Supervising Litigation Attorney
The Supervising Litigation Attorney oversees a high-volume litigation caseload and manages a multi-tiered legal team including associate attorneys, law clerks, legal assistants, and paralegals. This role requires strong organizational leadership, sound case strategy judgment, and the ability to manage competing deadlines across a large docket while maintaining quality control over discovery, motion practice, and client communication. The ideal candidate is a resilient, level-headed leader who can effectively manage strong personalities across the team and with opposing counsel.
Responsibilities:
Caseload & Docket Management
- Oversee a high-volume caseload of approximately 1,400 litigation matters
- Manage and monitor case dockets to ensure all deadlines, filings, and court dates are tracked and met
- Prioritize case assignments across the team based on urgency, complexity, and staffing capacity
- Identify at-risk cases (approaching deadlines, discovery disputes, escalations) and redirect resources as needed
Supervision of Legal Work Product
- Supervise the drafting and review of motions to compel and related discovery motions
- Supervise the drafting of requests and responses related to depositions and vehicle inspections
- Supervise the preparation and drafting of motions for terminating sanctions
- Review work product from attorneys, law clerks, legal assistants, and paralegals for accuracy, strategy alignment, and compliance with court rules before filing
- Ensure discovery disputes are escalated and resolved appropriately (meet-and-confer, motion practice, hearings)
Deposition & Hearing Oversight
- Supervise scheduling and coordination of depositions across the caseload
- Attend and/or oversee in-person and virtual hearings on a daily basis given the high-volume caseload
- Ensure attorneys are adequately prepared for depositions, hearings, and inspections
Case Strategy & Client Relations
- Develop and direct case strategy across the team's caseload, adjusting approach based on case posture, exposure, and client goals
- Handle escalated client calls, including sensitive or high-conflict situations requiring senior-level judgment
- Communicate case status, strategy, and risk assessments clearly to clients
- Serve as a point of contact for complex or contentious matters requiring direct partner/client-facing involvement
Communication & Team Leadership
- Communicate professionally and strategically with opposing counsel on case matters, scheduling, and disputes
- Manage day-to-day email communication across a high case volume with prompt, organized responses
- Lead, mentor, and manage a team of attorneys, law clerks, legal assistants, and paralegals
- Navigate and de-escalate conflicts involving strong, assertive, or difficult personalities — both internally and with opposing counsel
- Delegate tasks effectively while maintaining accountability for outcomes across the team
- Conduct regular check-ins with team members to monitor workload, morale, and case progress
Skills & Competencies
- Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities across a large docket
- Strong leadership and conflict-management skills, including the ability to work effectively with difficult or strong personalities
- Sound, decisive case strategy judgment under time pressure
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including professional correspondence with opposing counsel
- Comfort with both in-person and virtual court appearances and hearings
- Proficiency with case management and docketing software, e-discovery tools, and email/communication platforms
- Composure and professionalism in high-pressure, high-conflict situations (escalated clients, contentious opposing counsel)
Requirements:
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an ABA-accredited law school
- Active license to practice law in California
- Minimum of 5 years of civil litigation experience, ideally including high-volume defense litigation (e.g., insurance defense, personal injury, or similar practice area)
- Demonstrated experience managing a large caseload and supervising a multi-role legal team
- Experience with discovery motion practice, including motions to compel and terminating sanctions
- Strong track record of managing depositions, hearings, and inspections at scale
