Labor & Employment Attorney
Job description
About the role
The platform supports complex wage and hour, class action, and PAGA litigation with structured infrastructure and cross-market opportunity. This role is situated within the Labor and Employment practice, where you will operate at the intersection of high-stakes litigation and sophisticated client advisory. You will own the strategic defense of California wage and hour disputes, ensuring that client interests are protected while business momentum is maintained. The position demands precision in legal analysis and judgment to navigate employment disputes and compliance challenges. You will leverage structured infrastructure to deliver efficient and scalable legal solutions across different markets. The role involves close collaboration with credit, operations, and client service teams to align legal strategy with business objectives. Success in this position will depend on your ability to manage risk while enabling deals and launches that keep the business moving. Confidentiality and deadline discipline are constant requirements as you handle sensitive matters for management-side clients.
Key facts
What you'll do
Conduct defense strategies in California wage and hour disputes, including class action and PAGA litigation under management-side guidance. Integrate portable book-of-business matters with credit and compensation models to grow client relationships across multiple markets. Supervise case work and legal teams to ensure sophisticated client expectations are met with consistent quality and timeliness. Exercise practice autonomy within a national framework to access matter support and pursue cross-market opportunities. Apply core litigation skills specific to employment defense, focusing on complex and high-risk matters. Navigate PAGA, wage claims, and other complex employment litigation with precision and adherence to procedural requirements. Develop and execute client origination strategies that leverage practice management and business development capabilities. Collaborate closely with credit, operations, and client service teams to align legal advice with broader business outcomes. Interpret and advise on contracts, deals, and disputes while maintaining strict compliance with regulatory obligations. Build and lead the firm's California platform by demonstrating interest in platform development and long-term practice growth.
Requirements
Hold a bachelor's degree as a prerequisite for admission and practice in the jurisdiction. Candidates must possess a degree to satisfy the formal requirements for admission and to practice law. Bring Management-side California Labor and Employment experience as a non-negotiable foundation for this role. Demonstrate strength in wage and hour class actions and PAGA litigation, with a proven ability to handle complex matters. Maintain an active California license to practice law, with remote flexibility permitted within California boundaries. Show experience leading complex legal matters and supervising legal teams to achieve demanding client standards. Provide a track record of portable business development and continued growth in book-of-business value. Adopt a collaborative, team-oriented approach to practice development and knowledge sharing. Express a clear interest in helping build and lead the firm's California platform over time. Comply with the stated eligibility criteria and hard bars without exception.
Nice to have
Prior partnership experience in a national firm setting is preferred as it aligns with expectations for leadership and business development. Familiarity with modern legal technology and AI tools is advantageous for efficiency and client service innovation.
Skills & tools
Utilize core litigation skills tailored to employment defense, wage and hour disputes, and class action defense strategies. Handle experience with PAGA, wage claims, and complex employment litigation from initial intake to resolution. Apply practice management and business development capabilities to drive client origination and retention. Work in collaboration with credit, operations, and client service teams to integrate legal advice into broader workflows.
Practical notes
This role requires a California-based license to practice law and strictly adheres to pay transparency ranges. Remote flexibility is available within California, with optional travel to client sites and internal team meetings as needed. The position is full-time and based in San Francisco, Canada, under standard employment terms.
Typical interview steps
Legal interviews usually include a contract review exercise, a compliance scenario, and behavioral rounds to assess fit and capability. Candidates may be asked to flag issues in a sample agreement or explain a regulatory question to test practical knowledge. Past experience with specific practice areas carries the most weight in evaluation decisions. Interviewers often present a sample contract and ask what you would flag to assess risk identification. Working through the exercise out loud, addressing risk by risk, is recognized as the strongest approach to demonstrating competence.
Career growth
Legal careers grow from associate to senior counsel, general counsel, and chief legal officer roles, with increasing responsibility for strategy and oversight. Compliance specialists can advance into risk or governance leadership positions within broader operational contexts. Specialization by practice area, from employment law to corporate transactions, is common and encouraged based on interest and aptitude. Legal careers reward precision, reliability, and commercial awareness in high-stakes environments. In-house roles value speed and judgment over exhaustive analysis, requiring adaptability and clear decision-making.
Questions to ask
Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question that can reveal cultural and performance expectations. Keep the list short and prioritize the questions that matter most to your career goals and working style.
About the company
Let us introduce ourselves. livingHR is the remote-first, professional services "work agency" created to make work better. We have served over 400+ organizations to provide human-centric, future-of-work ready, HR-managed services, professional services, and products to augment HR and People functions around the world.