Family Law Attorney

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY — FAMILY LAW Johnson Law Firm, P.C. | Spokane, WA | Full-Time | In-Office | All Experience Levels Welcome

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WHO WE ARE

At Johnson Law Firm, we fight for families and their fresh start.

Family law is where we live. Divorce, custody, support, protection orders—we handle some of the most emotionally complex and consequential legal matters a person will ever face. Our clients are not case numbers. They are parents, spouses, and children whose futures depend on the quality of our work.

Our family law team is led by Managing Attorney Courtney Hagermann—one of the most experienced and respected family law practitioners in Spokane—supported by a team of highly skilled associates and paralegals who set the standard for what great family law representation looks like.

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THE OPPORTUNITY

We are looking for the right person — not just the right résumé.

Experienced family law attorney? Excellent. We want to hear from you. Newer attorney—even a recent bar admit—with the intellectual drive, emotional intelligence, and professional character this work demands? We want to hear from you too.

Why we're open to training you: Courtney and our senior associates have decades of combined experience and a proven record of developing attorneys into elite practitioners. If you have the right foundation and the right character, we will invest in building the rest.

What we cannot train is character. We cannot teach you to care. We cannot teach you to be accountable. We cannot teach you to show up for a client who is falling apart at 4:45 on a Friday. Those things you either have or you don't.

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WHO THIS ROLE IS FOR

You are:

• Emotionally intelligent—you read a room, hold space for hard feelings, and still get results
• Relentless on behalf of your clients without losing your humanity in the process
• Hungry to learn and genuinely coachable—you don't know everything and you don't pretend to
• Organized and disciplined—family law is deadline-heavy and detail-dependent
• Honest, direct, and accountable — with clients, colleagues, and yourself
• A team player who wants to be part of something excellent, not just employed somewhere

You understand that family law clients are often in the worst moment of their lives. You meet them there with competence and compassion—every time.

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WHO THIS ROLE IS NOT FOR

This is not a fit if you:

• Struggle to separate your emotions from your client's
• Avoid accountability or blame circumstances when outcomes are hard
• Need constant direction and cannot self-manage your caseload or calendar
• Resist supervision, feedback, or firm structure
• Treat clients as transactions rather than people in crisis
• Operate with a "that's not my job" mindset

We hold a high standard here — not to intimidate, but because our clients deserve nothing less. If you're the right fit, the standard will excite you, not scare you.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Case Management & Legal Practice:

• Manage 40–60 active family law matters—dissolution, custody, support, modifications, and protection orders
• Develop and execute case strategy under the supervision of the Managing Family Law Attorney
• Draft pleadings, motions, declarations, parenting plans, settlement proposals, and discovery
• Appear at hearings, conferences, mediations, trials, and other proceedings
• Conduct legal research on case-specific and emerging family law issues
• Review paralegal work product before filing; ensure compliance with Washington court rules

Client Relationships:

• Serve as the primary attorney contact on all assigned matters
• Respond to all client calls and emails within 24 hours—same-day is the goal
• Provide proactive monthly status updates; more frequently during active litigation
• Document all substantive client interactions in MyCase

Operations & Firm Participation:

• Enter all time daily in MyCase — zero tolerance for late entries
• Maintain minimum 30 billable hours per week / 1,440 annually
• Monitor all deadlines and court dates with 14/7/3-day advance reminders
• Attend weekly team meetings prepared with caseload updates
• Delegate effectively to paralegals; follow all firm SOPs without exception

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STANDARDS — NON-NEGOTIABLE

These are not aspirations. They are the floor.

✦ You hit deadlines. Every time. A missed court deadline is a critical failure — full stop.

✦ You communicate proactively. Before things become problems.

✦ You document your work. In MyCase—not in your head.

✦ You take ownership of outcomes. Bring the solution, not the excuse.

✦ You operate with integrity. Even when no one is watching.

✦ You are coachable. Feedback is how we grow here.

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QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school
• Active member in good standing of the Washington State Bar (or ability to waive in)
• Strong legal writing, research, and oral advocacy skills
• Organized and able to manage competing priorities in a high-volume practice
• Compassionate, client-centered approach with demonstrated emotional intelligence
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365; willingness to learn MyCase and modern legal tech
• Commitment to ongoing CLE and professional development

Experience — Flexible for the Right Person:

• New admits / junior attorneys (0–2 years): Welcome with exceptional character, coachability, and drive. Direct mentorship from Courtney and our senior team.
• Mid-level attorneys (2–5 years): Strong preference. Enough experience to carry a caseload with moderate supervision and still hungry to grow.
• Experienced attorneys (5+ years): Also welcome — especially in a structured, high-performing environment with real earning upside.

Preferred:

• Washington family law experience (RCW Title 26, court rules, local procedures)
• Contested hearing, motions, or trial experience
• Complex property division, business valuation, or high-conflict custody experience
• Guardian ad Litem or mediation/collaborative law training

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COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary: $90,000–$150,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.

Total compensation also includes:

• Performance bonus tied to production and results
• Health benefits
• 401(k)
• Paid time off
• CLE costs, bar dues, and approved bar memberships paid by the firm
• Parking
• Direct mentorship from one of Spokane's most experienced family law practitioners

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BEFORE YOU APPLY

In your cover letter, answer this honestly:

"Family law clients are often at the lowest point of their lives. What does it mean to you to show up for someone in that moment?"

We are not looking for a polished answer. We are looking for an honest one.

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HOW TO APPLY

Applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

Submit your cover letter, résumé, and a writing sample (PDF) to jessica@seanjohnlaw.com.

Subject line: LASTNAME – Family Law – [one word that describes you]

If you are a newer attorney, use your cover letter to tell us about your foundation — what you know, what you're hungry to learn, and why family law is right for you.

Johnson Law Firm, P.C. is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.