Employment Law Associate (Midlevel)

About Withersworldwide

For 125 years, our firm has focused on and helped successful people, families, entrepreneurs, family businesses, governments and institutions negotiate the wide range of legal issues they face in their business and personal lives. Over time, we have gained valuable insights into the ways wealth can be generated, preserved, deployed and enhanced. We assist our clients in a variety of industry sectors including real estate, manufacturing, motorsport, luxury brands, sport, hotels and hospitality, technology, energy, art and cultural assets, life sciences, charities and philanthropy and financial services. With 18 offices our experience means we can see the global picture. We provide legal advice across a range of different practice areas including estate planning, personal and corporate tax and, corporate, banking and finance, access to capital (both private and public) both equity and debt, real estate, intellectual property, immigration, international trust structuring, philanthropy, luxury assets, international probate, public international law and international arbitration. 

The Employment Team

We are building a diverse employment practice in San Francisco. Our California employment team works closely with founders, CEOs and other executives as they build their careers.  We are in the process of developing and scaling this practice nationally and globally. In addition to working with some of the brightest, most innovative entrepreneurs in the world, we work with start-ups, businesses and others on the full range of issues that arise during the employee life-cycle.  Our practice serves local, national and international interests and works closely with other teams within our firm to provide full-service representation. 

This is an opportunity for you to play a key role and get in on the ground floor as we build this exciting practice. This is the ideal opportunity if you are someone who has gained masterful skills counseling companies in the area of Employment Law Counseling and you are ready to leverage those skills working directly with the top leaders in Silicon Valley and New York. 

Our employment team is a close-knit, dynamic group; we work together to deliver exemplary legal services.  We have deep experience working with executives and other employees, as well as employers on a wide range of issues.  We have a strong focus on mentoring and training associates and believe the best teams are those who value all opinions and focus on growing together.  If you aren’t afraid of a challenge, want to be part of a supportive team with colleagues who are interesting and fun, and have a good attention for details, this is the perfect position for you.  Our San Francisco office is building a culture that more closely resembles an agile startup rather than a law firm and has a working environment that reflects that approach.

If you do not have experience representing founders or executives personally that is not required.  What is most important is that you have a passion for counseling clients and a strong background in employment law counseling relating to management through all stages of the employee life-cycle, drafting agreements and employment documents, and an ability to work with a diverse client base. This is an ideal opportunity for an employment lawyer who wants to build a career in counseling as opposed to litigation – although we also handle some litigation matters or advise our litigators on employment cases.  This is also an opportunity for you, should you wish to do so, to leverage your employment law expertise advising companies by building a nationwide counseling practice for our clients and working with our international employment lawyers. 

We are confident you will find it a personally rewarding practice and we look forward to mentoring you in this practice area.

The Role

• 4 – 6 years of relevant experience in a law firm's Employment Law group.
• Exceptional client service:  When we represent individuals as opposed to corporate clients, we are sensitive that we are advising our clients on some of the most important issues in their lives. When working with start-ups and personal staff, we understand that our advice can make the difference between success or failure and can alleviate worry and stress as entrepreneurs create the next big thing.  Either way, we love being in this role and being viewed as the trusted advisor. 
• Grace under pressure: We have a fast-paced practice and enjoy helping our clients who are often under time pressure.
• Strong project management skills; ability to balance a large number of competing priorities
• Attention to detail
• Team Player
• Compensation commensurate with experience ranging from $220,000 - $265,000. 

Key Skills and Experience

• Admitted to and in good standing with the California Bar
• Strong Academic Credentials
• Drafting and negotiating bonus plans, commission plans and other types of compensation arrangements.
• Conducting investigations into workplace misconduct.
• Crisis management for employees and executives as they navigate situations involving misconduct, harassment, discrimination or other career challenges.
• Advising employers on best practices and helping them become a more diverse, inclusive workplace.
• Navigating leave laws, employee discipline and other common scenarios that arise during all stages of the employment cycle with fairness for all.
• Assisting high net worth individuals with the hiring and management of their personal and household staff. 
• Experience drafting and negotiating employment agreements, separation agreements and standard employment documents.
• Strong project management skills; ability to balance a large number of competing priorities

Equal Opportunities Employment Statement 

The firm is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.  Equal employment opportunity has been and will continue to be a fundamental principle at the firm. Employment at the firm is based upon personal capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  The firm prohibits and will not tolerate any discrimination or harassment on the basis of any of these classifications or characteristics.

If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to use our website to apply for a position, please contact the firm at 203 789 1320 or email us.recruiting@withersworldwide.com with your request.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.