Associate Litigation Attorney: Construction Defect​/Ins. Defense

We are working with a mid-size, Columbia, SC based, boutique law firm having offices throughout the South Carolina, as well as in Charlotte, NC, and concentrating on construction law, real estate transactions, corporate transactions, mortgage banking, creditor services, insurance, health care law, and related litigation. The firm seeks an experienced Construction Defect and Insurance Defense Litigation Associate Attorney (3-7 yrs.) who can independently manage assigned construction defect and insurance defense matters, including cases involving general contractors and upstream parties.

Expected compensation is $130,000-$140,000/yr. Benefits information is available from the employer. Expected billables are 1850/yr. The position is onsite in Columbia SC.

• Independently manage assigned construction defect and insurance defense matters, including cases involving general contractors and upstream parties.
• Draft, review, and file substantive pleadings, motions, and discovery with limited supervision.
• Lead fact discovery, including:
  • drafting and responding to written discovery
  • taking and defending depositions of subcontractors, fact witnesses, and corporate representatives
• Analyze and apply:
  • contractual indemnity and risk transfer provisions
  • additional insured and tender obligations
  • allocation and equitable indemnity frameworks common in GC-focused CD litigation
• Review, organize, and synthesize complex project documentation, including:
  • prime contracts and subcontracts
  • plans, specifications, RFIs, and change orders
• Coordinate with construction, engineering, and damages experts and manage expert discovery.
• Prepare detailed carrier reports, budgets, and exposure assessments in compliance with carrier guidelines.
• Draft mediation briefs and actively participate in mediations and settlement negotiations.

• Familiarity with:
  • Multi-party CD cases and trade-based allocation
  • Cross-complaints, tenders, and contractual defense obligations
  • Carrier reporting, budgeting, and billing guidelines
  • Comfort interacting directly with carriers, insureds, and project stakeholders
  • Ability to manage matters through discovery and pre-trial phases with minimal oversight
  • Strong issue-spotting skills and sound judgment regarding escalation and strategy
  • Efficient case handling within budgetary and staffing constraints
  • Clear, professional written and oral advocacy
  • Contribution to team effectiveness, including mentoring brand-new attorneys or staff, as appropriate

• Benefits: Information available from employer
• Experience: Three to seven (3–7) years with General Contractor experience (strongly preferred)
  Location: Columbia, SC

Candidates may apply to this position on Linked In, the Hire Counsel website, or by direct e-mail to  We at Hire Counsel cannot promise that a particular candidate will get the job or an interview, but we can promise that we will review all submitted resumes.

Hire Counsel, a Purpose Legal Company, is an agile legal talent agency. We build connections between and among legal professionals and our clients, some of the nation's largest law firms and legal departments (and some of the smallest). By introducing good lawyers to our clients and assisting attorney candidacies, we serve the entire legal community. We provide permanent employment opportunities. We also provide individuals with options to work on contract (temporary) assignments as may be fitting, to aid their stability, even as we endeavor to help them find permanent homes.

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