Please note: An active California Bar license is required.
Landlord tenant litigation requires more than knowing the law. The cases can be fact intensive, highly personal, and increasingly complex. They require attorneys who can see the bigger picture, communicate clearly with clients, and confidently take ownership from the first evaluation through resolution or trial.
Tyson & Mendes is growing our Northern California team, and we are looking for an experienced attorney with a strong background in landlord tenant and habitability litigation who is ready for meaningful responsibility and the opportunity to continue developing as a trial lawyer.
Based out of our Novato office and handling matters throughout Northern California and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, you will join a collaborative group of litigators handling sophisticated civil defense matters with the resources of a national trial firm behind them.
If you know this practice, enjoy the strategy behind complex cases, and want an environment where your experience and initiative are valued, we would love to meet you.
As Senior Counsel, you will have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of your cases and client relationships. You will develop strategy, manage discovery, handle substantive motion practice, take and defend depositions, work with experts, evaluate exposure, prepare matters for mediation and trial, and guide cases toward resolution.
We are looking for an attorney who is comfortable being the person clients and colleagues can rely on to keep a matter moving.
Your experience matters here. We are particularly interested in attorneys who have handled matters involving habitability, premises liability, property related disputes, and other landlord tenant claims.
You will have the opportunity to bring that knowledge to a growing practice while continuing to expand the complexity and scope of the matters you handle.
Our Northern California office is a true litigation practice. Several attorneys on the team regularly take cases to trial, creating meaningful opportunities for experienced attorneys who want to strengthen their courtroom experience.
Whether you already have trials behind you or want more opportunities to get there, you will be surrounded by attorneys who actually try cases.
Our Northern California team includes accomplished trial attorneys who are serious about their cases without taking themselves too seriously.
This is a collaborative environment where attorneys share ideas, resources, and experience. Our leaders are busy practicing attorneys, so they are not interested in micromanaging experienced lawyers. They are, however, responsive and available when you seek input, want to talk strategy, or need another perspective.
You will have autonomy, but you will not practice in isolation.
Tyson & Mendes is a meritocracy. Career growth is driven by performance, initiative, contribution, and leadership rather than simply waiting for the next step based on tenure.
For attorneys who take ownership, build strong client relationships, contribute to their teams, and consistently perform at a high level, there is room to continue growing.
You are an experienced litigator who understands that great case management starts with ownership.
You are proactive and communicative. You follow up. You think ahead. You understand your clients and their objectives, and you are comfortable making decisions while knowing when collaboration will make the strategy stronger.
You bring substantive experience in landlord tenant litigation, ideally including habitability matters and related property or premises claims. Experience representing property owners, property managers, housing providers, insurers, or other defendants is particularly valuable.
You are comfortable with discovery, depositions, substantive motion practice, experts, mediation, and trial preparation. Trial experience is highly valued.
Just as importantly, you bring grit, good judgment, strong communication, and a willingness to contribute to the team.
We are not focused on pedigree. We are focused on finding excellent lawyers who know how to get the work done.
Our Novato office gives attorneys flexibility in how they work while still providing a real place to connect with colleagues when they want it.
Some attorneys work primarily remotely, while others maintain hybrid schedules or spend significant time in the office. Attorneys who consistently come in at least twice a week can establish a permanent office space.
The team also comes together through monthly Friday office meetings, team meetings, social events, and informal opportunities to connect.
You will have access to experienced administrative, legal assistant, paralegal, and trial support resources, including our long tenured Office Manager, Pilar Romero, who provides hands on support to the office and its attorneys.
At the Senior Counsel level, you should not have to choose between autonomy and opportunity.
Here, you can own your practice, handle challenging matters, learn from experienced trial lawyers, contribute to a collaborative Northern California team, and continue building toward whatever you want the next stage of your career to become.
If you are an experienced landlord tenant litigator ready for what comes next, we would love to meet you.
Join Tyson & Mendes in Northern California and bring your experience to a team where it can make an impact.
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We’re one of the fastest-growing civil defense firms in the country—known for breaking the mold of the traditional law firm. Our dynamic, diverse team of trial attorneys delivers exceptional results, from landmark cases like Howell v. Hamilton Meats to numerous defense verdicts across the nation.
But we don’t stop at great legal work—we invest in our people. With specialized training in our proven defense methods, clear paths to leadership, and robust professional development, we empower attorneys to grow their careers, build their personal brands, and become leaders in the field.
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OK, now for the legal copy (we are a law firm, after all). It is Tyson & Mendes’ policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, or other non-merit-based factors. By the way, if you read all of this, congratulations – we can already tell your attention to detail is exceptional.
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Pay Range
$160,000—$190,000 USD
Tyson & Mendes’ goal is to achieve justice for all through innovation, collaboration, and outstanding service. Founded in 2002 by principal trial attorneys Robert Tyson and Patrick Mendes, we are an AV-rated litigation firm of 250+ attorneys across the U.S. specializing in defending insurers, corporations, and insureds in civil litigation. Tyson & Mendes represents clients throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Our attorneys also serve clients in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.
We have handled some of the most contentious cases that have helped define insurance defense litigation and have earned a reputation for targeting the threat of and stopping Nuclear Verdicts® – runaway jury verdicts exceeding $10 million.
Our trial-only subsidiary, TM HALO®, is wholly dedicated to stemming the tide of Nuclear Verdicts®. Comprised of elite Tyson & Mendes defense attorneys with decades of courtroom experience, TM HALO® lawyers parachute in to manage the thorniest, highest-stakes cases.
We ensure our attorneys have the tools to achieve exceptional results and protect clients from excessive jury awards. Through programs like TM University and the Tyson & Mendes Trial Academy, our attorneys receive deep training on proven defense methods outlined in Founding Partner Robert Tyson’s best-selling book, "Nuclear Verdicts®: Defending Justice for All."
Our newest strategy, The Apex, builds on 20+ years of courtroom success and data from 100 Nuclear Verdicts®. Launched in 2025, it is a trial-proven framework to help defense teams recognize and break patterns in high-stakes litigation. The strategy is detailed in our forthcoming book, "Nuclear Verdicts®: The Apex – Break the Pattern," by Founding Partner Robert Tyson and National Managing Partner Cayce Lynch.
