Associate Attorney (Trusts & Estates)- 3625352

Job Title: Associate Attorney (Trusts & Estates)

Location: Bethesda, MD

Salary/Payrate: $150K-$200K annually and AWESOME benefits!!!

Work Environment: Hybrid (4 days onsite / 1 days WFH after 3-month ramp up period)

Term: Permanent / Fulltime

Bachelor’s degree required: Juris Doctor

Referral Fee: AMS will pay $500 should the person you refer gets hired

Job Description:

Associate Attorney

• 5+ years of Trusts & Estates experience required
• Estate planning drafting experience required
• Estate & trust administration experience required
• Probate experience strongly preferred
• LLM in Taxation is a plus but not required
• Mid-level complexity work with opportunity to be trained into more sophisticated HNW planning
• Looking for someone who can contribute immediately with minimal ramp-up

Partner

• Significant Trusts & Estates experience
• Advanced estate planning
• Estate & trust administration
• High-net-worth client experience preferred
• LLM preferred
• Portable book preferred but not required
• Leadership and supervision experience expected

Ideal Associate

• 5+ years of estate planning experience (hard requirement)
• Comfortable drafting wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and estate planning documents independently
• Estate and trust administration experience
• Probate litigation or probate administration is a significant plus
• Strong personality fit with a collaborative, intellectually curious team
• Interested in long-term growth and partnership
• Doesn't need a book of business

Ideal Partner

• Significant estate planning and administration background
• Comfortable supervising attorneys and staff
• High-net-worth planning experience preferred
• Existing book is helpful but not mandatory
• Entrepreneurial but collaborative

Compensation

Associate

• Approximately $150K for candidates around 5 years of experience
• Up to approximately $200K for candidates closer to 10 years
• Some flexibility depending on experience
• Structured quarterly billable bonus
• Discretionary year-end bonus
• Origination bonus program

Billables

• Associates: 1,650
• Paralegals: 1,550
• Firm noted that very few attorneys actually hit 1,650
• Quarterly bonuses tied to billables

Schedule / Office

• Primarily in-office
• Staff: 4 days/week in office
• Attorneys: 7 out of every 10 working days in office
• Remote flexibility available after approximately 90 days
• Looking for attorneys who enjoy collaborating in person

Culture

The biggest hiring factor is personality.

The firm specifically wants attorneys who:

• Enjoy estate planning
• Like discussing complex legal issues
• Want to learn
• Want to mentor and be mentored
• Prefer working on a team rather than operating independently
• Are looking for a long-term home rather than a stepping stone

Practice

Primary work consists of:

• Estate Planning
• Estate Administration
• Probate
• Trust Administration
• Mid- to High-Net-Worth planning
• Complex drafting
• Family wealth planning

Partnership Track

• Clear path to Non-Equity Partner
• Associates work with all partners rather than being assigned to one attorney
• Significant mentorship
• Opportunity for long-term advancement
• Looking for attorneys interested in eventually becoming firm leaders

Benefits

• 401(k) participation beginning Day 1
• Profit sharing (must remain employed through year-end; 20% vested initially)
• Medical insurance (Kaiser or United Healthcare)
• Firm covers employee medical premium; dependents at employee expense
• Dental insurance (Aetna)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (after 6 months)
• Professional Development Assistance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid parental leave:
• 6 weeks paid
• Additional 6 weeks unpaid
• Applies to birth or adoption (policy currently being updated)
• PTO is flexible as long as attorneys remain current on their work and billable expectations
• Parking:
• ~$140/month unreserved
• ~$190/month reserved
• Employee expense