Litigation Attorney

Macdonald & Cody is a California insurance defense firm with four offices and a high-volume catastrophic personal injury practice. We are hiring Litigation Attorneys at both the senior (5+ years) and junior (1–3 years post-bar) levels across our San Diego, Irvine, and Riverside offices.

What we're looking for:

We need an insurance defense litigator (ideally with a strong catastrophic personal injury background) who can run a file independently from pleadings through trial. You should be comfortable managing a caseload of 30–40 active matters, handling court appearances, depositions, and site inspections, and have a genuine appetite for first- and second-chair trial opportunities. Bonus points if you have experience with expert depositions and a track record of taking cases all the way through verdict.

What you'll do:

- Manage full lifecycle litigation — from pleadings and Case Management Orders through discovery, law & motion, depositions, trial prep, and trial

- Propound and respond to written discovery; draft and argue law and motion matters

- Take and defend depositions, including expert witness depositions

- Conduct site inspections and travel within California (LA and surrounding counties; occasional central/northern CA) for court appearances and depositions

- Serve as first- or second-chair at trial — real courtroom opportunities, not paper litigation

- Collaborate with a 2:1 attorney-to-assistant team in a casual, collegial office environment

- Interface directly with insurance carriers, experts, and clients with meaningful autonomy

Requirements:

- Active California State Bar membership in good standing

- Senior track: 5+ years of insurance defense litigation experience

- Junior track: 1–3 years post-bar with insurance defense exposure

- Demonstrated experience drafting CMOs, handling court appearances, and managing written discovery

- Track record taking and defending depositions, including expert depositions

- Ability and willingness to commute to assigned CA office (San Diego, Irvine, or Riverside) and travel within CA

- Excellent analytical, writing, research, and communication skills

Hard exclusions — please do not apply if:

- You are currently at a plaintiff-side firm (e.g., Sweet James, Morgan & Morgan, or similar billboard firms)

- You have a construction defect-only background with no interest in broader insurance defense work

- You intend to submit a blinded or confidential resume