Litigation

Litigators at law firms are in great demand and in short supply at the moment. Firms want lawyers with hands-on experience taking or defending depositions, handling hearings, arguing motions, and handling mediations. Trial experience is especially difficult to find. Fewer cases go all the way to trial because of the cost of trying a lawsuit, so fewer attorneys have first-chair or second-chair trial experience.

For in-house litigation roles, companies usually focus less on trial experience and more on industry knowledge, management experience, and the ability to oversee outside counsel and a large docket of cases.

We review the candidate’s actual litigation background: the types of matters handled, the level of responsibility, deposition and hearing experience, motion practice, mediation work, client interaction, and trial exposure.

The search also includes conversations that clarify how the candidate worked on cases, not just whether a task appears on a resume. A litigator who has argued motions, prepared witnesses, managed discovery, or handled direct client contact may bring a different level of practical experience than a candidate whose role has been more limited.

Yes. We recruit for both trial and appellate litigation roles. However, you can’t appeal a settled case so appellate work is naturally narrower than trial litigation work. A case generally must proceed through trial and judgment before it can be appealed, and many cases settle before that point.

Appellate expertise remains valuable for the employers and law firms that need it. Appellate lawyers bring specialized research, writing, and argument skills, and those roles can be highly sought after when the need arises.

Litigation searches at law firms tend to follow a similar timeline to other law firm attorney searches. Law firm hiring is often a little quicker than in-house hiring because corporate legal departments may have a more structured internal process.

The actual timeline depends on urgency, seniority, conflicts, compensation, location, interview availability, and how specific the experience requirements are. A midlevel commercial litigation associate search may move differently than a senior in-house litigation counsel search or a niche trial role requiring first-chair experience.

Yes. We regularly assist with specialized litigation searches. Litigation includes many specialties, including commercial litigation, employment litigation, oil and gas litigation, construction litigation, product liability litigation, insurance defense, probate litigation, personal injury, and other dispute areas.

Specialization matters because litigation experience does not always transfer cleanly from one type of dispute to another. A company managing a large employment docket may need a different background than a firm hiring for construction defect litigation or complex commercial disputes. We help employers identify which experience is essential before going to market.

We look for evidence that the candidate has handled the pressure and complexity of litigation in a comparable environment. That may include managing multiple matters, coordinating discovery, preparing for hearings, communicating with clients, working with experts, and keeping cases moving under tight deadlines.

For law firm roles, the assessment may focus on how the litigator serves clients, manages case responsibilities, and contributes to the practice group. For in-house roles, the focus may shift toward docket management, outside counsel oversight, reporting, budgeting, and strategic judgment.