Litigation Associate, Medical Malpractice Defense

Distinct | North America; West Palm Beach (FL); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Distinct Recruitment seeks a Litigation Associate for a West Palm Beach-based insurance defense firm specializing in medical malpractice.

The role emphasizes reading complex medical records, managing depositions, and building cases from presuit through resolution, with hybrid work and a salary range of $125,000 to $200,000.

Early exposure to depositions and direct client contact is offered, alongside opportunities to draft motions, retain experts, and participate in mediation and trial prep.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of litigation experience
• Medical malpractice experience is a plus but strong defense litigators are welcome
• Patience with complex records and a methodical approach to chronologies
• Good judgment in front of clients

Responsibilities

• Caseload of medical malpractice defense matters from presuit through resolution
• Working closely with defendant physicians and nurses, and handling depositions
• Retaining and preparing expert witnesses
• Drafting and arguing motions
• Mediation and trial preparation, with trial involvement as cases go the distance

Job description

Litigation Associate | West Palm Beach, FL | $125,000 to $200,000 | Medical Malpractice

Who actually reads the medical records on your files?

I don't mean skims the discharge summary. I mean sits with the nursing notes, the medication administration record and the radiology reports until the timeline makes sense. In good medical malpractice defense, that person is the associate. It's also the person who should be taking the depositions that follow.

I'm Ryan Jaiswal of Distinct Recruitment. I'm recruiting a Litigation Associate for an insurance defense firm in West Palm Beach, defending physicians, nurses and healthcare facilities. They want an associate who reads the records properly, and they'll put that associate in the room where it counts.

• A caseload of medical malpractice defense matters you manage from presuit through resolution
• Working closely with defendant physicians and nurses, many of whom are understandably anxious about being sued
• Taking and defending depositions of treaters, experts and parties
• Retaining and preparing expert witnesses
• Drafting and arguing motions
• Mediation and trial preparation, with trial involvement as cases go the distance

There's a human side to this practice that people underestimate. A doctor who has never been sued needs someone who can explain the process calmly, prepare them thoroughly and keep them steady at deposition. Associates who handle that well earn trust from clients and partners alike, and that trust turns into responsibility.

Requirements

• 2+ years of litigation experience. Medical malpractice experience is a plus but strong defense litigators are welcome
• Patience with complex records and a methodical approach to chronologies
• Good judgment in front of clients

How it works

• Hybrid, based in West Palm Beach
• $125,000 to $200,000, a broad band built to cover everyone from mid level associates up to counsel level lawyers
• Real exposure early: your own depositions, your own hearings, direct client contact

Why West Palm Beach, and why now

South Florida healthcare is enormous, and so is the defense work that follows it. A good med mal associate in West Palm Beach builds a very portable skill set. This seat gives you the files and the responsibility to build it properly rather than slowly.

Who I think will like this

Someone who enjoys medicine but chose law. Someone who likes being the most prepared person in the room. Someone who has been ready for more responsibility for a while and is quietly frustrated it hasn't arrived.