Associate Attorney
About us:
At Wilhite & Associates Law Firm, P.C., we represent the professionally managed or owned multi-family housing (apartment) industry, typically national and regional clients. Our practice focuses on landlord-tenant law (including a high-volume of evictions), Fair Housing compliance and discrimination defense, contract litigation, regulatory matters, and general counsel services for property management companies.
The firm’s motto is that we “Play to Win” and that “failure is not an option” in our mission to winning. The founder, Jeff Wilhite, built the firm on the foundation of empowering employees to succeed in “playing to win.” We offer comprehensive and continued training to ensure each employee has the tools necessary to fulfill their role, this includes extensive one-on-one training sessions, clear process workflows, and a designated (paid) training period. For more on the firm, view the “Join Our Team” page of our website www.wilhiteassoc.com. Even with three decades of stable substantial growth with major clients, the firm remains its traditional small, nimble, aggressive law firm.
Position Overview:
We are seeking an Associate Attorney, including entry level. After a period of teaching and development the Associate Attorney will be responsible for their own matters. The firm is collaborative, including encouraging routinely communicating, brainstorming, and seeking guidance from others. In the context of a long tradition of a successful law firm, you’ll be on the front line. You’ll feel the self-satisfaction of clients appreciating what you’ve done for them, your hard work and commitment to their matter and your results.
This position offers an excellent opportunity for an attorney who enjoys client interaction, court advocacy, and developing deep expertise in multi-family housing law.
Key Responsibilities:
- Appear at small claims hearings (largely Evictions, Damages, Collections)
- All phases of litigation and pre-litigation
- Preparing pleadings, motions, briefs
- Investigation, finding and developing facts and evidence
- Communications with witnesses, opposing counsel, and courts
- Direct client contact (phone, email and sometimes in person)
- Review / analyze documents including contracts and leases, simple and complex
- Legal research including statutes, case law, rules of evidence, rules of civil procedure
- Persuasive writing
- Preparation of / Response to written Discovery
- Prepare for trial including witness preps and outlines, exhibits, subpoenas, and motions
Depending on the previous experience of the incoming associate, the firm will early on give the attorney exposure to hearings, first observing, but as early as possible sharing the representation and taking the lead with the lead attorney present, then appearing individually. The timeline for that transition is unique to the associate attorney’s experience and mutually agreed progression. The firm’s goal though is to cause the associate attorney to appear alone as early as possible but never causing any fear that the associate attorney is not fully prepared and supported.
Qualifications:
- J.D. from an accredited law school.
- Active license in Indiana, required. Active license in Kentucky and Illinois is preferred.
- Strong litigation and negotiation skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
- Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
- Client-service mindset and ability to build lasting relationships with managing agents and property owners.
Why Join Us
- Opportunity to work with leading property management clients in a specialized, high-demand legal field.
- Competitive compensation and performance-based bonuses.
- Health, dental, and vision benefits.
- Continuing legal education and professional development support.
- Collaborative, team-oriented firm culture with room for advancement.