Description:
Overview:ThompsonMcMullan, P.C. is seeking an Associate to join our Shockoe Slip, Richmond, VA office. This position supports the Professional Responsibility and Attorney Discipline practice which represents lawyers and other licensed professionals facing bar complaints, disciplinary investigations, and licensure proceedings, and advises lawyers and law firms on ethics and professional responsibility questions. The associate will work directly with experienced disciplinary defense counsel and will take on substantive responsibility early. This is a full-time, exempt, and in-office position.
In this role you would be responsible for:
- Defending lawyers in Virginia State Bar matters at every stage, from the initial response to a bar complaint through Bar Counsel's preliminary investigation, District Committee and Disciplinary Board hearings, three-judge circuit court proceedings, and appeals to the Supreme Court of Virginia.
- Interviewing respondents and witnesses, collecting and reviewing client files and trust account records, and drafting written responses to complaints and investigator inquiries.
- Analyzing conduct under the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct, Legal Ethics Opinions, and disciplinary precedent, and helping to develop defense and mitigation strategy.
- Drafting motions, briefs, proposed agreed dispositions, and memoranda, and preparing exhibits and witnesses for disciplinary and licensure hearings.
- Assisting with defending other licensed professionals before Virginia regulatory boards such as the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), the Virginia Department of Health Professions, and other professional regulatory agencies.
- Supporting the practice's advisory work, including ethics opinions, law firm departures and dissolutions, conflicts analysis, and trust accounting compliance.
- Handling related civil matters as needed, such as legal malpractice defense and fee and file disputes, in state and federal court.
- Handling other civil litigation with which the firm is involved
Job Qualifications:
- J.D. and active membership in good standing with the Virginia State Bar.
- 3-5+ years of litigation experience, preferably including evidentiary hearings or trials.
- Experience with or strong interest in professional responsibility, attorney discipline, or administrative and regulatory proceedings. Prior bar counsel, ethics, or regulatory defense experience is a significant plus.
- Excellent research and writing skills and sound judgment.
- The discretion and temperament to counsel professionals during what is often the most stressful episode of their careers. Disciplinary matters are confidential until certain procedural stages, and candidates must be comfortable handling highly sensitive information.
- Strong organization and the ability to manage multiple matters on tight procedural deadlines, both independently and as part of a team.
- This position is an excellent opportunity to grow a significant law practice with an established client base and assume a leadership role in the future
- Fluency or strong proficiency in Spanish is highly desired but not a necessary requirement for the position
- Willingness to flex as required to meet the need of the practice
Send Your Resume, including a writing sample, To: tmjobs@t-mlaw.com
