Job Description

The Conflicts Attorney is responsible for evaluating and resolving legal conflicts-of-interest for new business intake, matter openings, client updates, and lateral attorney onboarding. This role conducts complex conflicts analyses, advises attorneys and firm leadership on risk and ethics issues, and ensures compliance with professional responsibility rules and firm policies. The Conflicts Attorney also supports matter opening workflows, drafts waivers and ethical screens, reviews Outside Counsel Guidelines, and contributes to maintaining high-quality conflicts data and processes.

The Conflicts Attorney will be responsible for…

• Identifying and analyzing actual and potential conflicts for existing and prospective clients by conducting in-depth research using internal systems and external databases (e.g., Hoover’s, D&B, Lexis, EDGAR) and interpreting results to assess business and ethical risks
• Recommending and implementing conflict-resolution strategies, including ethical walls, disclosures, consent letters, and engagement modifications
• Drafting and maintaining conflict waivers, disclosures, engagement letter language, and supporting documentation
• Reviewing and analyzing Outside Counsel Guidelines and engagement letters for conflicts-related provisions; advise on restrictions, required screens, and necessary updates to internal data
• Conducting conflicts analyses for lateral attorney candidates, recommending and implementing resolutions with Division Managers and the Ethics Committee, communicating with stakeholders to clear conflicts, and preparing required consent letters and documentation before and after onboarding
• Educating attorneys and legal staff on ethical obligations, conflicts procedures, new business intake, and client relationship considerations

Successful candidates will demonstrate…

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active bar status in CA.
• A minimum of 3 years of conflicts or professional responsibility experience in a mid-to-large, multi-practice law firm
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex legal relationships, business structures, and conflict scenarios
• A minimum of 2 years of law practice experience in private practice strongly preferred
• Proficiency with conflicts/new-business intake systems and strong research and analytical skills
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make persuasive arguments and present nuanced analyses to all levels of firm leadership
• Strong negotiation skills and consultative approach when working with attorneys and staff
• High level of discretion, judgment, and diplomacy in handling sensitive and confidential information
• Strong attention to detail, client-service orientation, and responsiveness
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, and meet tight deadlines
• Participation in the conflicts on-call rotation and ability to respond by phone to after-hours emergency conflict checks

Pay Range for Candidates in San Francisco, CA:

$160,000 - $200,000 per year

The range provided is the minimum and maximum salary that Venable in good faith believes at the time of this posting that it is willing to pay for the advertised position. Exact compensation will be determined based on individual candidate qualifications and location.

Committing your time and talent is no small matter—at Venable, we know that superior client service begins with an investment in our people. Our competitive compensation, robust benefits, and programs that support our employees’ well-being, families, and futures reflect our dedication to prioritizing the whole person, not just the professional.

Venable’s benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending and healthcare savings accounts, 401(k) with firm profit share, paid time off, firm paid holidays, wellness and personal advocacy programs, family planning resources and leave programs, tuition reimbursement, and more. New employees are provided a detailed orientation to the firm’s benefit offerings upon hire.

Here, we strive to offer the kind of care that radiates, from our colleagues to our clients, to our communities, so that success finds everyone.

Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act, as applicable. Material job duties for this role include having access to privileged and confidential firm and client information, firm employees, and the firm’s premises. This role requires the hired individual to perform the material job duties outlined in this job posting. If the firm reasonably believes an applicant’s criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with the material job duties required by the role, a conditional offer of employment may be rescinded.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Education & Licensure

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
• Active bar membership in CA (must be admitted in the jurisdiction where the attorney is based).
• Must maintain active CLE/MCLE credit compliance.

Required Experience

• Minimum of 3 years of related experience in conflicts or professional responsibility work within a mid-to-large, multi-practice law firm.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing complex legal relationships, business structures, and conflict scenarios.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience practicing law in a private practice environment strongly preferred.

Knowledge & Technical Skills

• Thorough understanding of conflicts of interest, the Rules of Professional Conduct (including Rules 1.7, 1.9, 1.10), state professional responsibility rules, and ethics issues involving government entities.
• Ability to research, analyze, summarize, and recommend resolutions for actual and potential conflicts, including advising the Ethics Committee and attorneys.
• Proficiency with conflicts/new-business intake systems
• Strong computer aptitude, including the Windows environment and Microsoft Office applications.
• General knowledge of federal, state, and municipal organizational structures relevant to conflicts analysis.

Communication, Analytical & Interpersonal Skills

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make persuasive arguments and present nuanced analyses to all levels of firm leadership.
• Strong negotiation skills and consultative approach when working with attorneys and staff.
• High level of discretion, judgment, and diplomacy in handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Ability to define problems, collect and analyze data, establish facts, and draw sound conclusions.
• Strong attention to detail, client-service orientation, and responsiveness.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, and meet tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to collaborate as part of a cross-functional team and to work independently as a self-starter.
• Commitment to continuous improvement, process efficiencies, and automation where applicable.

Additional Requirements

• Participation in the conflicts on-call rotation and ability to respond by phone to after-hours emergency conflict checks.

Physical Requirements

• Work is primarily sedentary.