Senior Civil Litigation Attorney — Premises / General Liability Defense

Senior Civil Litigation Attorney — Premises / General Liability DefenseLocation: Irvine, CA (in-office with occasional flexibility)Experience: 8–15 yearsBase Salary: $170,000–$210,000 DOEBillable Target: 1,600 hours/yearCompany SummaryWe're a Southern California law firm with offices in Irvine and San Diego, practicing in civil litigation, business, and trusts & estates. Our team is built for high-quality work, practical collaboration, and long-term sustainability. We believe attorneys do their best work when they're supported, trusted, and given room to lead.Position SummaryWe're hiring a senior civil litigator to run a substantial caseload of premises and general liability defense matters for a long-standing, self-insured institutional client, handling files from inception through resolution.

Beyond your own caseload, you'll supervise and mentor junior associates, delegate matters, and help manage workflow across the litigation team. This is a leadership-track role in a growing practice, with the opportunity to also handle trust and estate litigation.Key ResponsibilitiesIndependently manage a substantial caseload of civil defense matters (premises and general liability) from intake through resolutionTake and defend depositions of parties, witnesses, and expertsDraft and argue dispositive and non-dispositive motions (MSJ, demurrers, motions in limine)Conduct and oversee discovery, manage experts, and prepare mediation materialsCommunicate directly with a self-insured client and provide strategy and case analysisSupervise and mentor junior associates, delegate matters, and manage team workflowPrepare exhibits, witness lists, and trial binders, and support cases through trial as neededMaintain a 1,600 billable-hour target and consistently meet deadlinesQualifications8–15 years of civil or insurance defense litigation experienceStrong premises liability and general liability defense backgroundDemonstrated ability to manage cases independently from inception through resolutionExperience supervising and mentoring junior associates and managing litigation workflowStrong deposition and motion practice experienceActive California State Bar membership in good standingExcellent written and verbal communicationOrganized, proactive, and able to handle a substantial caseload with autonomyNice to HaveSecond-chair or first-chair trial experienceExperience with self-insured or corporate defense clientsTrust and estate litigation experienceWhy This RoleManageable 1,600 billable targetSelf-insured client means no carrier billing guidelines or micromanagementGenuine leadership track with the ability to build and supervise a teamIn-office collaboration with real flexibility, and no weekend workFamily-friendly, balanced environment with meaningful professional autonomy and a long-term home