Please note: An active California Bar license is required.
At this stage in your career, you know what kind of lawyer you are. You also know the difference between simply managing a caseload and being somewhere you can continue to grow, take ownership, try cases, and make an impact.
Tyson & Mendes is growing our Northern California team, and we’re looking for experienced litigators who want meaningful responsibility and the freedom to practice with confidence, while still having experienced trial lawyers and a highly collaborative team behind them.
Based out of our Novato office and serving matters throughout Northern California and the greater San Francisco Bay Area, our attorneys handle substantive insurance defense and civil litigation with real opportunities to develop cases from beginning to end.
If you’re a proactive litigator who takes ownership, communicates well, and wants your performance (not simply your years in practice) to determine what comes next, this may be the opportunity you’ve been looking for.
Senior attorneys here aren't waiting for someone else to move a case forward. You'll be trusted to develop strategy, manage client relationships, handle discovery and motion practice, take and defend depositions, prepare matters for trial, and make the decisions that move your cases toward the best possible outcome.
This is a true litigation practice. Our Northern California attorneys handle matters with meaningful trial exposure, and several of our experienced attorneys regularly take cases to verdict. If you want to continue developing as a trial lawyer, or simply want to work alongside attorneys who actually try cases; you'll find those opportunities here.
We don't believe your next opportunity should be determined solely by how long you've occupied a particular title. Tyson & Mendes rewards contribution, performance, initiative, and leadership. Attorneys who distinguish themselves have advocates who notice and opportunities to continue advancing.
Our Northern California attorneys operate as a highly collaborative group. Teams share knowledge, resources, and even attorneys when it makes sense, creating exposure to different lawyers, matters, and approaches. At the same time, experienced attorneys who prefer consistency within their team can build that rhythm as well.
Our Novato office offers genuine flexibility. Some attorneys enjoy being in regularly, others work hybrid schedules, and our broader support structure accommodates remote work. Attorneys who consistently come in at least twice a week can establish a permanent office space. The goal isn't facetime: it's giving experienced attorneys an environment where they can do their best work.
You're experienced enough to know that autonomy comes with accountability.
You take ownership of your cases and your client relationships. You follow up without being chased. You communicate proactively. You understand the realities of a busy litigation practice and can think, do, and bill, while maintaining excellent work product and client service.
Insurance defense experience is highly valued, but we also recognize that great litigators come from different backgrounds. Attorneys with substantive civil litigation, plaintiff-side, criminal, construction, professional liability, or other complex litigation experience may bring skills that translate well to our practice.
We're less interested in pedigree than we are in grit, judgment, initiative, and performance. We want people who have challenged themselves, learned from experience, and are still interested in becoming better lawyers.
Our attorneys are busy, practicing litigators, so this isn't an environment built around unnecessary meetings or constant oversight.
Instead, you'll find experienced attorneys who are highly responsive when you reach out, willing to share their knowledge, and invested in helping colleagues succeed. The attorneys who get the most from this environment are the ones who engage: ask questions, seek feedback, participate, and build relationships across the office.
Monthly office meetings, team meetings, social events, and informal traditions give attorneys opportunities to connect beyond their individual caseloads.
You can be an excellent trial lawyer without making the practice of law unnecessarily rigid.
Our Northern California team includes accomplished attorneys who work hard, collaborate closely, and still enjoy the people they work with. There's room for personality here and an appreciation for attorneys who can handle serious matters without taking themselves too seriously.
What matters is that you show up for your clients, your cases, and your colleagues.
If you're looking for a place where you'll be trusted to practice, challenged to keep growing, and recognized for what you contribute, we'd like to meet you.
Bring your experience. Bring your grit. Bring your personality.
Join Tyson & Mendes in Northern California and see where your experience can take you next.
Click here to learn more about the Tyson & Mendes Office! (944) The Tyson & Mendes Office - YouTube
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.
Follow along with the firm on Twitter and LinkedIn, or visit www.tysonmendes.com.
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.
NOTICE TO APPLICANTS/EMPLOYEES OF TYSON & MENDES: Please take notice that the Firm collects certain information about you. For more information on the Firm’s policies, please refer to the document provided here.
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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.
