Lead Litigation Attorney

Sweet James, LLP; Newport Beach, Los Angeles (CA, CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Sweet James Accident Attorneys in Orange County, CA, is seeking a Team Lead to drive outcomes for a portfolio of personal injury cases. You will set strategy, decide which cases to pursue or settle, and supervise experienced associates and paralegals.

You’ll lead team meetings, coach associates, and report weekly to litigation leadership. Strong negotiation, trial prep, and managing high-value cases end-to-end are essential.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor and an active license to practice law in the relevant state.
• Five or more years of civil litigation experience, including plaintiff-side personal injury.
• Experience as lead counsel owning cases from start to finish and setting settlement value.
• Experience preparing cases for trial and handling expert discovery.
• Mediation experience and ability to drive process end to end.
• Proven leadership, delegation, and development of junior attorneys.
• Strong negotiation skills and understanding of case values and value creation.

Responsibilities

• Review each new case with the team, set strategy and goals, identify required work.
• Prioritize the portfolio to pursue high-value cases and settle others.
• Lead introductory client calls and manage relationships on large cases.
• Draft complaints and ensure proper parties are named within statute limits.
• Own expert discovery, designate and manage experts, take depositions.
• Take key depositions, prepare and attend high-value mediations and trials.

Skills

Team leadership

Negotiation skills

Strategic case planning

Client relationship management

Education

Juris Doctor and active 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 litigation attorneys work in a pod model: Each pod pairs a Team Lead and experienced Associates with dedicated support staff (e.g., paralegals, litigation assistants), backed by firm-wide calendar, records, and settlement functions. As Team Lead, you own the outcomes of your team's portfolio. You set the strategy on every case, decide which to build and which to resolve, and make sure the work to get there is assigned and done. You personally handle the work only the most experienced attorney on the team can: Expert discovery, the key depositions, the high-value mediations, the complaints, and trial.

You also lead the team. You run team meetings and one-on-ones, set the demand cadence, coach the Associates, review everything filed, and report weekly to litigation leadership. Team Leads who build strong teams and move large portfolios are the firm's next generation of litigation leadership.

Responsibilities

• Review every new case with the team, set its strategy and goals, and identify the work to be done
• Prioritize the portfolio: Build the high-value cases and resolve the ones that should settle
• Conduct the introductory call with every new client and own the relationship on the team's largest cases
• Draft complaints and ensure the correct parties are named within the statute of limitations
• Own expert discovery: Designate and manage experts, take defense expert depositions, and defend your own
• Take and defend the key depositions in each case, including high-value plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses
• Prepare and attend high-value mediations; negotiate and settle within delegated authority
• Prepare and try cases, with the Associates supporting
• Set and track the team's weekly demand cadence, and prepare demands on the largest files
• Review everything filed with the court and ensure the team's compliance with the firm's AI use policy
• Lead the team: Team meetings, one-on-ones, coaching, conflict resolution, and a weekly status report to litigation leadership

Qualifications

Required:

• Juris Doctor and an active license to practice law in the state in which this role sits
• Five or more years of civil litigation experience, including at least three years of plaintiff-side personal injury
• Experience as lead counsel owning personal injury files start to finish, including sole responsibility for setting settlement value
• Experience preparing cases for trial
• Expert discovery experience: Taking defense expert depositions and defending your own experts
• Mediation experience as the attorney driving the process end to end
• Demonstrated ability to lead by example, delegate, follow through, and develop less experienced attorneys
• Strong negotiation skills and a deep understanding of how personal injury cases are valued and how value is created

Preferred:

• Trial experience as first or second chair
• Prior experience leading a team of attorneys and support staff
• 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.