Litigation Associate

Association of the Bar City of New York; New York (NY); On-site; USD 230,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

PTO and firm holidays

Bar dues

CLE & development

Job summary

Alisme Law is seeking an experienced Litigation Associate to handle sophisticated business disputes in New York state and federal courts. You will work directly with the Owner and Managing Attorney, gaining increasing ownership of matters, client relationships, and litigation strategy.

We expect 5–8 years of meaningful commercial litigation experience, NY admission, and strong research and writing skills. The role offers a clear path to leadership within a growing firm and requires in-person

Qualifications

• Approximately 5–8 years of meaningful commercial or business litigation experience.
• Admission to practice in New York and good standing with the New York Bar.
• Substantial experience litigating in New York state and/or federal courts.
• Excellent legal research, analytical, and writing skills.
• Experience managing discovery and substantive motion practice.

Responsibilities

• Managing significant aspects of commercial litigation matters from pre-litigation through resolution or trial.
• Developing litigation strategy in collaboration with the Managing Attorney and other attorneys responsible for the matter.
• Drafting pleadings, motions, briefs, discovery demands and responses, correspondence, and other sophisticated legal work product.
• Conducting legal research and translating that research into practical recommendations.
• Managing discovery, including document discovery, written discovery, discovery disputes, and related motion practice.
• Taking and defending depositions as appropriate.
• Preparing witnesses, exhibits, motions, and other materials for hearings and trial.
• Appearing in New York state and federal courts as appropriate to your experience and the needs of the matter.
• Communicating directly with clients and helping them understand developments, options, risks, and next steps.
• Managing deadlines, priorities, and case responsibilities without requiring constant supervision.
• Identifying issues proactively and bringing proposed solutions—not simply problems—to the attorneys responsible for the matter.
• Following established case strategy, firm systems, ethical requirements, and procedural rules while exercising appropriate professional judgment.
• Receiving and incorporating candid feedback to continually strengthen your judgment and work product.

Job description

Build Your Career as a Business Litigator

At Alisme Law, we help business owners, partners, shareholders, employers, and companies navigate complex, high-stakes business disputes.

Our approach combines thoughtful legal strategy with disciplined execution, clear communication, and systems designed to produce consistent results for our clients. We are building a modern business litigation firm where talented attorneys can do sophisticated work, exercise meaningful judgment, develop direct client relationships, and grow into increasingly significant roles.

We are seeking an experienced Litigation Associate who has developed a strong foundation in commercial litigation and is ready for greater ownership of their work.

This opportunity is designed for an attorney who wants to become a complete business litigator—not simply complete discrete assignments on a larger litigation team.

About the Role

You will work directly with the Owner and Managing Attorney and other experienced attorneys on sophisticated business disputes in New York state and federal courts.

We are looking for an attorney who already understands how litigation works and is prepared to contribute meaningfully from the outset. You will receive structured onboarding into Alisme Law's clients, systems, standards, and approach to litigation, but we expect you to bring the substantive litigation experience necessary to manage significant responsibilities with increasing independence.

As you demonstrate sound judgment and earn trust, you will have the opportunity to take increasing ownership of matters, client relationships, litigation strategy, depositions, court appearances, and other significant aspects of the firm's cases.

We value attorneys who do more than identify the next assignment. We want lawyers who think ahead, recognize problems before they become emergencies, recommend solutions, and understand how their work contributes to the client's broader objectives.

What You Will Do

Depending on the matter and your experience, your responsibilities will include:

• Managing significant aspects of commercial litigation matters from pre-litigation through resolution or trial.
• Developing litigation strategy in collaboration with the Managing Attorney and other attorneys responsible for the matter.
• Drafting pleadings, motions, briefs, discovery demands and responses, correspondence, and other sophisticated legal work product.
• Conducting legal research and translating that research into practical recommendations.
• Managing discovery, including document discovery, written discovery, discovery disputes, and related motion practice.
• Taking and defending depositions as appropriate.
• Preparing witnesses, exhibits, motions, and other materials for hearings and trial.
• Appearing in New York state and federal courts as appropriate to your experience and the needs of the matter.
• Communicating directly with clients and helping them understand developments, options, risks, and next steps.
• Managing deadlines, priorities, and case responsibilities without requiring constant supervision.
• Identifying issues proactively and bringing proposed solutions—not simply problems—to the attorneys responsible for the matter.
• Following established case strategy, firm systems, ethical requirements, and procedural rules while exercising appropriate professional judgment.
• Receiving and incorporating candid feedback to continually strengthen your judgment and work product.

What Success Looks Like

Successful attorneys at Alisme Law combine excellent legal skills with judgment, ownership, and professionalism.

You will be successful in this role when:

• Your written work is thoughtful, accurate, persuasive, and requires progressively less revision.
• You reliably anticipate deadlines, issues, client needs, and next steps.
• The attorneys working with you trust your judgment and execution.
• Clients experience you as responsive, prepared, practical, and professional.
• You understand when to make a decision independently and when an issue warrants consultation or escalation.
• You take increasing ownership of matters rather than waiting to be told what to do next.
• You contribute positively to the performance of the team and the continued improvement of the Firm.

The Kind of Attorney Who Thrives Here

We believe excellent lawyers combine high standards with intellectual honesty, resilience, curiosity, and personal responsibility.

You may thrive at Alisme Law if you:

• Take ownership of your work and follow through on commitments.
• Exercise judgment rather than relying on constant direction.
• Approach difficult problems with curiosity and a solution-oriented mindset.
• Communicate directly, professionally, and respectfully—even when you disagree.
• Welcome candid feedback and use it to improve.
• Are comfortable acknowledging mistakes, addressing them quickly, and learning from them.
• Remain steady and professional when litigation becomes demanding.
• Value systems and preparation while recognizing that excellent lawyering sometimes requires adapting to new information.
• Care deeply about producing excellent work for clients and being someone your colleagues can rely on.
• Want increasing responsibility and are prepared to earn it through consistently excellent performance.
• Our culture is built around ownership, trust, continuous improvement, and professional respect. We hold ourselves and one another to high standards because our clients depend on us, and we believe those standards can coexist with a collaborative, supportive working environment.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate will have:

• Approximately 5–8 years of meaningful commercial or business litigation experience.
• Admission to practice in New York and good standing with the New York Bar.
• Substantial experience litigating in New York state and/or federal courts.
• Excellent legal research, analytical, and writing skills.
• Experience managing discovery and substantive motion practice.
• Experience taking or defending depositions.
• The ability to manage significant litigation responsibilities with limited supervision.
• Strong professional judgment and discretion in client-facing matters.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
• The ability to communicate clearly with clients, opposing counsel, courts, and colleagues.
• Trial experience is a plus but is not required.

We care less about the name of the firm where you developed your skills than about the quality of your experience, judgment, writing, and ability to assume meaningful responsibility.

Work Expectations & Flexibility

We believe excellent lawyers should be evaluated on the quality, reliability, and results of their work—not simply on how much time they spend sitting in an office.

The Firm's baseline expectation is 30 billable hours per week across 48 working weeks, or approximately 1,440 billable hours annually.

Attorneys have substantial flexibility regarding where they perform work that does not require their physical presence. This is not a fully remote position, however. Because we litigate in New York courts, you must be able to appear in person for court proceedings, depositions, client meetings, trials, team meetings, or other matters when required.

You should therefore live within a practical commuting distance of New York City and be prepared to be physically present when the work requires it.

Compensation

Our compensation package includes:

• Base salary of $230,000–$240,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• Performance-based incentive compensation providing additional upside for attorneys who exceed the Firm's baseline productivity and performance expectations.
• Health insurance, paid time off and Firm holidays, paid attorney registration and bar association dues, Firm-paid CLE, and professional development opportunities.
• We believe compensation should recognize not only productivity, but also excellent legal work, sound judgment, client service, reliability, and contribution to the Firm.

Growth at Alisme Law

We are building a growing firm, and we want exceptional attorneys to have the opportunity to grow with it.

The immediate objective of this role is to become a highly trusted business litigator capable of assuming substantial responsibility for sophisticated matters and client relationships.

For attorneys who demonstrate sustained excellence, sound judgment, leadership ability, and strong alignment with the Firm's culture, future opportunities may include:

• Increasing responsibility for matters and client relationships.
• Mentoring and developing less-experienced attorneys.
• Leading teams of attorneys and other legal professionals.
• Taking on broader leadership responsibility within the litigation practice.
• Potential progression into a partner-level role as the Firm and the attorney's responsibilities develop.
• Advancement is not based solely on tenure. Greater responsibility and leadership are earned through demonstrated performance, judgment, trust, contribution to the Firm, and the ability to help others succeed.

Why Alisme Law?

For the right attorney, this role offers something different from simply moving from one associate position to another.

You will have the opportunity to work on sophisticated business disputes while developing the judgment and experience required to take meaningful ownership of litigation.

That means greater exposure to strategy. Greater client responsibility. More opportunities for advocacy. Direct access to the attorneys making decisions. And, as you demonstrate your capabilities, increasing responsibility for moving matters forward.

We are building a firm where talented attorneys can become exceptional business litigators and, for those who demonstrate the ability and desire to do so, eventually become leaders of other lawyers.

If that is the kind of career you want to build, we would like to hear from you.