Job Description

Job Announcement: Labor & Employment Associate

Folger Levin LLP is looking for an associate with one or more years of experience to add to our Labor & Employment practice group. We offer a diverse and intellectually challenging practice that focuses on helping employers solve the complex legal problems that confront them in California.

We serve as trusted advisors to human resources professionals and business leaders. Our work includes representing California employers in employment litigation, administrative proceedings and traditional labor law matters, as well as advising employers on employment law issues, conducting trainings, and preparing policies and agreements. Our attorneys have created deep, long-standing client relationships, many of which go back decades, allowing us to have unique insights into our clients’ business objectives and cultures.

About the Position:

For this position, key job responsibilities include the following:

• Conducting legal research and analysis.

• Providing advice and preventative counseling to clients on the full range of laws affecting California employers, including in the areas of discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodation, discipline, wrongful termination, responding to demand letters, and urgent counseling questions.

• Representing employers in federal and state litigation, including wage-and hour PAGA and class action cases, and individual discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims.

• Representing employers in administrative proceedings, including before the California Labor Commissioner, California Civil Rights Department, and the EEOC.

• Conducting client trainings on employment law compliance.

• Preparing and updating employee handbooks, employment agreements, and other employment policies, covering both California and all other states.

• Assisting employers in traditional labor-management issues, including contract negotiations, grievances and arbitration, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board.

Qualifications

We look for candidates who can be part of the long-term future of our practice group and our firm. We seek candidates who ideally have a minimum of one year of employment or labor experience in one or more of the above-described areas. We also seek candidates with excellent legal research, writing, and analytical skills, good judgment, as well as the ability to juggle many client matters and assist clients with immediate questions. Candidates must also have a demonstrated interest in employment law and an interest in learning a wide variety of employment law topics. We value experience outside the practice of law that shows leadership, problem-solving skills, and/or a commitment to community service.

In addition, we seek candidates who are members of the California bar and who:

• Enjoy Collaboration . We believe that the highest quality legal work results from collaboration among talented lawyers. We seek candidates who enjoy working as part of a team with smart, supportive, and enthusiastic colleagues.
• Lead With Curiosity . No one has all the answers. Our most successful colleagues actively participate in mentorship opportunities and demonstrate vulnerability in asking questions and learning new things. They love to brainstorm with their colleagues, and comfortably admit when they don’t have all the answers. When confronted with new issues, they are willing to dive into primary and secondary sources in order to analyze those issues thoroughly.
• Desire to be of Service to Others . We are passionate about solving problems for our clients and seek candidates who find professional fulfillment in helping clients and colleagues address difficult legal issues.
• Exhibit an Empathetic Mindset . The ability to understand, hear and listen to the needs and worries of clients is critical to effective representation. We particularly value colleagues who see things from multiple points of view and use differing perspectives to develop effective solutions.
• Demonstrate Effective Communication Skills . Our attorneys are constantly explaining difficult legal issues to client representatives, many of whom are not lawyers. Clear oral and written communications regarding goals, strategies, and risks is essential to effective representation and to developing meaningful relationships with clients and colleagues.

Compensation + Benefits

The salary for this position will be between $185,000 and $265,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

We also offer full-time employees the following benefits: Paid time off at a rate of twenty-six days per year; participation in group health insurance plan (including medical and dental) at no cost to employee; employee life, accident, and long-term disability insurance; up to twelve weeks of paid medical and family leave after one year of employment; and, after one year of employment, participation in the firm’s 401(k) plan, under which a portion of compensation automatically is contributed on a pre-tax basis to a retirement plan.

We have adopted a hybrid work model, in which employees can work partially remotely, and partially from our offices in downtown San Francisco. Currently, our expectation is for employees to work in the office three days per week.

About Folger Levin

Located in San Francisco, Folger Levin is a boutique, full-service firm that is majority-owned by women. We are known for delivering sophisticated legal services of the highest quality in an environment marked by a commitment to enhancing the personal and professional fulfillment of our colleagues.

When this firm was founded, we agreed to serve as stewards of the firm for future generations and aspired to create relationships marked by trust, collaboration, open communication, respect, and an understanding that our joint responsibility for the firm is a source of excitement and pride. That goal continues to shape our approach to client relationships, hiring, and professional development.

We have structured our firm to align our interests with those of our clients, and to create an environment in which attorneys and staff can establish long-term, satisfying, and fulfilling careers. By way of example, we recognize that the common law firm practice of imposing minimum billable hour requirements can create incentives that do not serve the interests of our attorneys or of our clients. Because service is about quality, not quantity, we do not impose a billable-hour target. Our focus is on devoting as much time as is necessary – no more, no less – to deliver excellent client service, while having the capacity to devote time to learning and growth (professional development) and community service.

We also know that we develop deeper relationships with each other and with clients when we have limited turnover. Every time we hire a new attorney, it is with the hope that this new member of our team will become a partner in the firm. This sets us apart from some firms whose business model depends on a large number of associates and fewer partners. Our focus on long-term relationships directly impacts the quality of the associate experience, as we are motivated to assign interesting work, provide hands-on mentoring, help associates develop direct client relationships, offer a realistic path to partnership, and avoid associate burnout.

Mentorship

We are committed to providing active mentoring to help develop talented professionals into superb attorneys and advisors. Our associates work closely with partners in small teams. This approach means that associates have significant input into strategy and decision-making, and are able to receive regular feedback from experienced attorneys. Such feedback is necessary to develop a robust understanding of the myriad labor and employment laws that impact employers. Equally important, such feedback helps associates develop their own authentic, effective approach to advising clients and representing them in litigation.

Our firm also believes in the value of cross-disciplinary mentoring. Thus, in addition to working with partners in the Labor & Employment practice group, associates can expect to develop relationships with partners from our other departments. For example, our litigation partners work in teams with Labor & Employment associates in handling disputes and litigation. Similarly, employment issues frequently overlap with issues involving corporate governance, creating opportunities to work with partners in our business department. Associates can always find a partner happy to brainstorm on solving client problems.

To Apply

If interested, please email a cover letter, resume, law school transcript, and writing sample to our Office Administrator, Sina Cross at recruiting@folgerlevin.com.

For more information about our firm,

EEO Statement

At Folger Levin, we are committed to a policy of equal employment for all applicants and employees. As part of our commitment to a diverse workplace, we encourage applicants with experience outside of the law that shows their commitment to community service. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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