Attorney, Pre-Litigation

Sweet James, LLP; Newport Beach (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Sweet James Accident Attorneys is seeking a Team Lead Attorney to manage pods pairing lead attorneys with dedicated case managers in a fast-paced environment. You will resolve cases, sign demands, negotiate with carriers, and guide case staff through treatment and workflow.

Experienced attorneys lead pods and newer attorneys handle cases directly while building their team. This is a revenue-producing, client-facing role focused on outcomes and client success.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor and active California license to practice law.
• Experience representing and communicating directly with individual clients.
• Personal injury or adjacent plaintiff-side experience preferred.
• Ability to discuss money, medical treatment, and difficult news with clients.
• Strong leadership, accountability, and results focus.
• Excellent negotiation and persuasion skills.
• High ethical standards and meticulous attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Review each file on your pod and know the client, case, and type.
• Judge demand readiness and sign the demand after review.
• Negotiate with adjusters to reach top offers and explain results.
• Evaluate offers to decide further treatment, policy, or litigation.
• Direct case managers on treatment plans and priorities.
• Handle client conversations about offers and expectations when needed.
• Maintain daily cadence toward pod revenue goals.
• Keep pod files and data to hygiene standards.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Client communication

Case management

Ethics & compliance

Attention to detail

Revenue mindset

Education

Juris Doctor

Active California Bar License

Tools

Salesforce

Filevine

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.