Litigation Attorney, General Liability Defense

Distinct | North America; Fort Lauderdale (FL); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Distinct Recruitment is assisting a client firm in Fort Lauderdale to hire a senior general liability defense attorney. The candidate will bring 8+ years in Florida civil litigation with substantial insurance defense experience and a proven trial record, capable of leading teams and managing client relationships.

The role is hybrid, based in Fort Lauderdale, with a clear path toward partnership for those who build their practice and influence the team’s outcomes.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of Florida civil litigation with substantial insurance defense experience.
• Florida Bar license in good standing.
• Trial experience you are proud of.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and manage experts on general liability matters.
• First chair trial work as a standard expectation.
• Supervise and mentor associates and review their work.
• Build direct relationships with carriers and corporate insureds.
• Direct the team on case handling and prioritization.

Skills

Florida civil litigation

Insurance defense

Trial experience

Leadership

Job description

Litigation Attorney, General Liability Defense | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $135,000 to $205,000 | General Liability Defense

Senior attorneys rarely leave over money alone.

They leave because the work stopped growing when they did. Eight or ten years into a defense career, you can run a general liability file in your sleep. What you can't always get is the authority that should come with that: your own trial calendar, your own client relationships, a say in how the team is run and a credible conversation about partnership.

I'm Ryan Jaiswal at Distinct Recruitment, and this role is pitched squarely at that level. A client firm is looking for a senior general liability defense attorney, or someone already at counsel level, for its Fort Lauderdale team.

The seat

• A docket of significant general liability matters: premises, negligent security, products, commercial and catastrophic loss claims
• First chair trial work as a matter of course, not a reward
• Leading strategy, managing experts and handling the key depositions personally
• Supervising and mentoring associates, including reviewing their work and taking them to court
• Building direct relationships with carriers and corporate insureds
• A real voice in how the team handles its matters

The person

• 8+ years of Florida civil litigation, with substantial insurance defense experience
• Florida Bar license in good standing
• Trial experience you're proud of
• The temperament to lead others without needing to hold every file yourself

The terms

• $135,000 to $205,000, deliberately broad so that serious experience is paid accordingly
• Hybrid, based in Fort Lauderdale
• A real route toward partnership for someone who builds their practice

There's a particular frustration that comes from being the most experienced lawyer on a trial team and still not being the one standing up. If that's where you are, a move at this stage isn't a restart. It's a correction.

I'm happy to keep conversations completely confidential, and I'll give you a frank view of what the opportunity looks like before you commit to anything. That includes how files are allocated, who you'd report to and what the partnership conversation would realistically look like.