Insurance Defense / PI Litigation Associate
Houston, TX · Hybrid (in-office first 6 months, then 2 days/week from home) · Full-time
Compensation: $115,000–$175,000 base + quarterly tier bonus (total cash $130,000–$204,000)
About the Company
Our client is an established, mid-size Houston litigation boutique that defends insurance carriers, corporations, and individuals in catastrophic personal injury, product liability, and construction defect matters across Texas state and federal courts. The firm has been in practice for close to two decades, is adding partners, and is investing in growth. Associates here get real cases with real exposure and a written path to partnership.
Established firm · Mid-size boutique · Industry: Law, Insurance, Construction
The Role
The firm is hiring two to three mid-level associates who can run their own docket from day one. You will own catastrophic PI, product liability, and construction defect defense files with $1M+ policy limits for insurance carriers, oil and gas companies, Fortune 500 corporations, big box retailers, and international delivery companies. The firm's model is simple: agree a strategy with the client, build a solid defense at reasonable expense, and bill your time cleanly.
What you'll be doing
- Independently manage a docket of high-exposure personal injury, product liability, and construction defect defense cases
- Take and defend fact witness, expert, and corporate representative depositions in Texas state and federal courts
- Draft and respond to motions, discovery requests, and discovery responses with a strategic, aggressive defense posture
- Argue motions and present at hearings
- Work with a dedicated paralegal (2:1 attorney-to-paralegal ratio) to build case defenses efficiently
- Keep contemporaneous time entries, with each week's time entered and self-audited by Monday afternoon of the following week
- Meet a billing floor of 154 hours per month (1,848 per year), with quarterly tier bonuses kicking in above 1,851 hours
- Progress along a documented track: Associate Non-Equity Shareholder Shareholder
Tools: Microsoft Teams, Webex Phone, Microsoft Office
Requirements
- JD from an accredited law school
- Active Texas State Bar license in good standing (the firm cannot support bar prep or any visa sponsorship; US citizens and green card holders only)
- 2 to 6 years of insurance defense or personal injury litigation experience, ideally 3 to 4
- You have owned your own insurance defense or PI litigation docket, not just supported someone else's
- You have personally taken and defended depositions of fact witnesses, experts, and corporate representatives, and can speak to specific examples
- Hands-on experience with cases carrying $1M+ exposure or policy limits
- You have drafted and argued motions in state or federal court and handled discovery requests and responses on your own
- Comfortable presenting oral argument at hearings
- Disciplined, contemporaneous time entry and a clean billing record
- Able to work from the Houston office full-time for your first six months, and comfortable with a 154 billable hours per month floor
- Self-directed, honest, collegial, and looking for a long-term home rather than a stepping stone
- A writing sample is required with your application
Nice to Haves
- Product liability or construction defect litigation experience
- Familiarity with insurance carrier reporting requirements and litigation guidelines
Why Join
- High-exposure litigation from day one: $1M+ policy limit cases, not a years-long apprenticeship on small files
- A written three-tier partnership track, so you know exactly how you get to Shareholder
- Transparent comp: $115K–$175K base plus a 10–15% quarterly tier bonus and a $2,400 per year time-entry bonus, with top-end total cash above $200K
- 401(k) with a 3% match, fully vested from day one; up to $600 per month toward health insurance; firm-paid short and long-term disability and life insurance
- Free secured parking in Houston, catered lunch every other Friday, and two days a week from home after your first six months
- 2:1 attorney-to-paralegal support so you spend your hours on substantive legal work
- An open-door, no-big-egos culture built around six named core values, with Individual Wellness first on the list
Details
- Location: Houston, TX
- Work policy: Hybrid. In-office full-time for the first six months, then eligible for two days per week from home, conditional on meeting the billing minimum and time-entry policy
- Compensation: $115,000–$175,000 base + quarterly tier bonus + time-entry bonus (total cash $130,000–$204,000). No equity; partnership is earned through the Shareholder track
- Visa sponsorship: Not available. US citizens and green card holders only
- Bar admission: Active Texas State Bar license in good standing required
- Employment type: Full-time