Description:

Novus Law Firm, Inc. seeks a California-licensed California attorney with three to five years of California employment law experience and an enthusiastic willingness to learn labor law and higher education law in an advice and counsel practice based in Sacramento with an early January 2026 start date.

The ideal candidate:

You must be currently admitted to and in good standing with the California bar.
You have three to five years of experience in California employment law and have demonstrated, current knowledge of relevant subject matter.
You can reliably commute to and be present in our Sacramento office at least three days per week.
You are interested in developing and utilizing advice and counsel skills in a small firm, entrepreneurial environment.
You are a proactive, resourceful problem-solver motivated to produce high-quality, timely legal advice and achieve favorable resolutions.
You possess excellent communication skills, instilling client confidence by being thoughtful and mindful in written and oral presentation.
You are collaborative, thoughtful, and enjoy the practice of law.
You effectively manage your time and projects, taking ownership of assignments to meet billable and non-billable deadlines.
You comfortably use current technology and readily adopt new, advanced technology.

The Position:
You will develop relationships with clients; establish legal needs and concerns; provide counsel; help clients understand their legal options; and represent clients in negotiations, ensuring they receive the best and most cost-effective legal solutions.

We recognize that you may not have experience in all the firm's practice areas. Initially, your work will focus on California and federal employment law. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Advising clients on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; California and FLSA wage and hour law, including meal and rest breaks; California and federal employment contract law, including offers, separations, and non-solicitation agreements; terminations and layoffs, including WARN and CAL-WARN; protected leaves, vacation rules, and disparate impact analyses; pay equity reviews; complicated leave issues; OFCCP affirmative action requirements.
Drafting and analyzing employment documents, including contracts, policies, and handbooks.
Negotiating employment law-related issues, including separation agreements, grievances, and agency claims.
Developing arguments and representing clients in administrative proceedings.
Preparing and strategizing for collective bargaining and labor relations.
Maintaining up-to-date competency and staying informed about current legislation and case law to develop expertise concerning legal issues relevant to Novus practice areas.
Preparing client updates and conducting trainings and presentations.

This position is based in Sacramento. Novus offers a hybrid work environment requiring weekly presence in the office three core days per week.

The annual requirement for this role is 1,400 billable hours. The base salary range for this role is $110,000 to $150,000 per year, based on experience. Novus provides the opportunity to earn additional compensation beyond the base salary via a scaled flat hourly rate for each billable hour beyond the annual requirement.

Novus offers medical, dental, vision, and retirement benefits; FSA and dependent care account; student loan repayment benefit; and access to professional development funds as well as the opportunity to earn incentive compensation. Our office is in a LEED certified building on Capitol Mall, just one block from Golden1 Center and DOCO. Parking is provided.

The Firm:
Novus provides advice and counsel to institutions of higher education and California private sector employers. Our practice areas include California and Federal Employment; Student Affairs; Faculty Labor Relations; Higher Education Governance; and Strategic Partnerships and Mergers in Higher Education.

Founded in 2020, we are committed to regular process improvement with an eye toward innovation in the practice of law. We are proudly paperless, maintaining client files and library resources electronically. We expect that client needs are met while striving to maintain workload controls to ensure employees have weekends, holidays, and downtime.

This is a direct hire position – we are not working with recruiters to fill this role.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $110,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year

Benefits: