Job Description
Job Description
Associate Attorney – Criminal Defense (1–3 Years, NJ/NY – Cedar Grove)
If you became a lawyer because you care deeply about people, the Constitution, and have a dream to do trial work, this is the role you've been looking for.
LGR Law is a boutique federal criminal defense firm representing clients in New Jersey and New York, with additional work in New Jersey state and municipal courts. We handle serious, high-stakes matters, but we operate as a close-knit, collaborative team that values judgment, strategy, and humanity as much as raw intellect.
What We Offer
- Salary up to $110,000 per year, depending on experience, plus benefits (health insurance, 401(k), paid time off) and a bonus structure for exceeding billable expectations.
- A genuinely balanced environment: we are a billable firm, but we are intentional about healthy work–life boundaries and sustainable hours.
- Constant courtroom exposure, federal practice experience, and individualized mentoring you will not get at a large institution.
- The chance to do meaningfully impactful work for people whose freedom and futures are on the line every single day.
How to Apply
Send a resume, a tailored cover letter explaining why you want to build your career in federal criminal defense with a small firm, a substantive writing sample (preferably a motion or brief), and 2 work references.
Compensation:
$110,000 yearly
Responsibilities:
What You'll Do
- As an associate criminal defense attorney, co-manage a federal and state criminal caseload under the mentorship of an experienced federal trial attorney, with real responsibility from day one.
- Take the lead on research and writing: motions, sentencing submissions, appellate briefs, and trial filings in federal and New Jersey state courts.
- Appear in court early and often for conferences, hearings, and arguments in federal and New Jersey state matters.
- Visit clients in federal and state jails, build trust with people in crisis, and guide them and their families through the system.
- Strategize on case theory, defenses, and sentencing approaches, always looking for creative solutions and leverage points.
- Work closely with lead attorney, as well as paralegals and staff, to keep every case on top of deadlines, rules, and judge-specific practices.
Qualifications:
Who You Are
- Licensed in New Jersey and New York, or currently licensed in one of these states and willing and able to become admitted in the second jurisdiction within a defined timeframe.
- 1–3 years of experience in criminal law, or a criminal clerkship plus at least one year of criminal practice; federal or trial experience is a plus but not required.
- A builder of strategy: you see patterns in facts, spot issues quickly, and enjoy crafting smart, persuasive arguments on paper and in person.
- A true people person who can connect with clients, families, judges, AUSAs/ADAs, and court staff with empathy, candor, and professionalism.
- Obsessed with high-quality writing, research, and preparation, you take pride in your excellent persuasive writing skills and rock-solid research ability.
- Hungry to learn, have the ability to take feedback, and grow into a first-chair federal trial lawyer.
- Eager to jump in and get on your feet in court as soon as possible.
- Able to work full-time, in person, in our Cedar Grove, New Jersey office, with a car and willingness to travel regularly to courts and jails in New Jersey and New York.
- Able to delegate and lead a team of paralegals and legal assistants.
About Company
We are a woman-owned, highly regarded federal criminal defense boutique law firm with offices in New Jersey and New York. We fight for clients' rights and protect their freedom. We offer health insurance, 401(k), paid vacation days, holidays, sick leave, and bonuses.