Litigation Associate — Labor & Employment (Management-Side)

Litigation Associate — Labor & Employment (Management-Side)
Hill Farrer & Burrill LLP | Downtown Los Angeles | Full-time, On-site

Join a 103-year-old LA firm with a profit-share model that lets productive associates earn well beyond their base — without waiting for year-end.

We're seeking a California-licensed litigation associate with 1–4 years of experience to join our management-side Labor & Employment group in downtown Los Angeles. The ideal candidate brings 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. Direct experience in wage and hour, PAGA, harassment, or discrimination defense is a plus — but we will train the right civil litigator who wants to specialize in L&E.

• →Defend employers in state and federal court litigation, arbitrations, mediations, and administrative proceedings (DFEH/CRD, EEOC, DLSE)
• →Draft motions, briefs, and legal arguments on active matters, working closely with senior partners through review and filing
• →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) along with discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters
• →Draft and review employment contracts, severance agreements, employee handbooks, and workplace policies
• →Sit in on depositions early in your tenure and progress toward taking your own as you develop
• →Support day-to-day employer counseling on wage/hour issues, leaves, classification, and terminations
• →Conduct employee trainings and assist with OSHA and health-and-safety compliance matters
• →Work directly with senior partners on active client matters

Our compensation model is genuinely unusual. Associates receive a guaranteed base salary plus access to a monthly profit-share system: once you demonstrate profitability (billing and collecting in excess of your cost), the partnership can vote you onto "the system," which pays a monthly percentage of collections on top of base salary. Some associates reach this milestone in six months, others in about a year. This is built into the partnership agreement and is distinct from equity ownership — meaning productive attorneys see real economic upside throughout the year, not just at bonus time. Partners here have retired very comfortably under this structure.

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.

Fully in-person at One California Plaza, downtown Los Angeles. Remote and hybrid arrangements are not available. Candidates must be willing and able to commute to the downtown LA office full-time.

Not available. Candidates must hold active California bar admission and be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.