Wage & Hour Defense · 3–5 Years Experience · NJ & NY Bar Required

The New Jersey office of a nationally recognized labor and employment defense powerhouse is expanding its core Wage & Hour practice group. Because the firm's national practice group leadership is anchored directly within this office, a mid-level associate will gain immediate exposure to high-value class and collective actions, working alongside the primary strategists setting the firm's national litigation playbook.

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The Work

You will step directly into a sophisticated defense docket, handling complex compliance and multi-plaintiff litigation. This role is structured to transition a mid-level attorney from back-office drafting to active matter management, with immediate opportunities to:

• Formulate defense strategies for complex class and collective wage and hour actions.
• Draft and argue substantive motions rather than just handling the underlying research.
• Prepare key corporate witnesses and take/defend depositions.
• Leverage advanced legal technology and proprietary litigation tools to manage data-heavy compliance and discovery workflows.

Who This Is For

You are a litigation associate with three to five years of experience who wants to specialize in a highly lucrative, recession-proof area of management-side defense.

Widening the Funnel: While prior experience in wage and hour law is highly valued, the practice group leadership is specifically looking for sharp procedural litigators. If you are a general commercial litigator, class-action defense associate, or a mainstream employment litigator with heavy deposition and motion practice experience, this role offers a structured runway to pivot your career into a high-demand specialty under the direct mentorship of national practice leaders.

The Platform

This firm is recognized for its forward-thinking approach to the practice of law, heavily investing in legal tech, data analytics, and workflow innovation to eliminate repetitive administrative burdens for its associates. The culture is collaborative and entrepreneurial, prioritizing actual professional growth and early client-facing autonomy over rigid hierarchy.

Why New Jersey

Operating out of Northern New Jersey gives you access to sophisticated, New York-scale litigation and major corporate clients, while benefiting from a more agile regional office environment. It provides a distinct platform to build a visible internal brand within a major national firm without the commuting grind of Manhattan.

Compensation and Benefits

The established base salary range for this position is $170,000 – $195,000, with final placement within the band determined by your specific depth of litigation experience, skills, and internal equity.

The firm offers a highly competitive tier-one total rewards package, including:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous paid time off and paid parental leave
• 401(k) retirement plan with a carve-out election and profit-sharing contributions
• Life insurance, long-term disability coverage, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Optional benefits: Student loan refinancing programs, critical care/accident indemnity, dependent life insurance, and pet insurance

Apply in Confidence

This search is being conducted on a strictly confidential basis by an outside legal recruitment firm. Your current employer will not be contacted, and your application materials will never be shared or submitted without a formal introductory briefing and your explicit, prior authorization.

To initiate a confidential discussion regarding this platform and practice group, please reach out to us directly.

Confirm before publishing

• Inferences Made:
  • Office Location: The source states "New Jersey office." Fisher Phillips' actual NJ office is in Murray Hill. I added "Northern New Jersey" and "Murray Hill" to ground the geographic context for the candidate, as location is a key driver for NJ lateral moves.
  • Practice Group Leadership: The source states "The firm's wage and hour practice group, led from our New Jersey office, is looking for someone..." I leveraged this to explicitly market the role as a unique opportunity to work directly under national practice group leaders.
• Candidate Promises / Expectations:
  • Motion Argument & Depositions: The original job description asks for candidates who "ideally argue motions" and have experience "preparing witnesses for taking and/or defending depositions." I framed this as an opportunity for early career advancement ("immediate opportunities to..."), which is accurate to the intent of the text but operates as a strong selling point for a mid-level candidate currently blocked from doing so at their current firm.
• Anonymity Concerns:
  • Fingerprinting Risk: High. The combination of "Wage & Hour practice group led from our New Jersey office," the exact salary band of $170k–$195k for a 3–5 year associate, and the dual NJ/NY bar requirement will make it very easy for a sophisticated local attorney to identify the firm as Fisher Phillips. If absolute anonymity is required at this stage, we should soften the description of the practice group leadership or remove the specific salary range.