If you're a criminal defense attorney who lives for the courtroom but dreads the admin grind, buckle up — this role was built for you.
Founded just four years ago, Michael & Associates has exploded into one of the largest criminal defense practices in the country — and it's already planted a flag in Southern California.
This isn't another plea mill. Michael & Associates strives to provide white glove service and premium representation — and the perfect 5.0 star Google rating backs it up.
What makes this role different? A 4:1 ratio of support staff to attorneys. That means no drowning in paperwork — just you, the courtroom, and the cases that matter.
Get in early. As one of the firm's first attorneys in Los Angeles, you'll help build something from the ground up.
Why This Job Stands Out
- Four support staff for every lawyer. Intake, billing, scheduling, follow-up — handled. Your job description is one line: try cases and take care of clients.
- No pressure to close fast or drag it out. Handle the case however you think is best for the client. Client wants a trial? There's no trial fee here, so there's no reason not to.
- Pay and benefits that hold up. Solid base salary, annual merit raises, 401(k) match, client satisfaction bonuses, CLEs covered, real PTO, and health, vision, and dental that are genuinely excellent.
- Work from home (when not in court). No commute to sit at a desk doing what you could do at your kitchen table.
- A room full of lawyers who make each other better. Attorneys with decades in, who'll take your file apart in a good way and hand it back sharper. It's a genuinely fun place to practice — the kind of team where you learn something most weeks.
- A firm on the rise. Already dominant in Texas, now building in Los Angeles, aiming at something nobody's pulled off: the first nationally recognized criminal defense firm in America.
- No 288 cases. You never have to take a case you can't stomach.
Who This Job Is For
- You're ambitious and hungry. You're willing to work hard — not just because our clients deserve it, but because you enjoy it.
- You love criminal defense. You're a Zealous Advocate who couldn't dream of any other type of law.
- Plenty of jury trial experience. This is not your first rodeo.
- You believe client service matters as much as outcomes. This is the worst moment of someone's life — how they're treated and communicated with counts just as much as the result.
- You like the idea of a team environment, with colleagues who make you smarter.
- At least 8 years in criminal law, but probably way more.
Who Should Not Apply
- You don't have a real passion for criminal defense. If this is one of several options for you, it's not the right job.
- You take the easy plea. If your instinct is to move the file instead of fight the case, this isn't the place.
- You think prosecutors are the good guys. No hard feelings. You just won't fit.
- You haven't tried cases to verdict. Go try some, then come back. We mean that.
- You're a lone wolf who likes doing things your own way, in your own bubble.
- You're looking for an easy job and an early retirement.
You'd be joining a firm that's revolutionizing criminal defense. Forty attorneys, four support staff each, operating across three states and growing fast. We're not iterating on the traditional law firm model — we're replacing it. Every system, from intake to discovery to trial prep, was rebuilt from scratch to let lawyers do the one thing they went to law school for: practice law.
If that sounds like the firm you've been looking for, fill out the form. Thirty seconds. No resume. We call you on your schedule and have a conversation.