matters, handling court appearances, depositions, and site inspections, and have a genuine appetite for first- and second-chair trial opportunities. Bonus points if you have experience with expert depositions and a track record of taking cases all the way through verdict.
What you'll do:
Manage full lifecycle litigation — from pleadings and Case Management Orders through discovery, law & motion, depositions, trial prep, and trial
Propound and respond to written discovery; draft and argue law and motion matters
Take and defend depositions, including expert witness depositions
Conduct site inspections and travel within California (LA and surrounding counties; occasional central/northern CA) for court appearances and depositions
Serve as first- or second-chair at trial — real courtroom opportunities, not paper litigation
Collaborate with a 2:1 attorney-to-assistant team in a casual, collegial office environment
Interface directly with insurance carriers, experts, and clients with meaningful autonomy
Requirements:
Active California State Bar membership in good standing
Senior track: 5+ years of insurance defense litigation experience
Junior track: 1–3 years post-bar with insurance defense exposure
Demonstrated experience drafting CMOs, handling court appearances, and managing written discovery
Track record taking and defending depositions, including expert depositions
Ability and willingness to commute to assigned CA office (San Diego, Irvine, or Riverside) and travel within CA
Excellent analytical, writing, research, and communication skills
Hard exclusions — please do not apply if:
You are currently at a plaintiff-side firm (e.g., Sweet James, Morgan & Morgan, or similar billboard firms)
You have a construction defect-only background with no interest in broader insurance defense work
You intend to submit a blinded or confidential resume