Enterprise Litigation Attorney

The Advocates; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Commuter benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

The Advocates seeks an experienced Enterprise Litigation Attorney to own discovery and evidence development for an ELT caseload. You will manage depositions, preserve evidence, and develop trial-ready records while coordinating with affiliate firms across jurisdictions.

Ideal candidates have 4–10+ years of civil litigation experience, a JD, and Washington bar admission, with the ability to travel and obtain additional admissions as needed.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• Active Washington State Bar admission in good standing required.
• Willingness to obtain additional admissions (CA, OR, ID, ELT states).
• 4–10+ years of civil litigation experience, plaintiff‑side preferred.
• At least 20 substantive depositions taken; experienced with various witness types.
• Independently manage written discovery, depositions, complex disputes, and motions.
• Strong legal writing, analytical, and advocacy skills.
• Ability to translate complex medical/electronic evidence into strategy.
• Judgment to identify material elements in large evidentiary records.
• Ability to influence teams not in direct reporting lines.
• Willingness to travel for depositions, hearings, mediations, and trials.

Responsibilities

• Own the Discovery Plan and strategy for ELT cases.
• Prepare for, take, and defend party, fact-witness, corporate representative, expert, and other depositions.
• Lead meet-and-confer and motions to compel, protective orders, or quash discovery.
• Build the trial-ready evidentiary record across medical, damages, employment, and other evidence.
• Coordinate with affiliate firms and local counsel across ELT jurisdictions.
• Support strategic decision-making with the ELT first chair.

Skills

Legal writing

Analytical skills

Oral advocacy

Witness examination

Cross-team collaboration

Strategic thinking

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Washington State Bar admission

Tools

E-discovery

Depositions

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Enterprise Litigation Attorney to join our plaintiff-side Enterprise Litigation Team (ELT). This attorney owns discovery and evidence development on assigned ELT cases, partnering closely with the team's first-chair attorney to build cases for successful resolution or trial.

ELT cases are staffed and developed with the expectation that they may be tried. The Discovery Attorney plays a central role in that process by developing the evidence, taking and defending depositions, resolving discovery disputes, and assembling the trial-ready record.

Because ELT handles matters across multiple states in partnership with affiliate firms, success also requires the ability to lead and influence attorneys and litigation teams who do not report directly to ELT. The Discovery Attorney must build strong working relationships, create alignment around case strategy, and move work forward across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries.

This is a hands-on litigation role for an attorney who enjoys the investigative, strategic, and advocacy work of building significant personal injury cases.

What You’ll Own

1. Own the Discovery Plan

• Develop and execute the discovery strategy for assigned ELT cases.

• Serve written discovery promptly after cases enter ELT, including interrogatories where permitted, requests for production, requests for admission, and jurisdiction-specific discovery.

• Identify evidentiary gaps involving liability, causation, damages, notice, corporate responsibility, and defenses.

• Analyze opposing parties' responses and productions for deficiencies, admissions, inconsistencies, and additional investigative opportunities.

• Prepare preservation and spoliation notices and develop strategies for obtaining electronically stored and other potentially transient evidence.

• Protect clients against inappropriate discovery involving medical history, social media, surveillance, and other personal information.

1. Build the Record Through Depositions

• Prepare for, take, and defend party, fact-witness, corporate representative, expert, treating-provider, and other key depositions.

• Draft corporate representative/PMQ topics and develop examination strategies.

• Prepare clients and witnesses for testimony.

• Develop deposition outlines, exhibits, timelines, and impeachment strategies.

• Analyze testimony for admissions, inconsistencies, and evidence affecting liability, causation, damages, and trial strategy.

1. Resolve Discovery Disputes

• Identify deficient discovery promptly and lead meet-and-confer efforts.

• Draft and argue motions to compel, protective orders, motions to quash, and other discovery-related motions.

• Handle disputes involving independent medical examinations, including applicable Rule 35 and state-law equivalents, scope, conditions, observation, and recording issues.

• Address privilege, third-party discovery, ESI, and other complex discovery issues.

• Maintain command of the discovery rules and procedural requirements applicable to assigned jurisdictions.

1. Build the Trial-Ready Evidentiary Record

• Analyze medical, damages, employment, insurance, photographic, video, electronic, and other evidence to identify what matters to the case.

• Develop strategies to obtain third-party and electronic evidence, including surveillance and, when relevant, telematics, ECM/event data, dashcam footage, hours-of-service records, and commercial transportation evidence.

• Lead attorney-level expert discovery, including disclosures, reports, exchanges, depositions, and challenges.

• Identify the admissions, testimony, exhibits, and impeachment evidence needed for dispositive motions, mediation, settlement negotiations, pretrial proceedings, and trial.

• Ensure the first chair has a clear understanding of the evidentiary record, unresolved gaps, risks, and opportunities.

1. Lead Across Affiliate Firms

• Work effectively with affiliate-firm attorneys and litigation teams across ELT jurisdictions, often without direct reporting authority.

• Establish clear expectations regarding discovery strategy, responsibilities, timing, and case priorities.

• Build trust and alignment with attorneys balancing their own caseloads, firm practices, and jurisdiction‑specific requirements.

• Influence work through credibility, communication, persistence, and sound litigation judgment rather than formal authority.

• Surface obstacles early and work collaboratively with affiliate attorneys and the ELT first chair to keep cases moving.

• Coordinate with local counsel on jurisdiction‑specific discovery strategy and procedural requirements while maintaining consistent ELT litigation standards.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.

• Active Washington State Bar admission in good standing required.

• Willingness and ability to obtain additional admissions over time. The firm will support additional bar admissions based on ELT needs, with anticipated priorities including [California, Oregon, Idaho, and/or other priority ELT states].

• [4–10]+ years of civil litigation experience, preferably representing plaintiffs in personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, transportation, or other complex litigation.

• At least [20+] substantive depositions taken, with corporate representative, expert, treating-provider, or other sophisticated witness experience preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to independently manage written discovery, depositions, complex discovery disputes, and related motion practice.

• Strong legal writing, analytical, oral advocacy, and witness‑examination skills.

• Ability to analyze complex medical, factual, and electronic evidence and translate it into litigation strategy.

• Strong judgment and the ability to identify what matters most in a large and complicated evidentiary record.

• Demonstrated ability to influence, collaborate with, and obtain results through attorneys and professionals who are not within the candidate's direct reporting structure.

• Ability to travel for depositions, hearings, mediations, and trials as required.

Preferred Experience

• High‑value or catastrophic personal injury litigation.

• Complex medical causation and damages.

• Corporate representative/PMQ and expert depositions.

• E‑discovery and electronically stored information.

• Commercial vehicle and trucking litigation, including telematics and ECM evidence.

• Independent medical examination disputes.

• Second‑chair or other meaningful trial experience.

• Admission in one or more additional ELT jurisdictions.

Team Structure

The Discovery Attorney is a member of the Enterprise Litigation Team and works directly with ELT's first‑chair attorney, supported by dedicated legal‑assistant resources.

Legal assistants own the administrative execution of discovery, including subpoena and records follow‑up, production tracking and logging, document organization, and deadline calendaring. The Discovery Attorney owns the strategy, analysis, advocacy, and legal judgment that drive discovery and trial preparation.

The role also works extensively with attorneys and teams at affiliate firms across ELT jurisdictions.

Career Development

This role is designed for an attorney who wants to become exceptional at the discovery, deposition, and evidence‑development work that drives successful plaintiff litigation.

The firm will support additional bar admissions as ELT's geographic needs evolve. Attorneys who demonstrate strong judgment, advocacy, case ownership, and trial readiness may also have opportunities for increased hearing, deposition, second‑chair, and trial responsibilities.

Advancement is based on demonstrated capability and performance rather than tenure alone.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $150,000 – $170,000 / year (plus performance‑based incentive structure)
• Health Coverage: Up to 100% employer‑paid health, dental, and vision insurance (buy‑up options available)
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with company matching
• Commuter Benefits: Choice of fully covered parking spot or ORCA Card program
• Wellness: Employee Assistance Program (EAP)