New 
Labor & Employment Associate (#1028) - Seattle
 Dorsey & Whitney LLP | |
$275,000 - $315,000
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medical insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, parental leave, paid holidays, flex time, 401(k)
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 United States, Washington, Seattle | |
 Feb 20, 2026 | |
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Dorsey & Whitney LLP is seeking a Labor & Employment Associate with at least 5 years of experience to join the Seattle office.
In this position, you will be a full-time senior-level associate in the Labor & Employment Group. We work together well. You'll receive significant, direct client contact - often quickly becoming the client's first point of contact with the team. Because we work so collaboratively with clients and colleagues in our California offices, experience as an employment lawyer in California is a major plus. This is a very client-focused role. In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop strong client relationships and will receive credit for doing so. Many of the team's clients have time-urgent needs. Many have worked with the team for decades. You will know them personally, know about their businesses, and be a key first point of contact when they need legal help. You'll have a lot of direct client contact and provide pragmatic, clear legal advice and litigation defense. This is not a hierarchical team. Each member works together to accomplish our client's legal and business objectives. We view each other as teammates not as "bosses" and "worker bees." You'll be expected to manage the cases and advice issues that arise. You'll have frequent opportunities to collaborate with partners who are not only open to your ideas and strategies, but expect you to share them. Like all legal positions, this job requires a balance between quick responsiveness and careful attention to detail. Finally, our broad practice covers everything from merger/acquisition support to handling myriad issues across the U.S. Any given day you might go from a call advising on a tricky termination in Alabama, to a non-compete issue in New York, to defending a wage class action in Los Angeles. Examples Of What You'll Be Working On:
- Provide increasingly complex employment law advice and counsel. Examples include:
- Strategically drafting employment agreements and offer letters designed to address the client's business needs.
- Reviewing and drafting employee handbooks to reflect company values and recruitment and retention objectives. - Advising on employee performance management issues to support clients' relationships with their employees. - Advising on difficult employee terminations. - Managing complex ADA accommodation and complex leave questions consistent with the client's business objectives. - Helping clients manage interpersonal conflict in the workplace. - Manage single-plaintiff cases and play a substantial role in managing wage and hour class actions
- Recommend and collaborate with partners on case strategy and tactics
- Substantial brief writing - Interview witnesses and prepare fact presentations for litigated matters - Draft discovery requests and responses to discovery requests - Take and defend depositions - Proactively maintain workload and caseload; anticipate next steps and implement follow-up procedures.
- Manage case dockets, dates and deadlines for client projects and legal filings.
- Have fun working with great people for amazing clients!
Position Requirements: - Licensed to practice in Washington (including Federal courts). - Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Highly responsive and proactive. - Excellent client service skills. - Ability to work as a team member and communicate effectively with all levels of personnel. Everyone is a client. - A commitment to diversity and personal practice development. - Ability to think creatively and approach projects and tasks from a continuous-improvement perspective. - Strong knowledge of main Microsoft Office products, in particular Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. Knowledge of Excel is a plus. - Strong attention to detail, proofreading and organizational skills. - Additional minimum requirements per the job description. For Seattle applicants only, the salary range for this position is $275,000 - $315,000. Pay is determined based on depth of experience in the practice area. The individual hired for this position may have the option of electing a lower billable-hours track with a proportional reduction in salary. Associates are eligible to participate in Dorsey's associate bonus program, subject to the program's conditions and restrictions.
Dorsey offers a collaborative and dynamic environment, with competitive compensation and excellent benefits. Our benefits are available to attorneys working 17+ hours/week along with their dependents, including spouses and domestic partners regardless of gender. Dorsey's benefits package includes: comprehensive medical insurance with coverage for infertility, gender-affirming care, behavioral health, and access to virtual providers; dental insurance; vision insurance; 401(k) retirement savings plan; basic and optional life insurance; short and long-term disability; flexible time off; up to 15 weeks of paid parental leave with up to an additional 6-8 weeks of paid short-term disability for attorneys who give birth; paid holidays; adoption assistance; healthcare, dependent care, and transportation pre-tax reimbursement accounts; back-up child and elder care program; education and college advising program; virtual tutoring; wellbeing programs and activities; mass transit program (certain offices); travel assistance program; 24/7 employee assistance program with access to five confidential visits with a licensed counselor at no cost. Where applicable, attorneys may be eligible for a discretionary bonus and/or a productivity bonus, clerkship bonus, relocation expenses, and bar review expenses. First-year associates are also eligible for a salary advance and bar review stipend. (Some benefits are subject to eligibility criteria and may result in taxable income to the recipient.) You will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, affectional preference, disability, age, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, military or veteran status, or any other legally-protected status. Dorsey participates in E-Verify. About Dorsey Dorsey & Whitney is a global law firm with over 650 lawyers across 22 offices in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. We provide strategic legal counsel to companies worldwide across a diverse range of industries, including banking & financial institutions; development & infrastructure; energy & natural resources; food, beverage & agribusiness; healthcare & life sciences; and technology. Clients have relied on the international law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP since 1912 as a trusted legal advisor and valued business partner. With locations across the United States as well as Canada, Europe and Asia, Dorsey provides an integrated, dedicated approach to its clients' legal and business needs. Dorsey's diverse client base includes more than one-third of Fortune 100 companies. Our lawyers apply superb legal knowledge and skills with practical wisdom and a deep understanding of business and industry. We serve clients in nearly all industries, but focus on six key industries in which we have excellent depth and a history of achieving client success: - Banking and Financial Institutions - Development and Infrastructure - Energy & Natural Resources - Food, Beverage & Agribusiness - Healthcare - Technology Among Dorsey's many distinguished alumni are U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, noted law professor and scholar William Prosser, Minnesota's first woman judge Betty Washburn, former U.S. Vice President and Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, former Corporation Counsel of the City of New York Zachary Carter, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Recognized for our dedication to community, Dorsey has met the ABA Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge every year since the Challenge began in 1993 by devoting more than 3% of billable hours to pro bono work. One of our greatest strengths is a friendly, cooperative culture that values and appreciates each individual. Dorsey has received external recognition for our welcoming workplace, including: - Mansfield Certification Plus (Diversity Lab) - Best Law Firms for Women (Seramount) - 100% rating on the Corporate Equality Index (Human Rights Campaign) - Top 100 Adoption-Friendly Workplace (Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption) How to Apply Dorsey accepts online applications at https://www.dorsey.com/careers. We do not accept application materials by mail or email except as a reasonable accommodation for qualified disabled applicants. Dorsey is committed to providing disability and religious-based accommodations, as well as menopause, pregnancy, and lactation-related reasonable accommodations. If you require a reasonable accommodation in connection with the application or interview processes, or you have questions about a workplace reasonable accommodation, please contact us at 612-492-5033. Search firms: click here to submit candidates for consideration through our search firm portal. Please email recruiting@dorsey.com if you need login information for the search firm portal. We are accepting applications for this position until June 30, 2026, or until the position has been filled. #LI-Hybrid | |