Careers

Your name on the brief. Your argument at the podium.

We are hiring civil litigation and appellate lawyers in downtown Houston. The work here is largely the work you are doing now for a partner at a larger firm — except it is yours, and you are the one who stands up.

This firm is intense by design. We are building a group of lawyers who are obsessive — in a structured, healthy way — about becoming very good at this. Whether the matter is a client’s liberty in federal court or a nine-figure business dispute, the stakes do not leave room for a draft that is nearly right.

That is not for everyone. It is a small practice with real deadlines and no bench to hide behind. What it offers in exchange is the thing that is hardest to buy at a large firm: reps.

What is actually different here

Court time you cannot get at a larger firm

Motions, hearings, depositions, and arguments are yours — not a partner’s with you seated behind them. In your first year you will argue motions and take depositions, and you will be prepared before you do.

Appellate work as a practice, not a rotation

Error preservation from the pleadings forward. Briefs with your name on them. Petitions for review and original proceedings, in a practice that has taken cases to the Supreme Court of Texas and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Direct review, not silent redlines

You will get rigorous, specific feedback on your writing, and you will get it in person. We do not operate on partial drafts or loose timelines, and we do not hand back a document you cannot learn from.

A voice in what the firm takes

We turn down most of what comes in. Lawyers here are part of that conversation, and advancement is determined by the quality of your effort and whether your work can be trusted without a second read — not by tenure.

The Expectations

What we will tell you before you accept, not after.

Location	On-site in downtown Houston, during core hours. This is not a hybrid role, and it is not something you will discover after you start.
Hours	2,080 working hours a year.
Compensation	$75,000 to $140,000 for the 0–2 year role and $125,000 to $250,000 for the senior role, depending on experience, plus a competitive end-of-year annual bonus.
Credentials	Active Texas bar license and a strong academic record.
Advancement	Merit-based. Determined by the quality of your effort and whether your work product can be relied on without a second read — not by tenure.

The Process

How hiring works here

You send a resume and a writing sample. A motion or brief is preferred. Send the version you actually filed, not a law-school paper, and tell us what was yours.
We read the writing sample first. That is the part of the application that decides most of it.
A conversation, not an interrogation. You will meet the lawyer you would work with and talk about live matters, because that is the only honest preview of the job.
References and an offer. We move quickly once we know.

Open Positions

2 open roles

Civil Litigation & Appellate Associate

0–2 years · Houston, on-site · $75,000–$140,000

This is not a volume practice. We take a small number of high-stakes cases that require serious legal analysis, strategy, and writing. You will not be limited to document review, and you will be developed into a first-chair lawyer.

What you’ll do

Draft substantive motions, briefs, and appellate filings
Work on novel legal issues and litigation strategy
Participate in hearings, depositions, and trial preparation
Take early, real responsibility in cases, including running matters

Practice focus

Complex commercial and business-tort litigation
Fiduciary-duty and shareholder disputes
Trade secrets and non-competes
Injunctions and expedited proceedings
Appeals and appellate strategy from day one

Requirements

0–2 years of litigation or appellate experience; a judicial clerkship counts toward this range
Strong academic record
Active Texas bar license
Demonstrated interest in appellate work or complex litigation

Compensation

$75,000 to $140,000, depending on experience
Competitive end-of-year annual bonus

Apply

Senior Civil Litigation & Appellate Associate

3–6 years · Houston, on-site · $125,000–$250,000

We are hiring a senior associate to take first-chair responsibility on complex commercial and appellate matters. If you are already doing this work for someone else and want the case, the argument, and the credit to be yours, this role is built for that.

What you’ll do

Argue your own motions and direct case development
Brief and argue appeals
Take depositions and try cases
Run matters, with a voice in which cases the firm takes and which are assigned to you

Practice focus

Complex commercial and business-tort litigation
Fiduciary-duty, shareholder, and partnership disputes
Trade secrets and non-competes
Injunctions, TROs, and expedited proceedings
Appeals in state and federal court

Requirements

3–6 years of litigation or appellate experience; a judicial clerkship counts toward this range
A record of substantive appellate or complex commercial work
Strong academic record
Active Texas bar license

Compensation

$125,000 to $250,000, depending on experience
Competitive end-of-year annual bonus

Apply

Send two documents.

Email your resume and one writing sample — a motion or brief is preferred — to employment@skjm.law. Tell us in the email which role you are applying for.

Apply by Email

We are an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.