Description:

We are looking for a litigation associate who can step into active matters, take ownership of substantive legal work from day one, and help drive cases forward. The right candidate is someone who can manage work proactively, communicate clearly, exercise sound judgment, and be trusted to handle matters from start to finish.

From the beginning, you will be involved in active litigation work and given meaningful responsibility. You will work directly on pleadings, discovery, motions, hearings, negotiations, client communications, and case strategy, rather than being limited to a single type of task. The work is varied and practical, and you will be expected to help move matters forward, manage deadlines, and take ownership of your assignments. If you are looking to build real litigation experience and develop into a lawyer who can independently handle significant portions of a case, this role is designed to give you that opportunity.

The O'Neill Firm PLLC is a Houston-based civil litigation and business law firm representing clients in commercial disputes, real estate and property matters, healthcare and business disputes, appraisal and tax-related litigation, collections and enforcement matters, and other civil legal issues.

Two things set this firm apart.
First, our caseload is unusually varied. In a single week you might work on a business dispute, an employment agreement, a property fight, a healthcare matter, a tax or appraisal case, and a collections file. You won't be doing the same thing over and over. The work rewards curiosity and a willingness to dig into unfamiliar subject matter, and if that's how your mind works, you'll find the variety genuinely enjoyable.

Second, we lean hard into technology. We run a paperless practice and use real tools to stay organized and keep cases moving, including Monday.com, cloud document management, e-filing, and AI in our day-to-day workflows. You don't have to be a tech expert, but you should be comfortable picking up new tools and working somewhere that organization and follow-through actually matter.

This is a hands-on role, and the firm wants to be upfront about that. There is a lot of substantive work here, and the right associate should want responsibility, ownership, and follow-through. This is not a position where every assignment will be handed over one at a time with every step mapped out. The goal is for you to learn the matters, spot the next move, draft the paper, communicate clearly, calendar the follow-through, and make sure the loop actually gets closed.

What You Will Own
The Short Version Is that You Will Own Your Matters. Not Tasks Handed Down from The Principal Attorney, but Your Own Cases, Carried Start to Finish. You'll Draft the Pleadings, Motions, and Discovery. You'll Build the Discovery Strategy, Run Document Review, Write the Deficiency Letters, Handle Meet-And-Confers, and File the Motions when They're Needed. You'll Take Messy Facts, Emails, and Client Calls and Turn Them Into a Clear Plan for The Case. as Your Experience Allows, You'll Handle Hearings, Depositions, Mediations, and Trial Prep. and You'll Deal Directly with Clients and Opposing Counsel in Plain, Professional English. in Many Cases, the Clients You Work with Will Become Your Clients.

We'll Work Through Things Together when It Makes Sense. but The Goal Is for You to Run Your Matters Like They're Yours, Keep Your Own Deadlines and Follow-Ups Current, and Help Make the Firm's Work Better Instead of Just Clearing Assignments Off a List.

What Success Looks Like:
Success Here Comes Down to Ownership, Accountability, and Hard Work. You Learn Your Matters, Take Responsibility for The Work, and Help Move Cases from Problem to Plan to Finished Product. Over Time, Success Means You Are Running Your Own Docket, Managing Client Relationships, Spotting the Next Step Before Being Asked, and Becoming the Kind of Lawyer Clients Trust to Get Things Handled.

This Is Also a Strong Role for Someone Who May Eventually Want to Build Their Own Practice. a Lot of Firms Keep Associates at The Bottom for Years, Working only On Pieces of Other People's Cases. Here, the Goal Is Different. the Goal Is to Help You Develop the Judgment, Confidence, Client Skills, and Case-Management Discipline You Would Need to Carry Real Matters on Your Own.

What We Are Looking For:
A Few Things Are Non-Negotiable. You Need a Texas Law License, and The Best Fit Is Probably Someone with One to Six Years of Civil Litigation Experience. Past That, This Comes Down to How You Work. You Need to Write Well, Edit Carefully, and Pay Close Attention to Details. Our Clients Are Detail-Oriented, and Small Mistakes Matter. You Also Need to Own Your Work, Understand Billing, and Know What Is Happening in Your Matters.

Second, We Lean Hard Into Technology, and For the Right Person that Is One of The Best Reasons to Want This Job. the Practice of Law Is Changing Fast. Modern Tools Are Already Reshaping how Legal Work Gets Done, and Lawyers Who Know how To Use Those Tools Well Are Going to Have a Real Advantage. This Firm Is Already Built Around that Reality. Here, You Will Not Just Use Those Tools in Isolation. You Will Learn how They Fit Into Running Real Matters, Managing Deadlines, Organizing Documents, Drafting Work Product, Communicating with Clients, and Keeping a Busy Docket Moving. that Experience Is Genuinely Hard to Find, and It Is the Kind of Experience You Can Carry with You Anywhere You Go. the One Condition Is that You Need to Walk in Already Comfortable with Everyday Technology. We Can Teach You how We Put Our Systems Together. We Cannot Teach You the Basics from Scratch.

Last, This Comes Down to Being Both Hardworking and Curious. This Isn't a Job Where You Run the Same Handful of Tasks Every Day, and Doing It Well Takes Real Effort. Curiosity Matters Just as Much, Because New Matters and New Technology Come up All the Time, and You Have to Be Someone Who Enjoys Digging Into Unfamiliar Ground Instead of Waiting for It to Be Explained.

You Will Probably Like This Role If
This Is a Role for Someone with Ambition. the Firm Is Growing, and There Is More Substantive Work than We Can Currently Handle. for The Right Associate, that Is an Unusual Opportunity: Real Responsibility Earlier than A Larger Firm Would Offer, and Hands-On Experience Across a Wide Range of Matters. the Associate Who Does Well Here Wants to Own that Work, Move It Forward without Being Asked Twice, and Grow Into a Lawyer Who Can Carry Significant Matters on Their Own.

That Same Environment Is the Wrong One for Some People. if You Want Narrow Assignments, Predictable Days, or A Seat Where Work Can Sit until Someone Follows Up, This Won't Suit You. but If You Measure Yourself by What You Get Done, and You Want to Build a Real Practice Rather than Just Bill Hours, There Are Few Better Places to Do It.