Hire a labor and employment attorney who knows both sides of the docket.
We recruit labor and employment attorneys for management side firms, from litigation associates through partners with a practice. The largest group of litigators in this pool has worked both sides of the docket, so ask what share of their docket was agency work versus civil litigation. Wage and hour and class defense make up the largest specialty group in this pool.
- Litigation is the default experience in this pool, and counseling only work is rare.
- The largest group of candidates has worked both the employee and management side, so expect plaintiff experience even in a management side search.
- Median billable requirement: 1,900 hours, 2,032 in Florida.
- Contingency. Nothing is owed until an attorney starts.
Most employment litigators have worked both sides of the docket.
About half of the attorneys we see with employment law experience list it as their main practice. The rest carry some employment work inside a broader litigation docket, which is worth asking about before a resume goes further. Among attorneys who put employment first and name a side, the largest group has represented both employees and management. Employee side only experience is about twice as common as management side only, so a management side firm should expect plaintiff experience on the resumes it sees and should ask how much of the current docket is employment work.
Litigation is the default experience in this pool. About a quarter handle both litigation and counseling, and counseling only work is rare. Wage and hour, class and collective matters are the largest specialty cluster, ahead of agency charges before the EEOC, DOL or NLRB and traditional labor practice, which are both smaller groups. These proportions come from ITG's own interview notes with employment attorneys, current as of September 2026. Candidates name target total pay by state: about $150,000 in Florida and Georgia, about $172,500 in California, and about $180,000 in Texas. The table below gives base salary by years of experience.
| Experience | 1 to 2 yrs | 3 to 4 yrs | 5 to 7 yrs | 8 to 14 yrs | 15+ yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base range | $120K to $150K | $115K to $170K | $120K to $175K | $140K to $240K | $160K to $300K |
| Typical | $135K | $140K | $150K | $175K | $200K |
Base salary at mid-size and regional firms, from our 2026 placement and interview data. Bonus figures in this practice are inconsistent and sit on top of base where they exist.
Most candidates describe their litigation experience in general terms.
A resume that says employment litigation doesn't tell you much. Most candidates describe their litigation exposure in general terms, so ask for the numbers: depositions taken, trials and arbitrations, whether they sat first or second chair, how many class or collective matters they've worked, and how many agency charges they've handled. Among attorneys who mention this kind of detail, about four in ten mention class or collective work, about a quarter mention depositions, under three in ten mention trial experience, and about one in five mention agency charges. About one in eight mention sitting first or second chair.
Florida runs highest at a median of 2,032, Texas follows at 1,935, and Georgia at 1,912. California sits lowest among the larger markets at a median of 1,888. Hybrid is the arrangement candidates ask for most, and a fully in office role draws the fewest requests. Write the posting with that in mind. The roles below are where most employment searches land, with what to look for in each.
| Employment seat | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Management side litigation associate | Ask about depositions taken and motions argued, and check whether they have defended agency charges as well as civil claims. |
| Wage and hour, class and collective defense attorney | The largest specialty cluster in this pool. Look for class or collective matters on the resume and ask how many they carried through to resolution. |
| Employment counseling attorney | Counseling only backgrounds are rare in our notes. Ask litigators how much advice, handbook and training work they've done. |
| Traditional labor attorney | A smaller group in this pool works union and NLRB matters. Confirm recent board proceedings. |
| Senior attorney or of counsel | Running a full docket without close supervision, often moving because a merger or acquisition shifted their book out of employment work or the partnership track stalled. |
| Partner with an employment practice | Weigh the firm's own stability as closely as the client list. Instability is the top reason attorneys in this pool leave, including partners. |
Firm instability moves employment attorneys before pay does.
Instability is the top reason employment attorneys tell us they're looking, ahead of pay. A round of layoffs or a merger that shifted their docket out of employment work into another group both show up in the notes. Hours come next, then a partnership track that keeps slipping and pay that hasn't moved with the workload. A firm that can show a stable employment docket and a stated path to partner is answering what these attorneys ask about first.
In house counsel roles draw interest from a small share of this group, well under one in ten. Several would accept equal or slightly lower pay for predictable hours. Your firm's hours and schedule are what you have to offer against that.
How do I hire a labor and employment attorney?
Start by screening for side and docket share. The largest group of litigators in this pool has worked both the employee and management side, so ask what share of their current docket is employment work and how much of their litigation experience is agency charges versus civil claims. Wage and hour and class defense make up the largest specialty group, so expect to see that experience most often.
How much do labor and employment associates make?
$135,000 at one to two years, $150,000 at five to seven, $175,000 at eight to fourteen, and $200,000 at fifteen and up, at mid-size and regional firms in 2026. Candidates also name a target total pay figure by state: about $150,000 in Florida and Georgia, about $172,500 in California, and about $180,000 in Texas.
How many billable hours do employment attorneys expect?
The overall median is 1,900 hours, with the middle half between 1,800 and 2,000. It varies by state: Florida runs highest at a median of 2,032, Texas at 1,935, Georgia at 1,912, and California lowest among the larger markets at 1,888. Hybrid is the arrangement candidates ask for most, and a fully in office role is the least requested.
Can a plaintiff side employment attorney move to a management side firm?
Often, yes. The largest group of litigators in this pool has worked both sides, and employee side only experience is common enough that management side firms should plan to see it on strong resumes. Check whether they've handled the defense of a claim and whether they've handled agency charges.
How long does it take to hire an employment attorney?
Associate-level employment searches close in about five to six weeks, the same range we see across litigation hiring generally. A senior attorney, of counsel or partner search runs past that window, because strong people at that stage are harder to find and there's often a client list to sort out first.
How does a legal recruiter get paid by a law firm?
Contingency. The hiring firm pays a fee only when an attorney we introduced accepts and starts, and the attorney is never billed at any stage. The terms are written down before a search opens, so both sides know the arrangement going in. A search that doesn't produce a hire costs the firm nothing.
Filling an employment seat this quarter?
Tell us the side, the specialty, and the market you're hiring in. We'll follow up with a read on who's available and what it will take to bring them in.