Senior Civil Litigation Attorney — Premises / General Liability Defense

Location: Irvine, CA (in-office with occasional flexibility)
Experience: 8–15 years
Base Salary: $170,000–$210,000 DOE
Billable Target: 1,600 hours/year

Company Summary

We're a Southern California law firm with offices in Irvine and San Diego, practicing in civil litigation, business, and trusts & estates. Our team is built for high-quality work, practical collaboration, and long-term sustainability. We believe attorneys do their best work when they're supported, trusted, and given room to lead.

Position Summary

We're hiring a senior civil litigator to run a substantial caseload of premises and general liability defense matters for a long-standing, self-insured institutional client, handling files from inception through resolution. Beyond your own caseload, you'll supervise and mentor junior associates, delegate matters, and help manage workflow across the litigation team. This is a leadership-track role in a growing practice, with the opportunity to also handle trust and estate litigation.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently manage a substantial caseload of civil defense matters (premises and general liability) from intake through resolution
• Take and defend depositions of parties, witnesses, and experts
• Draft and argue dispositive and non-dispositive motions (MSJ, demurrers, motions in limine)
• Conduct and oversee discovery, manage experts, and prepare mediation materials
• Communicate directly with a self-insured client and provide strategy and case analysis
• Supervise and mentor junior associates, delegate matters, and manage team workflow
• Prepare exhibits, witness lists, and trial binders, and support cases through trial as needed
• Maintain a 1,600 billable-hour target and consistently meet deadlines

Qualifications

• 8–15 years of civil or insurance defense litigation experience
• Strong premises liability and general liability defense background
• Demonstrated ability to manage cases independently from inception through resolution
• Experience supervising and mentoring junior associates and managing litigation workflow
• Strong deposition and motion practice experience
• Active California State Bar membership in good standing
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Organized, proactive, and able to handle a substantial caseload with autonomy

Nice to Have

• Second-chair or first-chair trial experience
• Experience with self-insured or corporate defense clients
• Trust and estate litigation experience

Why This Role

• Manageable 1,600 billable target
• Self-insured client means no carrier billing guidelines or micromanagement
• Genuine leadership track with the ability to build and supervise a team
• In-office collaboration with real flexibility, and no weekend work
• Family-friendly, balanced environment with meaningful professional autonomy and a long-term home