Senior Trial Attorney

Zurich•Chicago, IL

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Zurich is looking for a Sr. Trial Attorney to join our in-house Chicago Staff Legal team. This Trial Attorney will be responsible for defending commercial insureds in workers’ compensation matters filed in Illinois. At Zurich North America, we acknowledge that work-life balance and flexibility are a priority when it comes to choosing your next career move. Designed with our employees' needs in mind, the ZNA hybrid work model emphasizes flexibility, allowing employees to conduct individual work in their preferred location, while facilitating in-person connections and collaborative activities when meaningful and valuable. While the model provides a high level of flexibility and autonomy, occasional circumstances requiring in-office attendance should be expected. The candidate selected for this opportunity should be able to report out of Zurich’s Downtown Chicago office on a hybrid basis (1 day/week) or work from home in the Central/Southern Illinois area and will handle cases throughout Central and Southern Illinois. Ready for a career move? Consider working for a company with a global footprint that offers an incentive plan, terrific benefits including a dollar-for-dollar 401K Match and a second 401K contribution, flexible work options, a hybrid work schedule and a great culture. The selected candidate will perform duties encompassing all aspects of workers’ compensation defense, including initial investigation and legal analysis and advice, preparing and filing legal pleadings and documents, performing legal research, preparing for and aggressively handling pre-trials, arbitrations, hearings, and trials, and conducting post-trial activities where appropriate, including Commission Appeals, Circuit Court Appeals, and Appellate Court Appeals. We look for demonstrated case analysis ability and a track record of proven trial and negotiation skills, along with the ability to work independently and without substantial supervision. The successful candidate must have strong computer skills and be able to handle remote team-based work which requires them to use video conferencing, task assignments, and other computer-based systems.

Requirements

Juris Doctor and 7 or more years of experience in the Litigation area.
Member of the Bar in good standing in jurisdiction(s) in which practice is located.
Experience with Microsoft Office and Adobe.
Experience working with Lexis or Westlaw.
Demonstrated case analysis ability.
Proven trial and negotiation skills.
Ability to work independently and without substantial supervision.
Strong computer skills.

Nice To Haves

Juris Doctor and 7 or more years of experience in the workers’ compensation area.
Knowledge of the insurance industry, claims and the insurance defense litigation legal environment.
Knowledge of the insurance industry, claims and the worker’s compensation litigation legal environment.
Well organized with good analytical skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Proactive approach to file handling and caseloads.
Able to work independently as well as within a team environment.
Experience taking worker’s compensation matters to final Arbitration Hearing, and handling appeals to the Commission and above.
Ability to budget costs and calculate exposure for clients.
Efficient work habits, knowledge of billables and diary review with substantive and procedural legal knowledge.
Understands the staff counsel function and role in overall business.
Prior experience in the worker’s compensation environment.
Strong negotiation skills.
Effective problem-solving skills.
Experience working in a team-based environment.
Strong collaboration skills.
PC literate.

Responsibilities

Defending commercial insureds in workers’ compensation matters filed in Illinois.
Performing duties encompassing all aspects of workers’ compensation defense, including initial investigation and legal analysis and advice.
Preparing and filing legal pleadings and documents.
Performing legal research.
Preparing for and aggressively handling pre-trials, arbitrations, hearings, and trials.
Conducting post-trial activities where appropriate, including Commission Appeals, Circuit Court Appeals, and Appellate Court Appeals.
Handling remote team-based work which requires them to use video conferencing, task assignments, and other computer-based systems.