Litigation Associate, Bodily Injury Defense

Distinct | North America; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 125,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Office in Orlando

Path toward partnership

Job summary

Distinct Recruitment in Orlando is seeking a Litigation Associate for bodily injury defense. The role is office-based, supporting a client firm with active auto, premises, and general negligence defense work.

You will manage files from strategy through discovery, take depositions, and handle hearings and motions as you build trial experience. Strong Florida civil litigation background preferred; insurance defense is ideal.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of Florida civil litigation, ideally in insurance defense.

Responsibilities

• Bodily injury and personal injury defense across auto, premises and general negligence claims
• Managing your own files, including strategy, discovery and carrier reporting
• Taking depositions of plaintiffs, treating providers and experts, and defending your clients' depositions
• Arguing hearings and motions in your own name
• Trial preparation, trial work and, as your record grows, first chair responsibility
• Working directly with adjusters and insured clients

Skills

Florida civil litigation

Insurance defense

Job description

Litigation Associate, Bodily Injury Defense | Orlando, FL | $125,000 to $195,000 | Bodily Injury / Personal Injury Defense

Exposure is the currency of a litigation career, and many associates are quietly underpaid in it.

You can tell with a simple audit. Count the depositions you took last quarter. Count the hearings you argued. Count the times a client called you rather than the partner. If those numbers are low, it isn't a reflection of your ability. It's a reflection of how the work is distributed.

I'm Ryan Jaiswal at Distinct Recruitment, and I'm hiring a bodily injury defense associate in Orlando for a client firm where those numbers go up. The role is fully in the office, with the team around you.

Where your time goes

• Bodily injury and personal injury defense across auto, premises and general negligence claims
• Managing your own files, including strategy, discovery and carrier reporting
• Taking depositions of plaintiffs, treating providers and experts, and defending your clients' depositions
• Arguing hearings and motions in your own name
• Trial preparation, trial work and, as your record grows, first chair responsibility
• Working directly with adjusters and insured clients

What you need

• 2+ years of Florida civil litigation, ideally in insurance defense
• Organization, judgment and an appetite for courtroom work

How the role grows

For a senior associate or counsel level attorney, the role comes with the heavier injury files, leadership on trial teams, supervising newer attorneys and closer client relationships. The pay range is broad on purpose, so experienced attorneys are paid properly for all of that.

What you get

• $125,000 to $195,000, depending on experience
• Office based in Orlando, alongside the partners and team
• A path toward partnership as you build your practice

Being in the office every day has a practical upside here. The informal moments, a quick question after a hearing or a partner pulling you into a strategy call, are often where trial skills get sharpened fastest.

Run the audit. If the numbers aren't where you want them, let's talk.