DescriptionThe Opportunity:This is a family law attorney position with real ownership from day one. You will carry your own caseload, appear in court, sit across the table in mediations, and become the person clients rely on when everything else feels uncertain.
You will also have room to grow something. We are not handing you a stack of files and pointing at a door. We want an attorney who will develop client relationships, build a referral base, deepen the firm's presence in the community, and eventually become one of the names people in Snohomish County think of when their family is in crisis.
A Candid Word About Family Law:We will be direct with you, because we would rather be honest now than disappointed later.
Family law asks something of you that other practice areas do not. Clients are frightened. Their children are involved. The stakes are not measured in dollars alone. Some days the law gives you a clean answer and some days it does not, and you still have to sit with someone and tell them the truth. Counsel them, encourage them, give a good reality check, and help them build their futures. It's hard, and it's deeply rewarding.
Plenty of attorneys say they want this work. Fewer mean it. We have learned to tell the difference, and we would rather find the person who is genuinely called to it than fill a seat quickly. If you have three years of litigation experience and a real pull toward family law, we are very interested in you, even without family law on your resume. If family law simply looks like an available opening, this is probably not the right fit for either of us.
Who Thrives Here:Skill matters. So does the kind of person you are. The attorneys who do well at Deno Millikan tend to share these qualities:
- You genuinely like people. Especially clients. You do not experience their phone calls as an interruption of the work. You understand that the phone call often is the work.
- You are kind. Not soft, not passive, not conflict-averse. Kind. There is a version of advocacy that is fierce in the courtroom and decent everywhere else, and that is the version we practice.
- You have an enterprising streak. You see opportunities to serve clients better, bring in good matters, and strengthen the firm, and you act on them without waiting to be asked.
- You work hard, consistently. Not in heroic bursts before trial, but in the steady daily discipline that keeps cases moving and clients informed.
- You care about the quality of your work product. Your pleadings are clean. Your declarations are organized. You would be uncomfortable filing something you knew was merely adequate.
- You are a real team player. You ask colleagues for input, share what you learn, treat staff with respect, and understand that a firm is a collective reputation, not a collection of individual ones.
Responsibilities$46
QualificationsWhat You Bring:• Licensed and in good standing in Washington, or eligible and willing to become licensed here.
• At least three years of litigation experience. Family law experience is preferred but is not a requirement.
• A sincere interest in building a family law practice, whether you are already doing this work or moving toward it deliberately.
• Strong written and oral advocacy, with real confidence on your feet.
• The organizational discipline to carry a full caseload without losing track of the details or the people.
• Sound judgment, high ethical standards, and the humility to keep learning.