Conflicts Attorney

Responsibilities

• Evaluating and resolving legal conflicts-of-interest for new business intake, matter openings, client updates, and lateral attorney onboarding.
• Conducting complex conflicts analyses, advising attorneys and firm leadership on risk and ethics issues, and ensuring compliance with professional responsibility rules and firm policies.
• Supporting matter opening workflows, drafting waivers and ethical screens, reviewing Outside Counsel Guidelines, and contributing to maintaining high-quality conflicts data and processes.
• Identifying and analyzing actual and potential conflicts for existing and prospective clients by conducting in-depth research using internal systems and external databases (e.g., Hoover’s, D&B, Lexis, EDGAR) and interpreting results to assess business and ethical risks.
• Recommending and implementing conflict-resolution strategies, including ethical walls, disclosures, consent letters, and engagement modifications.
• Drafting and maintaining conflict waivers, disclosures, engagement letter language, and supporting documentation.
• Reviewing and analyzing Outside Counsel Guidelines and engagement letters for conflicts-related provisions; advise on restrictions, required screens, and necessary updates to internal data.
• Conducting conflicts analyses for lateral attorney candidates, recommending and implementing resolutions with Division Managers and the Ethics Committee, communicating with stakeholders to clear conflicts, and preparing required consent letters and documentation before and after onboarding.
• Supporting attorneys and legal staff with ethical obligations, conflicts procedures, new business intake, and client relationship considerations.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active bar status in CAA.
• A minimum of 3 years of conflicts or professional responsibility experience in a mid-to-large, multi-practice law firm.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex legal relationships, business structures, and conflict scenarios.
• A minimum of 2 years of law practice experience in private practice (strongly preferred).
• Proficiency with conflicts/new-business intake systems and strong research and analytical skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make persuasive arguments and present nuanced analyses to all levels of firm leadership.
• Strong negotiation skills and consultative approach when working with attorneys and staff.
• High level of discretion, judgment, and diplomacy in handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Strong attention to detail, client-service orientation, and responsiveness.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, and meet tight deadlines.
• Participation in the conflicts on-call rotation and ability to respond by phone to after-hours emergency conflict checks.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending and healthcare savings accounts.
• 401(k) with firm profit share.
• Paid time off, firm paid holidays.
• Wellness and personal advocacy programs, family planning resources and leave programs.
• Tuition reimbursement.

Pay

Pay Range for Candidates in Orange County, CA: $160,000 - $200,000 per year. The range provided is the minimum and maximum salary that Venable in good faith believes at the time of this posting that it is willing to pay for the advertised position. Exact compensation will be determined based on individual candidate qualifications and location.