What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Civil Litigation Attorney position at Slingshot, LLC d/b/a Business Law Southwest (BLSW) and Law 4 Small Business (L4SB)?
Senior Civil Litigation Attorney
No origination requirement. No trust accounting. No collections.
Albuquerque or Santa Fe, New Mexico — remote considered for New Mexico–licensed attorneys
Slingshot, LLC — parent of Law 4 Small Business (L4SB) and Business Law Southwest (BLSW)
Base salary: $115,000 – $160,000 per year, depending on experience
Total compensation: Base plus an uncapped bonus tied to billable work —attorneys who bill above minimum billable target typically earn an additional $5,000 to $50,000 per year
Job type: Full-time, W-2, with full benefits (below)
If the part of the job you like is the lawyering
You were trained to try cases, not to chase them. Yet most senior litigators spend a sizable share of the week on things no one went to law school for: originating business, reconciling a trust account, chasing receivables, and running a back office.
This role removes all of it.
We have no lead-generation requirement. None. Our marketing brings the work in, and our administrative and executive teams handle intake, billing, collections, and trust accounting. You handle the matters, and you are paid a bonus on the work you actually do rather than on the clients you can recruit.
If you are good at the practice of law and tired of being measured on everything else, this is a conversation worth having.
The numbers, up front
You would ask all of this in the first interview. Here it is before you apply.
Minimum billable target
960 hours/year, or 20 hours/week on average
Origination required
None. Zero lead-generation expectations.
Bonus
Tied to billable work and uncapped — Hourly bonus starting at $65/hour, for any billable activity above 20 hours/week average in a pay period. Bonus scales up to a max. of $150/hour.
Support
Attorneys share from a pool of 3 paralegals plus 3 legal assistants, law clerks/legal interns, plus access to IT, Marketing and Accounting/Finance professionals
Back office
Intake, billing, collections, and trust accounting are handled for you
Offices
Journal Center (Albuquerque) and just off the Plaza (Santa Fe)
Where you work
In-office, hybrid, or fully remote within New Mexico; hearings, depositions, and trial as the matter requires
Reports to
The partners, Don Kochersberger and Larry Donahue
A firm that will not answer these questions before you apply usually has a reason. We would rather you know now.
The work
Business-side civil litigation, dispute resolution and advice for New Mexico companies and their owners. Representative matters include:
- Partnership, member, and shareholder disputes, including dissolution and buyout fights
- Breach of contract and commercial collections
- Intellectual property disputes — trademark, trade secret, and copyright
- Commercial lease and real property disputes
- Defense of businesses under the New Mexico Unfair Trade Practices Act (UTPA)
- Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) matters
- Breach of fiduciary duty and business tort claims — on both sides of the “v.”
- Advice and assistance involving contracts, contractors and subcontractors, construction, estate planning and trusts, HR and employment issues, IP, professional licensure, real estate, tax and much more
Expect a mixed docket rather than one client's endless file. Matters range from client advice and contract reviews to focused disputes you can resolve in a quarter to multi-party cases that run for years. If variety is what kept you interested in practicing law and litigation, you will get it here.
Who we are looking for
- 8 years of civil litigation experience. Substantial first-chair responsibility — depositions you took, dispositive motions you wrote, hearings you argued.
- Licensed in New Mexico. Or, license-eligible and willing to seek admission.
- Independent judgment. You can take a file, work it, and tell a client what they need to hear.
- A strong writer. Clear, timely client communication is a standing expectation here, not a differentiator.
- Comfortable in a paperless, high-tech practice. We run on modern systems and expect you to pick ours up quickly.
- Range. Interest in working across diverse matters and businesses, rather than one narrow lane.
- Desire to help small business.If you enjoy being a mentor and advisor to leaders and owners of small business, you will love working with the hundreds of clients we serve (in all manner of professions, industries and markets).
Spanish fluency is a meaningful plus.
About Slingshot
Slingshot, LLC is the parent company of Law 4 Small Business (L4SB) and Business Law Southwest (BLSW) — among the fastest-growing business-focused law firms in the region. Our Albuquerque office is in the Journal Center; our Santa Fe office sits just off the historic Plaza. We are collaborative by design and deliberately invested in technology, because we would rather our attorneys spend their hours on judgment than on administration.
Benefits
- 401(k) with employer matching
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% for you, 50% for immediate family / dependents)
- Term life insurance plus short- and long-term disability coverage
- Generous paid time off (4 weeks)
- Professional development support, including CLE and bar dues
- Uncapped bonus tied to billable work
How to apply
Send a résumé and a short note. Three or four sentences on the kind of litigation you want more of, is more useful to us than a formal cover letter. A writing sample is welcome but not required at this stage.
Apply confidentially to: Kristy Donahue
Currently employed? Every application is reviewed by our partners, Don and Larry, and held in confidence. If you want a confidential conversation before formally applying, email Don
Slingshot, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Work location: Albuquerque, NM 87109; Santa Fe, NM 87501; or remote within New Mexico.
Pay: $115,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
Salary : $5,000 - $50,000