Senior Associate

Company DescriptionO'Connor Family Law is a small but growing firm that provides empathetic and zealous legal representation for individuals facing family law issues, including high-conflict and high-asset divorce or custody cases. We have two offices in Massachusetts: Hanover and Westborough, although the majority of our legal team still works remotely from an approved private home office when not in court or having in-person meetings. We practice throughout most of Massachusetts (as well as in Rhode Island if the attorney is licensed there as well). We are known for our use of plain English when educating a client about the legal process, our friendliness and positive attitudes, and our understanding of what our clients are experiencing legally, emotionally, and personally as they go through their cases. We also seeking to add one or more practice areas in the coming year to provide a more well-rounded experience for our clients. You can learn more about our firm and our story at: Associate DescriptionThe Senior Associate position is full-time and will include a Partnership track for the right candidates. Significant experience with all aspects of practicing family law in Massachusetts is required for this position, including case strategy and management, drafting all applicable types of pleadings, discovery, hearings, negotiations, and trial work. You must have experience with high-conflict level cases, inclusive of cases involving allegations of domestic violence, parental alienation/interference, substance abuse, manipulation and control, relocation, DCF involvement, and difficult opposing counsel, with the ability to focus on the de-escalation of high emotional issues. If you have experience with any of the following, it could potentially be helpful as we continue to grow and expand as well: trusts and estate planning, real estate, criminal law, and personal injury. Required Knowledge: TechnologyMicrosoft Office Suite: Advanced proficiency in Word for document creation and formatting and Outlook for email communication and calendar management. Clio Case Management System: Skilled with utilizing Clio or another similar case management program for case record keeping, progress management, billing tracking, calendaring, and other important activities the program provides. Zoom: Experience using Zoom, inclusive of scheduling, hosting, and recording meetings, as well as ensuring you are presenting yourself professionally with good lighting at all times and that you are aware of how to be able to personally relate to someone so they feel the zoom meeting is just as personable as an in-person meeting. File Sharing Tools: Experience with various file-sharing tools to securely share documents with clients, opposing counsel and other third parties as necessary. Electronic Document Management: Familiarity with electronic document management for organizing, storing, and retrieving legal documents efficiently. iPhone: Base understanding of utilizing iPhones, inclusive of setting up and managing voice calls, text messages, emails, downloading applicable apps, scanning and saving documents, etc. Case Management and Mediation/LitigationFamily Law Litigation Process in Massachusetts: Comprehensive and in-depth experience of the litigation process for various types of family law matters in Massachusetts, inclusive but not limited to knowing the burden of proof and different stages of litigation, key deadlines, for various family law related matters, including but not limited to all aspects within divorce, paternity, custody-support-parenting time, guardianship of minors, restraining orders, pre and post-marital agreements, divorce/custody planning and coaching, mediation, contempt actions, grandparent rights, parental relocation, parental alienation, division of assets (inclusive of hidden assets, complex compensation plans, inheritance, investment and retirement accounts/pensions, adoptions, criminal domestic assault and battery (when connected to a family law matter), DCF matters, including trial and appellate work.Case Strategy and Management: Advanced ability to actively listen to clients and build out their goals and expectations to develop a case strategy to meet those goals within their budget, keep clients informed regularly as their case progresses in a manner they can easily understand and digest, lay out all pros and cons relating to each decision a client needs to make along the way, understand how to conduct a cost-benefit analysis with a client relating to their desired outcomes, the ability to argue clearly and zealously in court that allows the client to leave believing their voice was truly heard, exceptional negotiation skills, especially with difficult opposing counsel or opposing parties. Trial Advocacy: Effective ability to tell a client's story in a way that easily makes sense to the Judge based on the legal requests being made and to support the client's proposal with a strong connection of the facts discussed and the law. Comprehensive understanding of what is needed for trial preparation, including exhibit books, creating a solid direct and cross exam, witness preparation, objections, and laying the proper foundation to get contested exhibits in as evidence as well as the post-trial work required. Exceptional Negotiation Skills: Exceptional communication skills that have provided you with a knack for being able to settle the most difficult cases with your client obtaining a favorable outcome. Approximately 95% of family law cases will settle, so the ability to negotiate effectively is just as important as those trial advocacy skills. Active Listening: Lawyers sometimes talk too much, but you have the knowledge and ability to actively listen more than you talk and talk when it will make the biggest impact. You understand the power of silence within an argument or within negotiations and are able to use that to your advantage. Empathy and Professionalism: People feel good when they talk to you. You are friendly yet not afraid to tell someone that they are being unreasonable or acting inappropriately; however, you do this in a way that strengthens the client's trust in you rather than destroys it. You understand that the family law process is not easy for anyone to go through and that it can be extremely overwhelming, so you show patience and try to make everything as clear and easy to understand as possible when explaining it to clients. You are friendly yet professional in all communication, keeping a positive mindset. You dress professionally and people take notice of you when you walk into a courtroom or a meeting because you look like you have everything completely together. Most importantly, you treat the janitor the same as you would a Judge. Compensation and Benefits:Annual Compensation: We offer a competitive compensation package that includes a base salary and monthly incentive pay that ranges from $100,000 to $225,000 + annually depending on your experience and performanceBenefits: Comprehensive benefits package, including medical reimbursement plan, 401k match, student loan reimbursement, unlimited paid time off program, paid sick time, paid holiday time (12 per year), MCLE training, reimbursement for mileage, professional development, community engagement opportunities, firm training and social events, and ability to work remotelyFinal Note: We are not looking for someone who just wants a job. We are looking for passion - about family law and about life in general. We want someone who wants to make a meaningful difference in our clients' lives as well as in the growth and development of the firm. We have big goals and we're looking for someone who wants to grow with us! Application Directives: If you believe our firm may be a great fit for you based on what you've read, please send us your resume as well as a cover letter that really lets us see why you'd be a great fit for us as well get a good understanding of your personality, drive, and goals! We are currently ONLY seeking people with significant Massachusetts family law experience, so if you do not have that, you will unfortunately not be considered at this time for this position. RECRUITER NOTE: If you reach out to anyone employed at O'Connor Family Law and mention that you have or could have a candidate for us that matches this description, we will automatically block you from contacting us again and it will guarantee that we will never work with you or your company. Unless you have an executed contract with us to send us candidates, if you send us the resume or names of anyone and we end up hiring that person, you will NOT be entitled to any form of compensation. We only work with recruiters who have built a relationship with us the right way.

Created: 2025-01-22