Litigation Practice Leader

Lauber Municipal Law; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent compensation package

Flexible schedules

Competitive benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Lauber Municipal Law in Kansas City, Missouri is seeking a qualified Litigation Practice Leader to join its Lees Summit team. The role involves managing civil litigation processes, conducting legal research, and providing leadership in the Municipal Litigation Department.

The ideal candidate should possess a Juris Doctorate, six years of litigation experience, and demonstrate excellent communication and leadership skills. The position offers a flexible schedule and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Six years of professional litigation experience required.
• One year of courtroom experience required.
• Demonstrated leadership experience with developing teams.

Responsibilities

• Represent clients in civil matters and manage litigation processes.
• Conduct all phases of litigation for cases, including research and investigation.
• Evaluate files to determine potential liability and damages.

Skills

Complex litigation

Legal research

Team leadership

Effective communication

Education

Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school

Job description

Lauber Municipal Law is seeking a qualified Litigation Practice Leader to join our Lees Summit, Missouri, team.

THE FIRM

Lauber Municipal Law is a boutique firm founded in 2010 that exclusively represents local governments and taxing jurisdictions. The firm has offices in Lees Summit, Springfield, and Jefferson City, Missouri. We offer an excellent compensation package, flexible schedules, competitive benefits, and paid time off. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support vibrant, resilient, and inclusive communities. Our clients benefit from the partnership of our focused practice – municipal law is all we do.

THE POSITION

Candidates will have experience with all phases of complex litigation, including fact investigation, legal research, and writing, drafting discovery, preparing pleadings, taking and defending depositions, handling trials, and appearing in court for motions and pre-trail proceedings.

Candidates must be excited for the opportunity to grow and develop our Municipal Litigation Department; providing leadership, direction, and some day-to-day supervision to attorneys on all aspects of work involving civil litigation. Candidates will possess excellent personality traits that allow them to operate in a team environment and to deal with the public and elected public officials on a regular basis. The ideal candidate will be self‑motivated and situationally aware, with the ability to discern issues quickly and efficiently and confidently analyze legal questions. Current licensure in Missouri is required; federal licensure and Kansas licensure are a strong plus.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Represent clients in civil matters and manage all aspects of the litigation process.
• Conduct all phases of litigation for cases, including research, interviews, and investigation.
• Evaluate files to determine the degree of potential liability and damages.
• Handle pleadings, pre-trial discovery, trial, settlement, and appeal.
• Research and interpret existing laws and regulations to guide informed decisions and reduce risk.
• Prepare and review various agreements, contracts, and other legal documents.
• Represent clients at arbitration and other legal proceedings.
• Represent clients in bench and jury trials.
• Manage a tool to track work and prepare monthly/quarterly reports for the firm’s management team.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Juris Doctorate from an accredited law school.
• Experience: Six years of professional litigation experience.
• One year of courtroom experience (1st or 2nd chair).
• Demonstrated leadership experience with developing and growing a team.

CERTIFICATIONS / LICENSES

• Valid Driver’s License.
• Membership in or ability to obtain membership with the Missouri State Bar.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of

• Principles and applications of civil and administrative law, including those related to municipal operations, parliamentary procedures, and other legal proceedings.
• Judicial procedures and rules of evidence.
• Methods of legal research.
• Organization and management practices as applied to the analysis and evaluation of programs, policies, and operational needs.
• Principles of employee supervision, training, and performance evaluation.
• Established precedents applicable to municipal activities.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes and regulations.
• Safe driving principles and practices.

Ability to

• Provide administrative and professional leadership and direction for civil litigation and criminal prosecution.
• Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate the work of professional and administrative support personnel and delegate authority and responsibility.
• Develop, implement, and administer goals, objectives, and procedures for providing effective and efficient legal services.
• Represent clients in a wide variety of judicial and administrative proceedings.
• Prepare and present difficult cases in court.
• Present statements of law, fact, and argument clearly and logically.
• Conduct research on complex legal problems and prepare sound legal opinions.
• Analyze a wide variety of legal issues and prepare diverse legal documents.
• Interpret and apply legal principles and procedures.
• Interpret and apply federal, state, and local policies, procedures, laws, and regulations.
• Analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions and implement recommendations in support of goals.
• Research, analyze and evaluate new service delivery methods, procedures, and techniques.
• Exercise good judgment, flexibility, creativity, and sensitivity in response to changing situations and needs.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Deal with sometimes hostile and angry citizens who are involved in the justice system against their will in an effective and polite manner.

Additional requirements such as successful completion of a background check, credit check or DMV (driving record) check may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position.