Associate Attorney Positions

Job description

Transparency is a hallmark of our law practice, and above all else, we value finding a great fit—both in personality and worth ethic—for all new additions to Lion Legal. Our mission, vision, purpose, and firm values are not simply words on our website – we truly embody them in our practice every day. We work as a team, relying on each other to provide the best services to our clients and allowing each of us to find the work-life balance we desire. Lion Legal has been in business for over twelve years and intentionally grows each year. This success has contributed in large part to our strong team unity. We are very collaborative in how we can improve efficiency and effectiveness. We strongly exemplify the “work smarter not harder” mentality.

First and foremost, we are a team. The team approach provides our clients (and us) the best of both worlds. We intentionally build our team with lawyers and support staff who embody all aspects of the practice of law. Those of us whose strengths skew more on the side of research and writing, complement our trial lawyers, who are frequently in court. Our bigger picture thinkers are complemented by those who are more detail oriented. We are stereotypical Type A personalities – extremely process oriented, organized, and detailed. We rely heavily on digital calendars, various technology programs, and case management software to never miss deadlines and to always be prepared. We are a paperless office. Achieving the best result possible under the law and facts of each clients’ case is not enough – clients must feel supported in the process, too. We support them by ensuring we respond to all calls/emails within two business days. Clients always know what we are doing, what they should be doing, and when they will hear from us again. Adherence by all of us to our Communication Philosophy is invaluable to the client experience at Lion Legal.

Lion Legal has a robust and adept “Front Office,” which handles all administrative duties such as client on-boarding, marketing, advertising, human resources, and accounts payable/receivable. The strong contributions of our Front Office allow our attorneys and paralegals (the “Back Office”) to focus on practicing law, not generating new business or collecting invoices.

Desired Applicants

Lion is committed to adding attorneys to our team who are a great fit in terms of work ethic, work style, and personality. Beyond that, Lion is intentionally flexible in accommodating varying needs/wishes of desired applicants. We currently practice generally in four areas – 1. Family; 2. Criminal Defense; 3. Probate & Estate Planning; and, 4. Real Estate & Business Transactions/Litigation. Lion Legal is open to adding practice areas; and, our Lion team has space to customize hours worked, practice areas and both trial and transactional work, depending on the applicant. We are open to newly licensed attorneys, attorneys licensed only a short time, and seasoned attorneys.

A “great fit” means attorneys with a desire to provide the best legal services which can possibly be provided and a willingness to learn or practice the legal craft in the way which enhances your natural strengths, whether that be in the office or in the courtroom. We can teach our processes, effective organization and preparation of a case; but, we cannot teach work ethic. We can teach the ins and outs of estate and business planning; but we can’t teach thoroughness and integrity. We can teach trial skills and presentation, but, we can’t teach the competitive spirit and thrill of the game that is inherent in being or becoming a great trial attorney.

Compensation and Benefits

Lion illustrates our desire to be the absolute best employer possible with our extremely competitive compensation packages, our transparency, our teamwork style, and a fabulous work-life balance. To maximize success with our firm, all new hires complete a ninety-day on-the-job training program, with the goals of teaching our particular processes, our general firm philosophies and values, and, for additions new to the legal field, training in general legal principles in our areas of practice. We provide written performance metrics – “success” at Lion is not a moving target – and we conduct bi-annual reviews for all attorneys and staff.

Our associate attorney compensation is a combination base salary plus quarterly bonuses based on cumulative associate attorney billables, paid quarterly. The cumulative bonus approach supports teamwork between associates and avoids competition because all associates benefit from the success of individual associates. Quarterly bonuses are typically in the $5000-$6000 range, (but could easily be more and there is no cap), for a total average of $20,000-$25,000 in bonuses each year (based on a range of 1250- 1350 billable hours annually). The bonuses are in addition to the base salary.

Base salary is negotiable for more experienced attorneys. For attorneys licensed two years or less, our base salary schedule for the 1st year is $60,000, with $5000.00 increases annually for a base salary of $80,000 by an associate’s 5th year. This means that a newly licensed attorney’s total salary is $80,000+ for their first year at Lion.

Lion Legal offers health insurance for all employees and dependents. Employees also have the option for employee paid vision and dental insurance. After a full year’s employment, all employees are eligible for six weeks of paid parental leave; and, after two years’ employment Lion Legal matches up to 3% of the employee’s contributions to our firm retirement plan.

Lion Legal genuinely values a true work-life balance. To that end, we are closed on all federal holidays, employ a 36-hour work week – closing at noon on Fridays – and allow unlimited work from home and PTO for all attorneys after the training period. We are not micromanagers and expect all employees to be self-directed. All staff are required to take at least one week’s paid vacation annually. This is a long-term career position and burnout is real. We prioritize our mental health, so we can provide our best services to our clients and be the best professionals we can be, throughout our careers.

Lion Legal prioritizes community commitment and involvement. We participate in a variety of community festivals and events in Central Arkansas, as well as host four legal clinics annually at the NLR Laman Library. All attorneys and staff are required to participate in at least 24 hours of community events annually, most of which are after normal business hours and/or weekends. We also strongly encourage networking of all types, and the firm pays for professional memberships and CLEs.

Lion Legal has a well-developed partner track, if associate attorneys desire the opportunity to grow and develop with our firm on a partner basis. Partners and attorneys on the partner track have increased responsibilities and increased compensation/benefits. After five years’ employment, associates have the option of applying for partnership in the firm.

Apply

Interested parties are encouraged to contact any Lion staff or attorney for more insight on what it is like to be a part of Lion Legal.
To apply, please email a resume and a brief description of why you’re looking for a change in employment in general and why you think you’re a great fit for Lion Legal specifically. References appreciated, but not required.

Contact:
Victoria Leigh, partner
501-658-3108
[email protected]