What do employment defense associates make in Los Angeles?
Our California management-side searches pay $210,000 to $335,000 base at two to six years. The California labor and employment (L&E) attorneys we interview earn a median base of $180,000.
The typical L&E attorney we interview earns less than what our searches pay. Is your base above $210,000?
The table has the rest, including Am Law 100 California ranges up to $365,000. Our numbers come from our own California L&E searches and from interviews with L&E attorneys since January 2024, current as of October 2026.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics median for all Los Angeles lawyers is $194,410. That counts every practice and every level, not L&E alone.
Bonuses on these searches are mostly discretionary. Firms tie them to billable hours, performance, office presence and mentoring. Some set an hours-based bonus target instead. Is the bonus formula in writing?
- Our California management-side searches
- Experience
- 2 to 6 years
- Base salary
- $210,000 to $335,000
- Am Law 100 California searches
- Experience
- 2+ years
- Base salary
- Up to $365,000
- Senior counseling roles (Am Law 100, Los Angeles)
- Experience
- 7 to 10 years
- Base salary
- Have topped $375,000
- California L&E attorneys we interviewed, current base
- Experience
- All levels
- Base salary
- $180,000 median
- Management side vs. plaintiff side, current base
- Experience
- 3 to 5 years
- Base salary
- $180,000 vs. $140,000 median
- All lawyers, Los Angeles metro (BLS, May 2025)
- Experience
- All levels
- Base salary
- $194,410 median
| Source | Experience | Base salary |
|---|---|---|
| Our California management-side searches | 2 to 6 years | $210,000 to $335,000 |
| Am Law 100 California searches | 2+ years | Up to $365,000 |
| Senior counseling roles (Am Law 100, Los Angeles) | 7 to 10 years | Have topped $375,000 |
| California L&E attorneys we interviewed, current base | All levels | $180,000 median |
| Management side vs. plaintiff side, current base | 3 to 5 years | $180,000 vs. $140,000 median |
| All lawyers, Los Angeles metro (BLS, May 2025) | All levels | $194,410 median |
What LA employment defense firms are hiring for
Wage and hour class action experience and work under the Private Attorneys General Act. That is the most common ask on our California searches.
Firms also want wage and hour defense, single-plaintiff litigation, counseling, and NLRB unfair labor practice work. Every California opening requires the California bar. Experience floors are usually two or three years. Senior counseling roles want seven to ten.
Am Law 100 California roles ask for a résumé, a law school transcript and writing samples. Some firms screen on law school rank and GPA, or law review and moot court. Some prefer federal clerkships.
Firms ask about case types, depositions, trials and billables. How many depositions have you taken?
Billable hours: what firms require vs. what associates bill
Targets on our L&E searches run 1,800 to 2,000 hours, most often 1,850.
The management-side associates I interview describe something different. They are mostly required to bill 1,850 to 1,950 and often bill 2,000 to 2,300.
When they talk about a move, most want a ceiling of 1,800 to 1,900. "2,000 is a hard no" has come up on my calls more than once.
What is the billable requirement at the firm you are talking to? And what did the associates in that group bill last year? We break down how firms set these targets in law firm billable hours.
- Targets on our L&E searches1,800 to 2,000 (most often 1,850)
- What management-side associates tell us they're required to bill1,850 to 1,950
- What they tell us they actually bill2,000 to 2,300
- The ceiling most want at their next firm1,800 to 1,900
| Hours a year | |
|---|---|
| Targets on our L&E searches | 1,800 to 2,000 (most often 1,850) |
| What management-side associates tell us they're required to bill | 1,850 to 1,950 |
| What they tell us they actually bill | 2,000 to 2,300 |
| The ceiling most want at their next firm | 1,800 to 1,900 |
Can you work hybrid or remote in LA employment defense?
Not remote. None of our L&E searches are fully remote, and we have no remote employment defense role right now.
Most are in office or hybrid. Our Los Angeles openings include hybrid roles and Am Law 100 positions that are in office.
California is our highest remote-preference state among the attorneys we interview.
What does the required in-office schedule look like each week? Ask on the first call. We track how firms handle attendance in remote and hybrid attorney jobs.
Why management-side associates move firms
Base below peers, and a discretionary bonus that doesn't arrive. Those are the pay complaints.
Others: a vague or distant partner track, or a firm too small to grow in. A practice that drifted into insurance defense (ID) or general litigation after a merger. Heavy travel on labor work. Long commutes and return-to-office pushes. Being the only L&E lawyer in the office.
The deal-breakers I hear are a billable minimum above 1,900, fully in office, going back to ID, or a cut in base.
Does one of those describe your firm? If you want to look without your firm knowing, read how we keep your search confidential first.
Moving from plaintiff-side employment law to the defense side
Management-side associates at three to five years report a median base of $180,000. Plaintiff-side peers report $140,000, about $40,000 less.
Mid-level plaintiff-side California roles we have seen pay $150,000 to $200,000 base plus a share of fees. What did your fee share pay last year? That is the number to compare.
Defense firms often want defense experience first, and some require it. Lead with your wage and hour and PAGA work and any defense work you have done.
Licensed in another state? Getting admitted in California
Every California role on our board requires the California bar. The State Bar of California does not offer reciprocity or accept bar exam scores from another jurisdiction.
If your license in another U.S. jurisdiction has been active and in good standing for at least four years, you can take the one-day Attorneys' Examination instead of the general bar exam. It is the written portion only: essay questions and the Performance Test.
Confirm the current rules with the State Bar before you plan a move around them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who's hiring now, and how to reach me
Hybrid positions and Am Law 100 roles in Los Angeles. They are listed below and on our labor and employment practice page.
If you handle employment defense in Los Angeles, I would want to hear from you. I won't send your résumé anywhere without first checking with you.
What is your base now, and what is your billable requirement?