Conflicts Attorney

Arnold & Porter; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 177,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Arnold & Porter is seeking a Conflicts Attorney to identify, analyze, and resolve conflicts of interest and related professional-responsibility matters. The role supports new business, lateral hiring, and onboarding by thoroughly reviewing conflicts arising from clients, matters, and personnel.

Responsibilities include research, collaboration, and presenting findings to Ethics and Practice committees, with a hybrid schedule across multiple offices including Silicon Valley.

Qualifications

• J.D. required and bar admission in at least one jurisdiction.
• Experience in large law firm conflicts-of-interest preferred.
• Strong research, data tracking, and reporting skills.
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Identify, analyze, and resolve conflicts and ethical issues under supervision.
• Review conflicts search results and initial analyses.
• Provide guidance to attorneys conducting conflicts reviews.
• Gather due-diligence information for ethics and committee reviews.
• Draft and circulate ethics screens and conflict disclosures.

Skills

Analytical skills

Writing

Communication

Organization

Detail management

Education

J.D. degree

Bar admission

Tools

Conflicts databases

Legal research databases

Job description

Arnold & Porter is an international law firm with offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. The firm advises clients on complex regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters across a broad range of industries, including many of the world’s leading companies and organizations.

We are seeking a Conflicts Attorney to help the firm identify, analyze, and resolve conflicts of interest and related professional-responsibility matters. This role may be located in the Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, or Washington, DC office working a hybrid schedule.

This position has two primary areas of focus. First, the Conflicts Attorney supports the firm’s new business, lateral hiring, and onboarding processes by identifying and addressing conflicts that may arise from new clients, matters, attorneys, and staff. This includes reviewing conflicts search results and analysis; conducting legal, factual, and third-party research; collaborating with colleagues throughout the firm; and presenting findings and recommendations in a clear, practical manner.

Second, the Conflicts Attorney assists attorneys and firm leadership with other professional-responsibility obligations in the jurisdictions in which the firm practices. Matters may include bar membership, lateral movement, revolving-door issues, fiduciary positions, new client and matter intake, engagement and disengagement processes, insurer and RFP responses, ethics screens, and related policy matters. Assignments may range from discrete inquiries to complex, long-term projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Work under the supervision of the Director, members of the Ethics and Practice Committee, and the General Counsel to identify, analyze, and resolve conflicts and ethical issues.
• Identify potential conflicts and ethical issues arising from new clients, matters, attorneys, and staff, including temporary, contract, and full-time employees.
• Review conflicts search results and first-level analysis prepared by other team members.
• Provide guidance to attorneys conducting conflicts reviews, as appropriate.
• Gather, organize, and communicate due-diligence information regarding potential hires, prospective clients, and client matters for the Ethics Committee, Lateral Committee, Billing and Intake Committee, and firm management.
• Assist with in-house consultation on professional-responsibility matters, including the review and drafting of engagement letters and conflict waivers.
• Draft and circulate ethics screens and prepare Rule 1.11 disclosures involving potential conflicts related to former government employees.
• Provide professional-responsibility training to attorneys and staff, as requested.
• Monitor developments in applicable law and professional-responsibility standards.
• Conduct research, drafting, and other project support for the Director, Ethics Committee, other firm committees, and the General Counsel on policy and professional-responsibility matters.
• Oversee volunteer law clerks, staff attorneys, or conflicts specialists performing conflicts-of-interest analysis, as needed.

Qualifications

• J.D. required.
• Admission to the bar in at least one jurisdiction where the firm maintains a U.S. office preferred. Candidates who are not admitted at the time of hire must obtain admission shortly after beginning employment as a condition of employment.
• At least one year of conflicts-of-interest or other relevant experience at a large law firm preferred.
• Prior experience practicing law preferred.
• Experience in legal research and in organizing, tracking, and reporting the results of complex projects.
• Experience with databases and a demonstrated aptitude for database-driven work; experience with conflicts databases preferred.
• Experience in conflicts or professional responsibility preferred but not required.
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.
• Business background or experience a plus.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to thoroughly assess complex factual and legal issues.
• Excellent writing, communication, organizational, and detail-management skills.
• Sound judgment and the ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive information with discretion and trustworthiness.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with individuals at all levels of the firm with confidence, responsiveness, tact, and approachability.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively under tight deadlines.
• Ability to maintain and strategically manage financial and budgetary information.
• Flexibility to work additional hours as necessary.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $177,280 to $225,000. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

The firm may provide a discretionary bonus annually.