Labor And Employment Associate Attorney

Blackford Talent; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Blackford Talent is seeking a Labor & Employment Associate for a defense-focused practice in West LA. The role blends litigation and advisory work, with a roughly 50/50 split between court appearances and client counseling.

You’ll handle single-plaintiff and wage-hour matters in California state and federal court, with exposure to discovery, motions, depositions, and potential hearings. The LA office emphasizes mentorship, a collaborative culture, and strong work-life balance.

Qualifications

• Approximately 2–3 years of litigation experience; not limited to employment law.
• Clear, careful writing; a writing sample is required.
• Desire to be mentored and grow with the team.
• Experience in employment defense (wage/hour, PAGA, harassment/discrimination/retaliation).
• Deposition, hearing, or trial experience; courtroom exposure valued.
• Comfort with AI and legal technology in daily practice.

Responsibilities

• Litigation defense work including discovery, motions, depositions, and potential hearings and trial.
• Advice and counsel: draft guidance and develop solutions with client contact.
• Opportunity to work on traditional labor matters if desired.

Skills

Litigation experience

Strong writing

Mentoring / coaching

Employment defense

Deposition / hearing / trial

AI / legal tech familiarity

Tools

Legal tech tools

Job description

Blackford Talent is retained on a Labor & Employment Associate role with a fantastic labor & employment boutique in West LA.

About the firm

Our client is a national labor and employment boutique that represents employers only, with offices across the country. The firm focuses on a small number of industries that it knows well, and its clients stay for years. The firm keeps its teams lean, so Partners are involved in every matter and Associates get real work early.

The culture here is laid back and ego-free. Work-life balance is part of how the firm operates. The firm is also investing more in technology than most firms its size, with firm-wide AI tools and an internal knowledge platform in development.

The Team

The LA office is small and collaborative: an office lead who is known as a strong mentor, senior Associates, and strong admin support. The office works closely with a nearby sister office, as well. You would report directly to the office lead, who enjoys mentoring and developing Associates.

The Role

This is a management-side employment defense seat, split roughly 50/50 between litigation and advice and counsel.

• Litigation: single-plaintiff and wage-and-hour defense in California state and federal court. Discovery, written motions, depositions, and a path to hearings and trial.
• Advice and counsel: research and draft guidance on real client issues. You'll work up the answers from the start and move toward direct client contact.
• Traditional labor work (union matters) is available for anyone who wants it, but it isn't required.

Hours & Working Setup:

1,800 + time reserved for pro-bono, article writing, etc.

• Hybrid Schedule: approx. 2 days a week in the Westside LA office, with the rest remote

What we're looking for

• About 2-3 years of litigation experience. It doesn't need to be employment law. Strong civil litigators are welcome.
• Clear, careful writing. A writing sample is required and will be read closely.
• Eager to learn and coachable. The firm wants someone who wants to be mentored and grow with the team.
• Employment defense experience (wage and hour, PAGA, harassment/discrimination/retaliation)
• Deposition, hearing, or trial experience, including public defender, prosecutor, or other courtroom-heavy backgrounds
• Comfortable using and/or learning AI and legal tech in daily practice