Vice President, Legal Assets & Litigation Investing

Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.•New York, NY

4d•$225,000 - $250,000

About The Position

Oaktree is seeking a litigation attorney to join its Value Opportunities team as an investment professional. The role involves sourcing, underwriting and managing investments whose value depends on the outcome of litigation, bankruptcy proceedings or other legal processes. The team invests across public and private markets in litigation-driven securities; litigation claims and funding; bankruptcy and insolvency opportunities; awards, judgments and government claims; and law firm and settlement finance. The Vice President evaluates legal merits, damages, timing, collectability and settlement value, then translates the analysis into investment recommendations and expected returns. The position develops valuation frameworks for legal outcomes, negotiates and drafts transaction documents, monitors portfolio cases and valuations, sources new opportunities, and selects and manages outside counsel, experts and other advisors. Candidates joining directly from a law firm will be trained in underwriting and investing.

Requirements

At least five years of litigation experience with a leading law firm or litigation/appellate boutique, focused on plaintiffs’-side civil representations involving large damages claims.
At least one judicial clerkship.
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
Admission in good standing to at least one U.S. state bar.
Sound legal judgment and ability to assess likely case outcomes, timelines and value.
Excellent drafting and negotiation skills, including experience handling complex agreements.
Ability to explain complex legal issues clearly and concisely to investment professionals.
Comfort with quantitative analysis, including building simple valuation models.
Ability to manage multiple deals and cases simultaneously on a lean, fast-moving team.
Collaborative, self-directed and commercially minded.
Demonstrated interest in investing and ability to evaluate cases in terms of value, risk and return.

Nice To Haves

Meaningful exposure to antitrust, bankruptcy or bet-the-company commercial disputes.
Federal judicial clerkship; a second clerkship is also a plus.
Experience at a litigation funder or legal-assets investor after law firm practice.
Experience with contingency-fee matters, damages analysis, or class action and opt-out claims.
Familiarity with Chapter 11 proceedings, claims trading and creditor rights.

Responsibilities

Underwrite investments across the legal-assets groups, assessing merits, damages, timing, collectability and settlement value and recommending purchase prices and expected returns.
Build valuation frameworks for legal outcomes, including probability-weighted scenarios, duration and downside protection, and present recommendations to the portfolio manager and investment committee.
Negotiate and draft deal documents, including claim purchase agreements, funding agreements, DIP and law firm credit agreements, and related fee and priority arrangements; manage transactions through closing.
Monitor dockets, rulings and case developments across the portfolio and update valuations and position sizing as cases progress.
Source opportunities through relationships with law firms, claims brokers, litigation funders and restructuring professionals.
Select and manage outside counsel, experts and other advisors for diligence, transactions and contested matters.