Northern VA based law firm is looking for a Litigation Associate
Hours/Schedule: Full time
Benefits:
- Competitive benefits including Health, 401k, HSA and FSA
- Bar dues, CLE, and professional development support — and a billing structure designed to give you time for it
Job Type: Direct
Location Requirements: Hybrid (3 days/week in Fairfax, VA office)
Rate: $150,000/year, based on experience
Job Description: Litigation Associate with 5+ years of experience who is ready to own their matters — not manage tasks. You will carry a full caseload, appear in court independently, handle non-litigation employment and counseling matters, and support senior attorneys on complex cases from strategy through resolution.
Responsibilities:
- Own a full caseload of civil litigation, business litigation, employment litigation, and employment counseling matters across Virginia, DC, and Maryland state and federal courts Appear independently at hearings, depositions, and trials
- Draft and argue complex motions, including dispositive motions, with precision and without error
- Handle non-litigation employment matters: counseling, contract drafting and review, severance, non-competes, and workplace investigations
- Think creatively about resolution — we litigate to win, but the best outcome for a client isn't always a verdict
- Keep every file moving: next steps documented, clients updated proactively, systems current
- Delegate actively to paralegals, law students, and interns — and make them better in the process
- Build and maintain client relationships that make clients feel known, not just represented
- Contribute to business development as the firm grows
- Meet a billing standard of 120 hours/month (~6 billable hours/workday, structured to leave meaningful time for professional development, community involvement, and pro bono)
Qualifications:
- J.D. from an accredited law school
- Active Virginia Bar membership in good standing — this is a hard requirement
- 5+ years of litigation experience with substantial federal and state court practice
- Real, independent courtroom experience: hearings, depositions, and trials you ran yourself
- Strong legal writing — briefs that persuade, not just inform
- The self-awareness to know how long a task should take and the discipline to stay within it
Preferred qualifications:
- Active DC Bar and/or Maryland Bar (or eligible to waive in) Employment law experience — litigation and counseling side: federal and state employment law, non-compete/trade secret, severance, employment agreement drafting and review
- Workplace investigation experience
- Business litigation experience: partnership disputes, business disputes, or contract litigation
- Labor law experience
- Both plaintiff-side and defense-side experience
