Litigation Associate (Commercial Litigation)

Legal Kapital; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Kapital is seeking a 4th–5th year Litigation Associate to join its Commercial Litigation group in Los Angeles, CA. The role emphasizes leadership in complex disputes, direct collaboration with senior trial lawyers, and rapid professional development within a growing LA office.

The ideal candidate will manage key phases of sophisticated commercial disputes, including business-to-business and breach of contract matters, with experience in depositions, motions, and witness preparation.

Qualifications

• 4–5 years of sophisticated commercial litigation experience.
• Active admission to the California Bar.
• Strong legal research and drafting experience.
• Experience drafting pleadings and dispositive and non‑dispositive motions.
• Experience taking and defending depositions.
• Experience with witness preparation and trial preparation.
• Outstanding academic credentials.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and case‑management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage key phases of complex, high‑stakes commercial litigation matters.
• Handle written discovery and document discovery.
• Conduct sophisticated legal research and draft legal memoranda.
• Draft pleadings and dispositive and non‑dispositive motions.
• Take and defend depositions.
• Assist with witness preparation.
• Support all aspects of trial preparation and litigation strategy.
• Work directly and collaboratively with partners and clients.
• Manage matters independently while contributing effectively within a high‑performing litigation team.

Skills

California Bar

Legal research

Drafting pleadings

Deposition experience

Verbal communication

Analytical skills

Organizational skills

Independent work

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Tools

Westlaw/Lexis

Job description

Role: Litigation Associate (Commercial Litigation)

Experience: 4–5 Years

Work Arrangement: Hybrid – Minimum 3 Days In Office; Los Angeles Team Prefers Approximately 4 Days In Office....

POSITION OVERVIEW

A leading international law firm is seeking a talented 4th–5th year Litigation Associate to join its Commercial Litigation group in Los Angeles, California.

The ideal candidate will have hands‑on experience managing key phases of sophisticated, high‑stakes commercial disputes. The practice focuses primarily on complex business litigation, including business‑to‑business disputes, breach of contract matters, partner and shareholder disputes, derivative actions, and matters involving brand and reputation.

This is not an insurance defense‑focused, environmental litigation, or primarily product liability role. Candidates should have substantive experience handling sophisticated commercial disputes.The position offers significant responsibility, direct collaboration with senior trial lawyers, and accelerated professional development within a growing Los Angeles office.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage key phases of complex, high‑stakes commercial litigation matters.
• Handle written discovery and document discovery.
• Conduct sophisticated legal research and draft legal memoranda.
• Draft pleadings and dispositive and non‑dispositive motions.
• Take and defend depositions.
• Assist with witness preparation.
• Support all aspects of trial preparation and litigation strategy.
• Work directly and collaboratively with partners and clients.
• Manage matters independently while contributing effectively within a high‑performing litigation team.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 4–5 years of sophisticated commercial litigation experience.
• Active admission to the California Bar.
• Strong legal research and drafting experience.
• Experience drafting pleadings and dispositive and non‑dispositive motions.
• Experience taking and defending depositions.
• Experience with witness preparation and trial preparation.
• Outstanding academic credentials.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and case‑management abilities.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience with complex business‑to‑business commercial disputes.
• Breach of contract litigation.
• Partner, shareholder, or derivative actions.
• Brand and reputation‑related matters.
• Experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants.
• Comparable experience at an Am Law 200, BigLaw, or sophisticated high‑end litigation boutique.
• Judicial clerkship experience.
• Interest in entertainment‑related litigation and high‑profile client matters.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

The strongest candidate will be a proactive, sophisticated commercial litigator who can take meaningful ownership of matters and operate effectively with both independence and partner supervision. The firm is particularly interested in candidates with stable employment histories. For an attorney at the 4th–5th year level, excessive lateral movement may be viewed as a concern. Candidates should ideally demonstrate meaningful tenure at their prior firms.

Strong academic performance is important. Candidates do not necessarily need to come from a T14 law school; strong performers from nationally recognized law schools will also be considered.

Candidates currently outside California may be considered if they are already admitted to the California Bar and genuinely willing to relocate. Candidates who have not yet been admitted to the California Bar will not be suitable for this search.

This is a particularly compelling opportunity to join a recently established Los Angeles office during an important stage of its growth.

The office was launched with a team of experienced attorneys, including multiple litigation partners, litigation counsel, and an associate. The successful candidate will join a growing team and serve as a key associate‑level addition to the office.

The role is fundamentally a commercial litigation position, but the associate may also have opportunities to support matters involving high‑profile individuals, entertainment‑related issues, and brand and reputation management.

This creates an opportunity for a strong commercial litigator to join a growing office, work closely with experienced partners, and become part of a foundational team as the practice continues to expand.

WORK ARRANGEMENT

The firm's standard hybrid policy requires three days in the office, generally Tuesday through Thursday.

The Los Angeles team is a smaller, highly collaborative office and prefers attorneys who are comfortable working in the office approximately four days per week.

WHY CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY

• Join a growing Los Angeles office at a foundational stage.
• Work on sophisticated, high‑stakes commercial disputes.
• Gain direct exposure to experienced trial lawyers and senior partners.
• Take on meaningful responsibility and accelerate professional development.
• Potential exposure to brand, reputation, entertainment‑related, and high‑profile matters.
• Work with a creative, high‑performing team of trial lawyers.
• Opportunity to handle matters from discovery through depositions, motions, trial preparation, and strategy.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Interested candidates should submit a resume and relevant supporting materials for confidential consideration.