Senior Litigation Attorney

Distinct | North America; Virginia Beach (VA); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with profit sharing

Medical, dental and vision

Life and AD&D

Short/long term disability

FSAs

Holiday pay

Job summary

Distinct Recruitment is seeking a Senior Litigation Attorney for our Virginia Beach client. The role is hybrid, with autonomy to run cases from filing through verdict in civil defense matters. You will handle insurance-defense files, manage motions, depositions, and trial prep, and develop client relationships.

Ten-plus years of experience and strong trial skills are essential. This is a long-term position with a deliberate growth plan and a competitive benefits package, including 401(k) with

Qualifications

• JD required with bar admission in good standing.
• 10+ years of civil litigation defense experience.
• Experience with insurance defense clients.

Responsibilities

• Run cases from filing through verdict without supervisor.
• Handle motions, depositions, and trial prep.
• Negotiate settlements and manage client relationships.

Skills

Civil litigation defense

Solo file management

Insurance clients

Trial experience

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Bar admission

Job description

Senior Litigation Attorney | Virginia Beach, VA (Hybrid) | $175,000 to $225,000 | Civil Litigation Defense

A firm that says it wants to grow slowly is telling you something most firms won’t. It’s hiring for the long run, not the next quarter.

I’m a recruiter at Distinct Recruitment. I’m hiring a senior litigator for a national civil defense firm that’s building its Virginia Beach practice, and doing it deliberately. They want someone with 10+ years who can take a file from the day suit is filed to verdict without a supervisor copied on every email.

The questions senior litigators ask me first

Will I actually run my own cases?

• Yes. That’s the brief. Suit inception through settlement or trial.
• Motions, memos, depositions and trial prep are already second nature to you. Here you lead them. You don’t hand them up.

What’s on the docket?

• General liability
• Product liability
• Professional liability

Who are the clients?

• Insurance defense is the core. You’ll deal directly with carriers and their insureds, so experience with insurance clients is a must.
• Beyond that, the client list runs from Fortune 100 companies to individuals and small business owners. Both get the same seriousness.

Is the money real?

• $175,000 to $225,000. They’re hiring across two levels.
• Toward $175,000: around 10 years of civil defense, confident running files solo.
• Toward $225,000: well beyond that, with heavier trial experience and insurance client relationships you already own.

Do I have to be in the office?

• Hybrid. Home and office both count, and flexible schedules come with the job. You don’t earn them in year two.

Why would a national firm care about one office?

• Because Virginia Beach is where they’re growing. Local docket, national resources behind you, and room to shape a practice that’s still taking form.

What you need

• A JD.
• Other bars help. One is fine.
• 10+ years of civil litigation defense, including work for insurance clients.

What comes with it

• 401(k) with profit sharing
• Medical, dental and vision
• Life and AD&D, plus short and long term disability
• Medical and dependent care FSAs
• Holiday pay