Managing Attorney, Insurance Defense

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Managing Attorney to lead a captive law office supporting an insurance carrier. This individual will build out and oversee a team of attorneys and legal professionals while maintaining responsibility for trial performance, operational management, talent development, and the delivery of high-quality legal services to the organization and its insureds.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, and other litigation professionals within the captive law office
• Oversee a litigation docket involving auto liability, premises liability, general liability, bodily injury, property damage, and other insured claims
• Provide strategic oversight throughout all phases of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, depositions, motion practice, mediations, settlement negotiations, and trial
• Supervise and mentor attorneys in trial preparation, courtroom strategy, witness preparation, jury selection, evidentiary issues, and trial presentation
• Personally handle or participate in trials and other significant litigation matters when appropriate
• Provide guidance on complex, high-exposure, and strategically significant cases
• Establish litigation strategies that balance strong legal advocacy with appropriate financial and business considerations
• Review case strategy, exposure assessments, litigation plans, budgets, reserves, settlement recommendations, and trial evaluations
• Partner closely with Claims professionals to ensure timely case evaluation, effective communication, and alignment on litigation strategy
• Monitor attorney caseloads, productivity, trial readiness, case outcomes, litigation expenses, and other performance indicators
• Ensure matters are handled in accordance with carrier guidelines, ethical obligations, court requirements, and applicable Texas law
• Recruit, onboard, train, mentor, and retain attorneys and legal professionals
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching and professional development
• Develop attorneys’ litigation and trial skills through hands-on mentorship and case oversight
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, case management practices, technology utilization, reporting, and overall operational efficiency
• Maintain appropriate staffing levels and allocate matters based on attorney experience, workload, complexity, and jurisdiction
• Foster a collaborative culture focused on accountability, professionalism, quality legal work, strong trial preparation, and exceptional service
• Work with senior legal and Claims leadership to identify litigation trends, emerging risks, and opportunities to improve claims and litigation outcomes
• Serve as a senior escalation point for difficult legal, personnel, client service, and operational matters
• Maintain a strong understanding of developments in Texas insurance defense litigation, procedural rules, substantive law, and relevant regulatory requirements

Qualifications

• JD from an accredited law school
• Active Texas Bar license in good standing required
• Significant litigation experience, preferably within insurance defense, casualty litigation, or a related practice
• Meaningful first-chair trial experience required
• Demonstrated experience taking cases through verdict
• Strong courtroom, deposition, motion practice, negotiation, and litigation strategy experience
• Prior experience managing attorneys, litigation teams, or a legal office strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience handling complex and high-exposure litigation
• Strong understanding of insurance claims, litigation management, case valuation, settlement strategy, and trial preparation
• Experience working directly with insurance carriers, Claims professionals, insureds, and other business stakeholders
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated success developing and managing attorneys at different experience levels
• Excellent written, oral advocacy, negotiation, and analytical skills
• Ability to balance legal strategy with financial, operational, and business considerations
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to oversee a large and active litigation portfolio
• Comfortable using litigation management systems, reporting tools, and performance metrics to manage the practice
• Sound judgment, professionalism, and the ability to make difficult decisions in a fast-paced litigation environment

Benefits

• Great benefits (Health, Medical, Dental, Pension Plan)
• Fantastic opportunity to continue litigating while in house
• Easy transition from private practice to in-house
• NO BILLABLE HOURS!
• Amazing work/life balance
• Fully remote

Pay

Salary: $180,000 - $240,000 per year