Criminal Defense Associate Attorney (Virginia Licensed, New Bar Admittees Welcome)

Criminal Defense Associate Attorney (Virginia Licensed, New Bar Admittees Welcome) $85,000 to $95,000 Base + Quarterly Bonuses, Fairfax/Chantilly, Hybrid Possible

Getting sworn in on October 30? You could be standing in a Fairfax courtroom with your own client before Thanksgiving.

Right Path Law Group is a growing criminal defense and personal injury firm serving Northern Virginia’s immigrant and working-class communities. We are hiring a criminal defense associate who wants to try cases, not watch them. If you chose law school because of the courtroom, this is the job you were picturing.

What we offer

• $85,000 to $95,000 base salary, with a defined step-up at your six-month review

• Quarterly performance bonuses tied to your results, plus referral bonuses on cases you bring in

• 100% employer-paid health, dental and vision insurance (for employee only)

• 401(k) with a 4% employer match after one year

• Three weeks PTO plus firm holidays, Virginia State Bar dues and CLE paid, mileage reimbursed

• Hybrid flexibility once you are up and running: the courthouse is the office, not the desk

• A senior criminal defense attorney who will second-chair you on your first contested hearings and sit across from you to prep every felony

Your first year, in plain terms

• Weeks 1 to 2: shadow court, meet your paralegal and client coordinator, learn our case system

• By day 30: first-chair your own General District Court docket, traffic, DUI and misdemeanor matters, with a mentor on call

• By day 60: carrying a full caseload across General District, Circuit and J&DR courts in Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington and Alexandria, with preliminary hearings and motions under your belt

• By year end: felony work with senior counsel beside you, and a bonus check you earned

What you will do

• Represent clients charged with misdemeanors and felonies from arraignment through disposition

• Investigate, draft and argue motions, negotiate with prosecutors, and try cases

• Work with a bilingual intake, paralegal and client-coordinator team so your time goes to lawyering, not paperwork

What you bring

• Active Virginia law license, or a July 2026 bar passer being sworn in on October 30 (apply now; we will time your start to your admission)

• Evidence that litigation is the point for you: trial advocacy or moot court, a criminal or clinical program, a public defender or Commonwealth’s Attorney internship, or time in a courtroom in any role

• Composure under pressure, a client-first mindset, and the work ethic to earn a docket fast

• Spanish is a real plus and not a requirement

Interviews are happening now and the role starts in November. Send your resume and a short note about the case, argument or moment that made you want to do this work. Take the right path and apply today.