Attorney, Pre-Litigation

Sweet James LLP; Newport Beach (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal opportunity employer

Job summary

Sweet James LLP in Orange County, CA, is seeking a Team Lead Attorney for our pre-litigation pod model. You will oversee a pod with dedicated case managers, resolve cases, sign demands, and negotiate with carriers while guiding client conversations to favorable outcomes.

Ideal candidates have JD, an active CA license, and a track record of client-focused negotiation, leadership, and ethical decision-making in personal injury or related fields.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor and an active license to practice law in the relevant state.
• Experience representing and communicating with individual clients in personal injury or related fields is preferred.
• Comfort with client conversations about money, medical treatment, and difficult news.
• Leadership by example and accountability for results.

Responsibilities

• Review every file on your pod and know the case, client, and case type.
• Determine demand readiness and sign the demand.
• Negotiate with adjusters and explain outcomes to clients.
• Evaluate offers and decide the next steps: treatment, policy, litigation or other.
• Direct case managers on treatment plans, liability investigation, and workflow.
• Handle client conversations about offers and treatment decisions when needed.
• Maintain daily cadence toward pod revenue goals.
• Keep files and data to firm hygiene standards.

Skills

Client communication

Negotiation

Leadership

Ethical judgment

Attention to detail

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Sweet James Accident Attorneys is a rapidly growing, AI-powered personal injury firm based in Orange County, CA. In less than a decade, we've built a nationally recognized brand and a proprietary AI and automation stack that make us one of the largest and most efficient providers of legal services in the country. Our growth runs on a culture of excellence, compassion, and results: Our team is committed to exceptional client experience and to supporting one another in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. We invest in our people, encourage professional growth, and provide meaningful opportunities to build rewarding careers while making a real impact in our clients' lives.

The role

Our pre-litigation practice works in a pod model: Each pod pairs a Team Lead Attorney with dedicated case managers, backed by firm-wide support teams (e.g., records, claims, demands, settlement concierge, liens). As a Team Lead Attorney, you are the attorney on your pod and the person who resolves its cases. You know every file, decide when a case is ready to demand, sign the demand, negotiate with the carrier, and decide where the case goes when the offer comes back. You direct your case managers on treatment and workup, coach them on the medicine and the case flow, and carry the client conversations that decide outcomes.

Experienced attorneys lead a pod of case managers from day one. Attorneys earlier in their careers start by handling cases directly and earn their case managers as they prove out. Either way, this is a revenue-producing, client-facing role for someone who likes to win and likes people.

Responsibilities

• Review every file on your pod and know the case, the client, and the case type
• Judge demand readiness: Treatment complete, records in, liability supported; then review and sign the demand
• Negotiate with adjusters to the best top offer and explain the result to the client
• Evaluate each offer and decide the path: Further treatment, open the policy, litigation review, or bad faith
• Direct case managers on treatment plans, liability investigation, and priorities; coach them on the medicine and the case flow
• Handle the client conversations a case manager cannot: Offers, resisted treatment recommendations, expectation resets
• Maintain a daily resolution cadence toward the pod's revenue goal
• Keep the pod's files and data to the firm's hygiene standard

Qualifications

Required:

• Juris Doctor and an active license to practice law in the state in which this role sits
• Experience representing and communicating directly with individual clients; personal injury or an adjacent plaintiff-side field is preferred, but criminal defense, workers' compensation, prosecution, family, and immigration practice all qualify
• Comfort with client conversations about money, medical treatment, and difficult news
• Leadership by example: Humble, takes direction, does what the case needs, and sets the tone for a team
• Goal-oriented and competitive; a self-starter who is accountable for results
• Strong persuasion and negotiation instincts
• Ethical judgment and attention to detail

Preferred:

• Plaintiff-side personal injury experience, including negotiating with insurance carriers
• Experience leading or directing a team
• Recent graduates: Client-facing clinic work (e.g., employment or injury clinics) or prior personal injury case management
• Daily use of a case management platform (e.g., Salesforce, Filevine)

Sweet James is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of every background and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act and applicable local law.

Stay safe: We will never ask for payment or banking information during the hiring process.