Job type: Full-time (in person preferred, hybrid available for the right person)

Location: Warrenton, OR

Number of hires: 1

You have a lot of options and no shortage of professional opportunities. You are a skilled, experienced trial lawyer, and have built up a solid reputation. You have done all the right things, make good money, and have the respect of your colleagues and clients, and the judges know you are a true professional. You navigate legal circles skillfully and positively engage with a variety of people. You have a great life and a lot of blessings to be thankful for.

In sum, you are confident, content, and grateful, but … you are not quite satisfied.

You wonder from time to time, “What is next?” There is an itch you want to scratch, and none of the options before you seem quite right. You are looking for a new adventure to really expand yourself and grow in new ways. What new mountains are there to climb?

You may be a great fit for our firm if… You love being a trial lawyer—all of it. The battle of wits, guiding clients through tricky situations, preparing cases in just the right way to move your clients’ cases forward. And yet, you do not confuse being a trial lawyer with being a genuine, nice person—your family and friends know “the real you,” your colleagues and clients know that behind the tough exterior you are a passionate person who wants to do the right thing for the right reason.

You also know and appreciate that it is not all fun and games, there are practical things to attend to in order to make it all work. You engage in a consultative approach with clients to help them truly make an informed decision on what will best serve their interests, and you are disciplined about carefully managing the “practical” things—consistently tracking and entering billable hours, properly managing and working a case up from the start through the finish, not getting ahead of your skis and creating accounts receivable problems.

You are also a competitive, performance-based person. You like to be rewarded based on your performance and have high expectations for yourself. You take 100% personal responsibility for everything you do, and it drives you nuts to work with and be around people who “just don’t get it.” You want to be well-compensated, but it is not all about money—you have more to offer and want to be engaged with your work and team on a deeper level.

You will be a great fit for our culture if…: You will love working with us if:

• You are motivated, driven, and goal-oriented;
• You want to be challenged and have opportunities for growth;
• You approach your work with a sense of craft and caring, and are a true team player;
• You are a hard worker and thrive on having a variety of tasks and projects;
• You want to be appreciated and rewarded for being an A player;
• You take your work seriously, but not yourself.

What we do. Coast Land Law is a law firm based on the north coast of Oregon that helps people use the court system to aggressively protect their property rights and small businesses. Our clients bring us some of their most important opportunities and challenges, and we work hard to help them navigate the legal system through creative thinking, skillful negotiations, and well-planned lawsuits. We specialize in cases that are often high-conflict and complicated.

While the majority of our cases are based in Clatsop, Tillamook, and Columbia Counties, we also represent clients from time to time across the state of Oregon. Our clients include professionals, small business owners, retirees, mom-and-pop clients, and developers. What they have in common is that they desire high-quality representation and value specialized expertise. We are a niche practice in high demand.

Senior Associate/Trial Lawyer: As a growing law firm, we are looking for a positive, energetic trial lawyer to join our team! We are hiring a full-time Senior Associate who duties include:

• Managing a full caseload at various stages of litigation with minimal supervision;
• Proactively and strategically working cases to move them forward;
• Engaging with clients in a consultative manner to help them make good decisions;
• Evaluating cases properly and teaching clients how to properly manage their risk;
• Consistently meeting billable hour benchmarks while following billing protocols;
• Properly working cases while avoiding simply “churning” them just to meet billables.

Your other duties include:

• Working together as part of a team to represent clients well;
• Helping our firm build out and formalize protocols for case management;
• Meeting performance-based KPI’s as part of your incentive-based compensation;
• Meeting regularly with the team and clients are our Warrenton office;
• Regular court appearances (in person and virtual), including contested motions and trials;
• Staying current on the latest legal developments.

We will find mutual success not only based on your consistently meeting and exceeding the expectations above, but also by your embracing and helping manage our litigation activity in terms of effective project management and productivity-based practices. We are not just looking for a "worker bee" type of attorney, but also someone who has experience and a demonstrated interest in helping to manage and scale a team.

Compensation:

• Full-time: From $125,000/year;
• Compensation is based on base pay plus incentive-based compensation;
• We have an annual billable hour requirement of 1,600 billable hours (roughly 31 billable hours per week, roughly 135 billable hours per month) based on satisfying billing protocols, including working within our systems to avoid/minimize accounts receivable. You will work hard, but we want you to have a work-life balance, and assume 46 work weeks, with 2 weeks for vacation, 2 weeks for paid federal holidays, and 2 weeks for “life happening”;
• If you read the duties in this job description and think, “No problem!” you will consistently make good money.

Benefits:

• SIMPLE IRA, 3% employer match;
• Health benefits stipend (QSEHRA), $250.00/month;
• PTO (10 days vacation in year 1, 10 paid federal holidays, 6 days paid sick leave);
• $5,000.00 hiring bonus after 3 months of full-time employment, $5,000.00 retention bonus after 6 months of full-time employment, up to $10,000.00 relocation bonus reimbursable after 6 months of full-time employment;
• 90-day probationary period (including for health benefits, vacation PTO, and sick leave PTO);
• Potential reimbursement opportunities for educational and professional development, and firm pays for annual bar dues, PLF, and CLE courses.

We are planning to add health insurance and 401k-type retirement benefits in the next 12 – 18 months.

Qualifications include:

• 5 – 7 years of full-time experience working primarily in a litigation setting;
• At least 10 jury trials (criminal or civil);
• At least 20 bench trials (civil);
• At least 20 contested motions (civil);
• At least 20 substantial depositions (civil);
• Most of your experience in the areas above should involve your acting as the first-chair trial lawyer managing the case either solely or substantially;
• Active Oregon bar license in good standing;
• Skilled communicator, including excellent oral communication skills, polished presentation skills, and meticulous research and writing skills;
• Substantial knowledge and experience as a practitioner with trial practice, including application of the rules of evidence and the rules of civil procedure;
• Substantial knowledge and experience as a practitioner with real estate disputes, including adverse possession, easement issues, and co-ownership disputes.

Instructions for Applying: Submit a cover letter to office@coastlandlaw.com explaining in three paragraphs in the body of the letter why you are interested in working for our firm, how working for our firm would help you accomplish your personal, professional, and financial goals, and something that would help us get to know the “real you.” Additionally, select and include recent work product (within the last two years) that shows off your qualifications, experience, and skill set, e.g.: a substantive motion you drafted, an excerpt of a deposition with an uncooperative witness, or an FTR recording of you presenting a meaningful oral presentation (e.g., opening statement, motion argument, cross examination, etc.). The statements above are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills. Come learn about our firm on our website at www.coastlandlaw.com. Thank you for your interest!