How to hire an associate attorney

How to hire an associate attorney, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate attorney hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an associate attorney job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new associate attorney
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an associate attorney do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an associate attorney, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect associate attorney also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents associate attorney salaries for various positions.

   Type of Associate Attorney	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Attorney	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$33-81
   Legal Consultant	A legal consultant uses legal practice knowledge to enhance a law company's efficiency and profitability. Besides advising on the right solutions for customer productivity, marketing and development strategies, legal consultants also actively manage risks by consulting on program and legal-related issues... Show more	$19-66
   Litigation Paralegal	A litigation paralegal is a specialist who is responsible for assisting attorneys throughout the trial process. On the plaintiff side, litigation paralegals conduct initial client interviews and legal research for case preparations... Show more	$19-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Litigation
   • Law Firm
   • Discovery Responses
   • Pre-Trial Motions
   • Real Estate Transactions
   • Legal Issues
   • Legal Research
   • Intellectual Property
   • Probate
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Insurance Defense
   • Court Appearances
   • Arbitration
   • Employment Law

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide litigation support for general civil and probate litigation at trial and appellate levels.
   • Attend arbitration hearings, conduct and attend depositions, and negotiate and evaluate settlements in arbitration and litigation disputes.
   • Participate in all phases of commercial and construction litigation, arbitration, mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
   • Play instrumental role in all areas of litigation preparation, including authoring interrogatories, participating in depositions and preparing for trial.
   • Prepare briefs and counsele clients in matters pertaining to unemployment and workers' compensation, including hearings and appeals.
   • Represent contracting officers in administrative appeals.

   More associate attorney duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your associate attorney job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An associate attorney salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, associate attorneys' average salary in indiana is 51% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level associate attorneys earn 59% less than senior-level associate attorneys.
   • Certifications. An associate attorney with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an associate attorney's salary.

   Average associate attorney salary

   $110,053yearly

   $52.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate attorney salary

   $70,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 1, 2026

   Average associate attorney salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$121,561	$58
   2	District of Columbia	$118,592	$57
   3	New York	$116,048	$56
   4	Massachusetts	$98,089	$47
   5	Colorado	$94,154	$45
   6	Oregon	$91,445	$44
   7	Virginia	$89,856	$43
   8	Nevada	$87,791	$42
   9	Texas	$87,679	$42
   10	New Jersey	$84,546	$41
   11	Pennsylvania	$82,995	$40
   12	Florida	$82,040	$39
   13	Washington	$81,860	$39
   14	Illinois	$81,068	$39
   15	Arizona	$80,642	$39
   16	Georgia	$79,227	$38
   17	Minnesota	$76,948	$37
   18	Michigan	$70,022	$34
   19	Ohio	$67,308	$32
   20	Missouri	$61,229	$29

   Average associate attorney salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Schiff Hardin	$213,499	$102.64
   2	Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough	$206,375	$99.22	18
   3	Irell & Manella	$205,922	$99.00
   4	Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton	$205,728	$98.91
   5	Cozen O'Connor	$204,881	$98.50
   6	Reed Smith	$203,681	$97.92
   7	Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner	$202,483	$97.35
   8	Vinson & Elkins	$202,225	$97.22
   9	Nixon Peabody	$200,784	$96.53
   10	Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld	$200,553	$96.42
   11	Hughes Hubbard & Reed	$200,547	$96.42
   12	O'Melveny	$200,480	$96.38
   13	Alston & Bird	$198,913	$95.63	3
   14	McGuireWoods	$193,885	$93.21	6
   15	Perkins Coie	$193,201	$92.89	29
   16	Cahill Gordon & Reindel	$192,613	$92.60
   17	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	$192,239	$92.42	1
   18	Day Pitney	$189,554	$91.13	1
   19	Boies Schiller Flexner	$187,771	$90.27
   20	Manatt, Phelps & Phillips	$186,182	$89.51

4. Writing an associate attorney job description

   A good associate attorney job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an associate attorney job description:

   Associate attorney job description example

   A minimum of 1 year of litigation experience is required. Trial experience and experience prosecuting and defending claims for both personal injury protection (PIP) benefits and Property Insurance preferred. Willing to train the right candidate with less than 1 year of litigation experience and/or is newly licensed to practice in Florida.

   Excellent communication, customer service, interpersonal, organizational, decision-making, and relationship-building skills. Ability to be a team player and work in a fast-paced atmosphere.

   Candidate must be self-motivated and able to work independently with available support from supervising attorney; must have excellent writing skills.

   The ideal candidate will become an integral part of a collaborative culture with support from our firm's staff and attorneys. The right candidate must have the ability to handle and litigate their own caseload. Required to attend/conduct depositions, hearings, and preparation of various legal documents, including motions, memoranda, and discovery.
   
   Salary : $75,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

   Job Requirements :

   1. Florida Bar Admission/Member in Good Standing

   2. At least 1 year of first-party and/or PIP insurance litigation experience.

   3. Must be willing to work independently.

   4. Must be willing to engage in direct communications via telephone and e-mail with clients, opposing counsel, and experts.

   5. Bilingual - Spanish, preferred but not required.

   Benefits :

   · Generous bonus incentive program based on performance, business generation and case settlements.

   · Health insurance

   · Dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.

   · Paid maternity/paternity leave.

   · 401K with matching contribution.

   · Unlimited time off and sick leave with advance notice.

   · Paid parking & travel reimbursement.

   Schedule : Monday to Friday

   Ability to commute/relocate : Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work to Boca Raton, FL 33432 office location. (Required)

   Please email your resume in PDF format.
   

   Principals only. No Recruiters!

   Please do not contact our office with unsolicited services or offers.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right associate attorney for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your associate attorney job on Zippia to find and recruit associate attorney candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting associate attorneys requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new associate attorney

   Once you've selected the best associate attorney candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an associate attorney?