Attorney

Rmo Llp; Costa Mesa, Northern (CA, KY); On-site; USD 185,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental & vision

401(k) plan

PTO

Parental leave

Life insurance

Paid parking

Professional development

Job summary

RMO LLP, a disputes-focused boutique, seeks an attorney with 1–5 years civil litigation experience in California. The role emphasizes trust and estate disputes, drafting, and client-focused advocacy in a Costa Mesa office.

You will work with senior partners, gain stand-up experience, and progressively take on more responsibility as you develop judgment and expertise in private wealth matters.

Qualifications

• 1-5 years civil litigation experience, including trust/estate or fiduciary-dispute work.
• Drafted petitions, pleadings, discovery, and motions; evaluated complex issues for hearings and trials.
• Exceptional legal writer who translates complex facts into clear, persuasive positions.

Responsibilities

• Develop case strategy and identify decisive facts, theories, and priorities.
• Draft and refine contested petitions, objections, pleadings, discovery, and motions.
• Build evidentiary record through discovery management and witness development.
• Prepare for depositions, hearings, and trial; assume increasing responsibility.
• Communicate complex legal concepts to clients with empathy and clarity.

Skills

Drafting petitions

Legal writing

Litigation strategy

Client communication

Education

California Bar Admission

Job description

Become a private wealth disputes litigator - not merely a lawyer who occasionally handles probate matters.

EXPERIENCE
1-5 years BASE SALARY
$185,000-$225,000 WORK MODEL
Office-forward + flexibility

CALIFORNIA BAR
Required PORTABLE BOOK
Not required

THE OPPORTUNITY

Private wealth disputes sit at the intersection of sophisticated litigation and the most consequential moments in a client’s life. The cases can involve contested capacity, undue influence, fiduciary misconduct, financial elder abuse, family businesses, concentrated real estate holdings, and control of a family’s legacy.

RMO LLP is a disputes-focused boutique built specially for this work. We represent beneficiaries, heirs, trustees, executors, conservators, professional fiduciaries, trust companies, and families in contested trust, estate, probate, conservatorship, and related civil matters.

We are adding an Attorney to our Orange County team. This role is for a lawyer who has already begun developing meaningful trust and estate litigation experience and wants a clearer runway to become an exceptional private wealth disputes lawyer.

You will work closely with Orange County Managing Partner, Meghan M. Glaspy , and RMO Managing Partner, Sean D. Muntz , and lawyers across RMO’s offices. You will receive direct feedback, increasing responsibility as your judgment develops, and the infrastructure of a growing specialist platform. You will not be expected to bring a portable book of business.

THE WORK YOU WILL DO

• Develop case strategy. Help identify the decisive facts, legal theories, discovery priorities, leverage points, and practical path to resolution.
• Draft persuasive work product. Prepare contested petitions, objections, pleadings, discovery, motions, briefs, mediation submissions, and settlement documents.
• Build the evidentiary record. Manage written discovery, document review, witness development, subpoenas, chronologies, and coordination with experts.
• Gain stand-up experience. Prepare for and participate in depositions, court appearances, evidentiary hearings, mediations, and trial, with responsibility matched to demonstrated capability.
• Work directly with clients. Translate complex law into practical advice for clients navigating grief, conflict, uncertainty, and significant financial stakes.
• Own your matters. Manage deadlines, communicate early, close loops, maintain reliable case plans, and understand the economics of the work you perform.
• Collaborate across the platform. Draw on the experience of litigators, paralegals, and professionals throughout RMO rather than practicing in a silo.

WHAT SUCCESS CAN LOOK LIKE IN YOUR FIRST YEAR

• First 90 days. You learn RMO’s litigation standards, case-management systems, and client-service expectations; integrate with the Orange County team; and establish a reputation for accurate, timely, dependable work.
• By six months. You own defined workstreams, communicate directly with clients and opposing counsel where appropriate, and handle substantive drafting, discovery, and court responsibilities with decreasing supervision.
• By twelve months. Depending on experience and demonstrated judgment, you lead important motions, discovery initiatives, depositions, hearings, or mediation preparation and have a candid written development plan for advancement to Senior Attorney.

THE LAWYER WHO WILL THRIVE HERE

• You are an active member in good standing of the California Bar.
• You have approximately 1-5 years of civil litigation experience, including meaningful trust, estate, probate, conservatorship, financial elder abuse, or closely related fiduciary-dispute work.
• You have drafted contested petitions, objections, pleadings, discovery, or substantive motions and participated meaningfully in hearings, depositions, mediation, or trial preparation.
• You are an exceptional legal writer who can turn complicated facts and law into a clear, disciplined, persuasive position.
• You think strategically, ask the next question, and care about why the work matters – not merely whether an assignment is complete.
• You combine rigor with emotional intelligence when clients are experiencing grief, anger, fear, or family conflict.
• You take ownership, communicate candidly, and close loops without being chased.
• You welcome direct feedback, share credit, and hold yourself and your colleagues to high standards without unnecessary ego or theatrics.
• You can consistently deliver high-quality work and appreciate the value of working regularly from RMO’s Costa Mesa office.

WHY RMO

• A true specialty platform. This position is devoted to contested private wealth matters. You will not be expected to build an estate-planning practice or spend your career on routine administrations.
• Meaningful responsibility with apprenticeship. Responsibility grows with demonstrated ability, supported by direct access to experienced litigators, substantive feedback, case reviews, and practical training.
• A defined advancement path. RMO’s attorney ladder is Attorney to Senior Attorney to Managing Attorney to Income Partner to Equity Partner. Advancement is based on demonstrated capability, judgment, client service, leadership, productivity, firm contribution, and business-development readiness – not merely time served.
• A platform that builds your reputation. RMO’s business-development and marketing professionals help attorneys pursue speaking, authorship, media, professional recognition, community visibility, and referral-development opportunities suited to their level and goals.
• Firm-generated work and professional support. RMO invests in intake, staffing, paralegal support, technology, knowledge, operations, marketing, and business development so lawyers can focus on excellent legal work and client service.
• Sustainable high performance. RMO values excellent work, responsiveness, efficiency, accountability, and teamwork – not performative face time. The role is office-forward, with reasonable schedule flexibility based on demonstrated performance and client, court, and team needs.

HOW WE WORK

• Lead with Integrity. Tell the truth, exercise sound judgment, own mistakes, and act in the client’s and firm’s legitimate interests.
• Precision-Driven Results. Master the record, understand the law, think several moves ahead, and deliver work that can withstand scrutiny.
• Stronger Together. Share information, ask for help early, contribute to others’ success, and recognize that the best result is usually a team result.

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS, AND WORK MODEL

REASONABLY EXPECTED BASE SALARY: $185,000-$235,000

The actual base salary will depend on years of practice, demonstrated trust and estate litigation capability, writing, judgment, expected level, and internal equity. This range excludes bonuses and benefits.

Additional compensation: Annual performance-bonus eligibility under RMO’s written compensation framework, tied to factors such as quality, productivity, client service, collections, teamwork, firm contribution, and origination credit for eligible new matters and relationships.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) with firm contribution.
• Flexible paid time off managed responsibly around client, court, team, and annual performance obligations.
• Parental and sick leave.
• Basic life insurance.
• Paid parking at the Costa Mesa office.
• Professional-development and individualized business-development support.

This is a full-time, exempt, office-forward position based in Costa Mesa, California . It is not a fully remote position. RMO provides reasonable scheduling flexibility based on performance and firm, client, matter, court, and team needs.

The strongest candidates are often succeeding where they are and may not be actively applying. RMO treats exploratory conversations and applications confidentially.

Equal Opportunity and Accommodations. RMO LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We make employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified applicants and employees.