Job Description
Boutique Complex Litigation Firm | Research & Writing Attorney
South Pasadena and/or Long Beach, CA
About Our Firm
We are an elite boutique litigation firm handling high-stakes plaintiff-side matters, including catastrophic personal injury, product liability, complex civil litigation, and class actions. Our cases often involve aerospace, automotive, trucking, motorcycle, product defect, consumer protection, mass harm, and other technically or legally complex issues.
Our small team has secured eight- and nine-figure settlements and verdicts against Fortune 500 companies, combining deep technical expertise with exceptional legal advocacy. We are expanding our presence with a new Long Beach office while maintaining strong ties to our Los Angeles-area headquarters in South Pasadena.
The Opportunity
We seek an exceptional Research & Writing Attorney to join our growing complex litigation practice.
This role is ideal for a highly talented lawyer who loves legal research, persuasive writing, complex civil litigation, class actions, and high-stakes advocacy — but who does not necessarily want a traditional litigation role focused on depositions, court appearances, or day-to-day case management.
The attorney will focus primarily on law and motion, pleadings, dispositive motions, complex legal research, written advocacy, and strategic litigation analysis in catastrophic injury cases, product liability matters, class actions, and other complex civil litigation. Court appearances and depositions are not required, though opportunities may be available for candidates who want them.
Core Responsibilities
- Draft pleadings, motions, oppositions, replies, and other litigation filings in state and federal court
- Conduct sophisticated legal research and analysis on complex civil litigation issues
- Prepare dispositive motions, discovery motions, motions in limine, class certification briefing, trial briefs, and post-trial motions
- Analyze legal issues involving product liability, negligence, causation, damages, regulatory compliance, federal preemption, class certification, consumer protection statutes, evidentiary disputes, and procedural strategy
- Work closely with senior attorneys and the Managing Partner on high-stakes catastrophic injury, product liability, class action, and complex civil litigation matters
- Translate complex factual, technical, and legal issues into clear, persuasive written advocacy
- Assist with case strategy, issue spotting, preservation of error, and appellate-oriented analysis
- Draft complaints and amended pleadings in complex matters involving multiple defendants, technical facts, statutory claims, and significant damages
- Collaborate with technical experts, consultants, and litigation teams to understand engineering, accident reconstruction, product-failure, industry-practice, damages, and class-wide liability issues
- Help shape litigation strategy through strong written work and rigorous legal analysis
Required Qualifications
- J.D. from an accredited law school with a strong academic record
- Licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. state
- Located in California (or open to relocate to California) and willing to work from either our South Pasadena or Long Beach office
- Experience in both state and federal litigation
- Experience with complex civil litigation matters
- Exceptional legal research, analytical, and writing skills
- Ability to draft polished, persuasive, and strategically sound briefs with meticulous attention to detail
- Strong command of civil procedure, motion practice, evidentiary issues, and litigation strategy
- Ability to manage multiple assignments in high-stakes cases with precision and good judgment
- Genuine interest in plaintiff-side advocacy, complex litigation, and holding powerful entities accountable
Preferred Qualifications
- 3+ years of litigation experience, preferably involving complex civil litigation, catastrophic personal injury, product liability, mass torts, class actions, appellate work, or sophisticated motion practice
- Prior experience drafting dispositive motions, oppositions, motions in limine, trial briefs, class certification briefing, or appellate briefs
- Federal court experience
- California litigation experience
- Judicial clerkship experience
- Law review, moot court, or other significant writing-focused credentials
- Experience with aviation, automotive, trucking, product defect, consumer protection, class action, mass tort, or catastrophic injury litigation
- Comfort analyzing technical documents, engineering materials, regulatory standards, corporate policies, expert reports, or class-wide evidence
- Technical undergraduate degree or demonstrated ability to understand complex technical subject matter
What Sets You Apart
- You are an exceptional writer who takes pride in clarity, precision, structure, and persuasion
- You enjoy deep legal research, complex issue spotting, and sophisticated motion practice
- You can distill complicated law, facts, technical evidence, and procedural issues into compelling written advocacy
- You think strategically about how motions, pleadings, class certification issues, and dispositive briefing shape the trajectory of a case
- You have intellectual curiosity about how products fail, how corporations make decisions, how systemic practices affect large groups of people, and how complex disputes can be proven
- You are detail-oriented without losing sight of the broader litigation strategy
- You want to do meaningful plaintiff-side work on cases that can change lives, improve public safety, and hold powerful entities accountable
Role Structure
This is primarily a research, writing, pleadings, and law-and-motion role. The attorney will not be required to take depositions or appear in court, though those opportunities may be available for attorneys who want to develop in those areas.
The position requires regular in-office work at either our South Pasadena or Long Beach office. After the first year, there may be a conversation about a hybrid work arrangement depending on performance, firm needs, and the attorney’s role within the team.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
- Performance-based bonus structure
- Health insurance contributions
- Continuing legal education support
- Opportunity to work on landmark catastrophic injury, product liability, class action, and complex civil litigation matters
- Close collaboration with senior trial attorneys on complex, high-value litigation
- Career advancement opportunities for exceptional performers
Application Requirements
Submit the following to sh@xlawx.com:
- Resume
- Cover letter addressing your interest in complex plaintiff-side litigation and legal writing
- Law school transcript, unofficial acceptable
- Two legal writing samples, preferably litigation briefs
- Three professional references
Location: South Pasadena, CA or Long Beach, CA
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team.
Please, no calls or drop-ins. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.