Insurance Litigation Associate

Distinct | North America; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 235,000 - 365,000; Full time

Job summary

Distinct | North America in Los Angeles is seeking an Insurance Litigation Associate for a hybrid role, three days in the office. The work includes bad faith and coverage fights, first- and third-party claims, and motions and trials as needed. The salary range is $235,000 to $365,000.

Ideal candidate has two to five years in insurance litigation or civil defense, is admitted to the California Bar, and will collaborate with clients and co-counsel as cases progress toward mediation.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in insurance litigation or civil defense
• Licensed to practice law in California (California Bar)
• Hybrid role requiring in-office presence in Los Angeles three days a week

Responsibilities

• Reading policy wording and interpreting coverage and exclusions
• Bad faith defense and discovery-related issues
• Depositions of adjusters, brokers, and policyholder staff
• Motions on late notice, exclusions, and anti-concurrent causation
• Preparing clients in writing for mediation

Skills

Insurance litigation

Education

California Bar

Job description

Insurance Litigation Associate | Hybrid, Los Angeles | $235,000 to $365,000

Your next pay review has already been settled by a carrier's rate card, and you haven't billed an hour of next year yet.

Panel work has a ceiling on it, everyone in the chain can see where it is, and however well your last trial went the money conversation keeps landing on roughly the same number. This seat comes at insurance litigation from the other direction. The clients here picked the firm and pay its rates, and for someone two to five years in the band is $235,000 to $365,000.

You'll know most of the work already, bad faith and coverage fights, first party and third party claims, and whatever ends up in court after a denial. The files are bigger, and whoever's across from you is billing about what you are, so the motion practice gets interesting.

Week to week that looks like:

• Reading policy wording no court has ever looked at and saying what you think it means
• Bad faith defense, with the discovery fights that come attached
• Deposing adjusters and brokers, and the policyholder's own staff
• Motions on late notice, exclusions and anti concurrent causation
• Getting the client ready for mediation in writing before anyone sits down

You'll want two to five years in insurance litigation or civil defense and the California Bar. It's a national firm, so there's help on hand when a file goes sideways.

You're in the Los Angeles office three days a week, and that part is fixed. If you've worked from your spare room since 2020, have a good think about the commute before you pick up the phone.