Litigation Attorney

Sweet James•Dallas, TX

About The Position

Sweet James Accident Attorneys is hiring a Litigation Attorney to serve as a Team Lead in its pod-based litigation model. Each pod pairs a Team Lead and experienced Associates with dedicated support staff, including paralegals and litigation assistants, and is backed by firm-wide calendar, records, and settlement functions. The Team Lead owns the outcomes of the team's case portfolio, sets case strategy, determines which matters to build and which to resolve, and ensures that necessary work is assigned and completed. The role personally handles senior-level legal work, including expert discovery, key depositions, high-value mediations, complaints, and trial. The Team Lead also manages and develops the team by running meetings and one-on-ones, setting the demand cadence, coaching Associates, reviewing all court filings, and reporting weekly to litigation leadership. The firm describes successful Team Leads who build strong teams and manage large portfolios as candidates for future litigation leadership. Sweet James is an AI-powered personal injury firm based in Orange County, California, with a fast-paced, collaborative culture focused on client experience, professional growth, and results.

Requirements

Juris Doctor degree.
Active license to practice law in the state where the role is located.
Five or more years of civil litigation experience, including at least three years of plaintiff-side personal injury experience.
Experience serving as lead counsel and owning personal injury files from start to finish, including sole responsibility for setting settlement value.
Experience preparing cases for trial.
Expert discovery experience, including taking defense expert depositions and defending the team's own experts.
Mediation experience as the attorney driving the process end to end.
Demonstrated ability to lead by example, delegate, follow through, and develop less experienced attorneys.
Strong negotiation skills and a deep understanding of how personal injury cases are valued and how value is created.

Nice To Haves

Trial experience as first or second chair.
Prior experience leading a team of attorneys and support staff.
Daily use of a case management platform, such as Salesforce or Filevine.

Responsibilities

Review every new case with the team, set its strategy and goals, and identify the work to be done.
Prioritize the portfolio by building high-value cases and resolving cases that should settle.
Conduct the introductory call with each new client and own the relationship on the team's largest cases.
Draft complaints and ensure the correct parties are named within the statute of limitations.
Own expert discovery, including designating and managing experts, taking defense expert depositions, and defending the team's experts.
Take and defend key depositions in each case, including those of high-value plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses.
Prepare for and attend high-value mediations; negotiate and settle within delegated authority.
Prepare and try cases, with support from Associates.
Set and track the team's weekly demand cadence and prepare demands on the largest files.
Review everything filed with the court and ensure the team's compliance with the firm's AI use policy.
Lead team meetings, one-on-ones, coaching, and conflict resolution.
Provide a weekly status report to litigation leadership.