How to hire a project attorney

How to hire a project attorney, step by step

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

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

Post a project attorney job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The project attorney hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A project attorney's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, project attorneys from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of project attorneys.

   Type of Project Attorney	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Attorney	Lawyers advise and represent individuals, businesses, and government agencies on legal issues and disputes.	$24-67
   General Counsel	A general counsel, also called a chief legal officer, is the chief lawyer in the legal department of an organization. The counsel represents an enterprise for any pending legal matters... Show more	$36-100
   Housing Counselor	A Housing Counselor works directly with clients and organizations to support moderate and low-income clients in overcoming barriers to housing and financial stability. They represent the homeowner in interventions and/or mediation proceedings with the mortgage servicer, lender, and/or other stakeholders.	$20-69

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Litigation
   • E-Discovery
   • Legal Research
   • Privilege Logs
   • Due Diligence
   • Legal Analysis
   • QC
   • Product Liability
   • Attorney-Client Privilege
   • Law Firm
   • Intellectual Property
   • Real Estate
   • Legal Issues
   • Complex Litigation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Advise client in requirements to achieve and maintain critical FCPA compliance.
   • Perform electronic document review for complex litigation matters involving product liability claims, environmental and toxic torts, and securities fraud.
   • Review and analyze e-discovery responses in complex mortgage-backed securities litigation
   • Represent individual and institutional clients in all aspects of commercial and residential real estate acquisition, financing and leasing and foreclosure.
   • Review internal corporate documents to prepare response to DOJ subpoena regarding nationwide corporate merger.
   • Review electronic documents as requested by the DOJ for potential antitrust violations in corporate acquisitions.

   More project attorney duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your project attorney job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A project attorney can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, project attorneys' average salary in arkansas is 59% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level project attorneys 64% less than senior-level project attorneys.
   • Certifications. A project attorney with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a project attorney's salary.

   Average project attorney salary

   $84,138yearly

   $40.45 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level project attorney salary

   $50,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average project attorney salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$111,060	$53
   2	Massachusetts	$109,808	$53
   3	California	$106,617	$51
   4	District of Columbia	$96,519	$46
   5	Nevada	$88,268	$42
   6	Maryland	$80,193	$39
   7	Oregon	$79,858	$38
   8	Illinois	$78,093	$38
   9	Texas	$76,647	$37
   10	Pennsylvania	$75,399	$36
   11	Arizona	$75,278	$36
   12	Georgia	$74,547	$36
   13	New Hampshire	$71,684	$34
   14	Louisiana	$71,330	$34
   15	Indiana	$64,658	$31
   16	Wisconsin	$63,138	$30
   17	Kansas	$60,332	$29

   Average project attorney salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Alston & Bird	$201,514	$96.88	1
   2	Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough	$194,957	$93.73	21
   3	Apple	$140,617	$67.60
   4	Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.	$99,284	$47.73
   5	Door’s	$87,387	$42.01
   6	Randstad North America, Inc.	$84,063	$40.41
   7	NRDC	$76,839	$36.94	1
   8	National Congress of American Indians	$74,796	$35.96
   9	Legal Aid	$68,030	$32.71	18
   10	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$66,805	$32.12
   11	TransPerfect	$63,888	$30.72
   12	University of Wisconsin System	$62,132	$29.87
   13	Public Advocates	$61,148	$29.40
   14	Powell Valley Care Ctr	$60,718	$29.19
   15	The Door - A Center of Alternatives	$57,640	$27.71
   16	Catholic Charities Of The Archdiocese Of Washington	$56,818	$27.32	1
   17	Legal Aid NW Texas	$37,847	$18.20

4. Writing a project attorney job description

   A project attorney job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a project attorney job description:

   Project attorney job description example

   **Job Level:** Mid Level
   
   **Home District/Group:** DHO Legal Build Work
   
   **Department:** Legal
   
   **Market:** Transportation
   
   **Employment Type:** Full Time
   
   **Position Overview**
   
   Kiewit employs 30,000 employees and has been in business for 136 years. We are consistently rated by Forbes as a top place to work and were recently named by ENR as #1 in the top 200 Design/Build contractors in North America. We are experts in Engineering and Construction and We are seeking a highly talented individual for a Sr. Project Attorney role on our Corporate Legal team, and be located in our San Jose California office. You will be supporting a multi-year, Rail/Transit mega project being constructed in California. You will be a key member of our Kiewit Legal Department, providing legal guidance and oversight for the project, reporting to our General Counsel.
   
   **District Overview**
   
   At Kiewit, the scale of our operations is huge. Our construction and engineering projects span across the United States, Canada and Mexico, improving and connecting communities with every initiative. We depend on our high-performing Legal team - they're the glue that holds multiple areas of the business together and the catalysts that make things happen and ensure our people and assets are protected. We hire only the most driven people and we offer them diverse career opportunities, strong leadership and mentorship, rewarding, collaborative work, and responsibility they won't find just anywhere. We're always pushing new limits. You can too.
   
   **Location**
   
   This position will be located in our San Jose California office, with occasional travel to other Kiewit offices.
   
   **Responsibilities**
   
   • Represent Kiewit when interfacing with outside stakeholders and its consortium partner
   
   • Report to the Assistant General Counsel for Kiewit's Power Delivery District;
   
   • Daily direct interface with senior project executives on all matters concerning the Project;
   
   • Key member of the Project's senior management team;
   
   • Provide comprehensive oversight of all legal matters concerning the Project and provide a full range of timely and responsive legal advice and support to the Project;
   
   • Assist in implementation, and audit, of Project cost accounting methods and documentation to assure compliance with applicable regulations;
   
   • Review and negotiation of subcontracts and material contracts, surety bonds, settlement agreements and releases, confidentiality agreements, miscellaneous right-of-way agreements, leases and financial instruments;
   
   • Manage legal issues associated with vendor management, including defaults, collection matters, personnel issues, etc.
   
   • Evaluate legal issues in light of business objectives, and offer practical alternative solutions to legal issues;
   
   • Possess substantive legal expertise appropriate for specifics of the Project;
   
   • Participate in application of Kiewit Compliance Program to the Project;
   
   • Participate in Contract Administration Program related to the Project, including Change Orders and claims;
   
   • Participation in change orders, claim preparation/reviews, audits and investigations;
   
   • Assist with disputes, mediations, arbitrations and litigation related to the Project;
   
   • Act as interface with various Kiewit home office departments, and corresponding home office departments of the other joint venture members, including Legal, Environmental, Audit, Risk Management, Real Estate, Tax and Treasury with respect to the Project;
   
   • Coordinate with the internal stakeholders and subject matter experts relative to the commercial/legal aspects and risks of the Project;
   
   • Coordinate negotiations on major subcontracts with the business lead and internal supply network lead;
   
   • Coordinate with the internal supply network lead to ensure the prime contract terms flow down to the respective subcontracts, material supply contracts, etc. as applicable;
   
   • Provide and/or coordinate training for Project employees of select commercial and legal topics.
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   + Admission to a State Bar Association
   
   + J.D. or LL. B Degree from an accredited law school
   
   + Complete fluency in English
   
   + 3 to 7 years of demonstrated legal experience with a major contractor, engineer, law firm or internal legal department in the areas of federal construction law, cost accounting procedures and contract administration. **Prefer experience as a member of internal legal counsel within a corporation supporting construction projects**
   
   + Must be United States citizen or Permanent resident
   
   + Ability to obtain required security clearances subject to FBI background check
   
   + Ability to access areas of active construction site with uneven terrain and unfinished work
   
   + Ability to work and travel as necessary to support the project and the company
   
   + Excellent communication skills; with the ability to clearly and concisely express legal issues and analysis as it pertains to the Project to executive management and colleagues
   
   + Self-driven and resourceful to achieve goals independently as well as in groups
   
   + Flexibility to adjust and thrive in an environment with changing requirements, schedules and priorities
   
   + Excellent writing, presentation, and meeting facilitation skills
   
   \#LI-JB1
   
   **Other Requirements:**
   
   • Regular, reliable attendance
   
   • Work productively and meet deadlines timely
   
   • Communicate and interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, employees, and others individually or in a team environment.
   
   • Perform work safely and effectively. Understand and follow oral and written instructions, including warning signs, equipment use, and other policies.
   
   • Work during normal operating hours to organize and complete work within given deadlines. Work overtime and weekends as required.
   
   _We offer our fulltime staff employees a comprehensive benefits package that's among the best in our industry, including top-tier medical, dental and vision plans covering eligible employees and dependents, voluntary wellness and employee assistance programs, life insurance, disability, retirement plans with matching, and generous paid time off._
   
   _We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law._
   
   Company: Kiewit

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find project attorneys for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any project attorneys they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level project attorneys with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit project attorneys, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 project attorney

   Once you've found the project attorney candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new project attorney first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a project attorney?