About the role
What we're looking for:
We're seeking a California-licensed litigation associate with 1–7 years of experience (sweet spot 1–4) to join our management-side Labor & Employment group in downtown Los Angeles. You should have strong legal research and writing skills, a serious approach to work product, and a genuine interest in building a long-term practice at a stable, collegial firm. Bonus points if you have direct wage and hour, PAGA, harassment, or discrimination defense experience — but we will train the right civil litigator who wants to specialize in L&E.
What you'll do:
- Defend employers in state and federal court litigation, arbitrations, mediations, and administrative proceedings (DFEH/CRD, EEOC, DLSE)
- Draft motions, briefs, and legal arguments to lay the foundation for senior partners to refine and submit
- Conduct thorough legal research using Westlaw and Lexis to support active matters across the L&E practice
- Handle wage and hour defense (single-plaintiff and class/PAGA) and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters
- Draft and review employment contracts, severance agreements, employee handbooks, and workplace policies
- Sit in on depositions early in tenure and progress toward taking your own depositions as you develop
- Support day-to-day employer counseling on wage/hour issues, leaves, classification, and terminations
- Conduct employee trainings and assist with OSHA/health-and-safety compliance matters
- Work directly with partners Jim Bowles, Warren Higgins, Sean McLaughlin, and Michael Turner on active client matters
About Hill Farrer & Burrill LLP:
We are a 103-year-old, single-office Los Angeles law firm headquartered at One California Plaza in downtown LA. With approximately 40 attorneys and 35 support staff, we are a sophisticated mid-sized firm with deep, long-tenured client relationships — some spanning decades. We are debt-free, low-turnover, and built on loyalty and stability. Our compensation model is unique: associates receive a guaranteed base salary plus access to a monthly profit-share system once they demonstrate profitability, giving productive attorneys real economic upside without waiting for a year-end bonus. Partners here have retired very comfortably under this structure.