Associate Attorney

Gallo Vitucci Klar LLP; Walnut Creek (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan

Health, Vision and Dental benefits

Hybrid work model: 3 days in-office, 2

Job summary

Gallo Vitucci Klar LLP in Walnut Creek, California seeks an Associate Attorney for a hybrid full-time role. You will manage your own civil defense caseload and defend clients in high-exposure matters from complex liability to catastrophic injury, handling all phases from discovery through trial alongside seasoned trial teams.

You should be driven, highly ethical, and excel at persuasive writing, oral argument, and collaboration with clients, experts, and opposing counsel.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• California Bar admission required; federal court admission a plus.
• Interests in litigation with a client-focused approach.
• Experience as a litigator is valued; years of practice are less important than drive.

Responsibilities

• Manage a personal caseload in civil defense litigation.
• Defend clients in high-exposure matters from complex liability to catastrophic injury.
• Handle all phases of cases from start to finish including discovery, research, pleadings and motions.
• Attend inspections, depositions, and trial preparations.
• Collaborate with clients, claims personnel, co-counsel, mediators and judges.

Skills

Written advocacy

Oral argument

Collaboration

Communication skills

Time management

Professional ethics

Education

Juris Doctor degree

Job description

Love torts?? Want to compete in high stakes, multi-million dollar battles with opposing counsel? I f so, we've got the job for you.

Every case we handle has real money, real people and reputations and real world consequences. Across the table you'll find some of the most aggressive, experienced, and well-funded plaintiffs' firms in California and the nation. They are very good at what they do. And so are we. We are looking for attorneys ready to show up more prepared, more engaged, more thoughtful, and more willing to handle the unexpected when the stakes get higher.

We are growing our civil defense litigation team and seeking full-time Associate Attorneys for a hybrid role based in Walnut Creek, California. We offer early courtroom experience and a clear path to trial work.

What you'll do:

You will have your own caseload and will work collaboratively with our team and directly with our managing partner. You will have the opportunity to defend our clients in high exposure matters from complex liability claims to catastrophic injury cases. You will handle all phases of the case from beginning to end, including:

• strategizing directly with clients and representatives on implementing overall case strategy
• conducting interviews and depositions,
• gathering documents and responding to discovery,
• performing legal research,
• drafting pleadings and motions,
• selecting and working with case specific experts,
• attending inspections,
• interacting with clients, claims personnel, other counsel, mediators and judges,
• preparing for trial, and
• appearing in court for case management conferences, hearings, arguments and trials alongside experienced trial teams.

Are you a good fit?

This role is perfect if you are driven and competitive while maintaining strong principles and ethics.

You like being tested and questioned and don't like losing. Your priority is to be a strong advocate for your client first and foremost. This role requires strong skills in:

• concise and persuasive writing and oral argument
• collaboration and working well with others,
• responsiveness and communicating effectively by phone, email and in person,
• time management, organization and prioritization, and
• maintaining the firm's high standards of excellent service and high quality work product.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school
• Admission to the California Bar (Federal courts are a bonus)
• Experience with or a strong interest in being a litigator
• Client-focused approach with excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• Experience working in the legal field as a paralegal, law clerk, judicial extern, or under the supervision of an attorney in other capacities
• Years of practice are not as important as a desire to question, learn, adapt, grow and be part of a winning team. Dedication and drive and required.

The fine print:

• We work 3 days in office and 2 days remote (after the first 60 days which are primarily in office for training, mentoring and learning systems and process)
• 401k and health, vision and dental benefits
• Billable hour expectation is average of 8 hours/day (approx. 1900/year)
• Salary commensurate with experience: 0-3 years = $110k-140k; 4-9 years = $140k-180k.