Remote Insurance Defense Attorney Jobs in the USA (2025)

Remote insurance defense roles let litigators handle robust caseloads from anywhere, thanks to virtual hearings, e-filing, and cloud case management. National carriers and panel firms—Kennedys, Liberty Mutual, Farmers Insurance, Chartwell Law, and Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer—are hiring for fully remote and hybrid posts with competitive pay and comprehensive benefits.

Why Consider Remote Insurance Defense in 2025

  • Strong demand: Insurers and TPAs continue to expand remote panels for personal injury, first-party property, bad faith, workers’ compensation, and professional liability.

  • Attractive compensation: Average salaries cluster around the mid-$100Ks nationally, with top earners higher depending on jurisdiction and trial experience.

  • Work style: Video depos, electronic discovery, and virtual court appearances support fully remote practice in many jurisdictions.

  • Career growth: Clear paths into coverage counsel, trial teams, practice leadership, and client relationship management.

What These Roles Typically Involve

  • Manage a defense docket from pre-suit through trial: pleadings, discovery, depositions, mediations, and dispositive motions.

  • Evaluate liability and damages; draft coverage or exposure analyses; report to carriers and clients on budget and reserves.

  • Appear remotely (and sometimes in person) for hearings, EUOs, IMEs, and settlement conferences.

  • Use litigation tech (relativity/e-discovery tools, Westlaw/Lexis, Trial Director) and insurer reporting portals.

Core Requirements

  • Education & license: JD and active bar in the state(s) where you’ll appear; multi-state admission is a plus (e.g., CA, NY, TX, FL, NJ, PA, IL).

  • Experience: 1–7+ years in civil litigation/insurance defense (PI, premises, auto, first-party property, bad faith, med mal, or WC).

  • Skills: Case strategy, motion practice, depos, client reporting, negotiation/mediation.

  • Set-up: Reliable internet, secure home office, familiarity with Zoom/Teams, e-filing.

Compensation Snapshot (2025)

  • Typical range: ~$112,000–$155,000+, with senior litigators and trial lawyers commanding more.

  • Bonuses/benefits: Performance bonuses, 401(k) match, health/dental/vision, CLE/CME budgets, bar dues, malpractice coverage, tech stipends.

Firms and Employers to Watch

  • Carriers/Staff Counsel: Liberty Mutual, Farmers Insurance, Allstate/Esurance units, Nationwide.

  • Panel/Defense Firms: Kennedys, Chartwell Law, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, Resnick & Louis, Kubicki Draper, Cozen O’Connor, Lewis Brisbois (practice dependent).

  • Boutiques & Regionals: First-party property and bad-faith boutiques in FL/TX/CA; med-mal and WC shops nationwide.

Where to Find Roles

  • Job boards: Indeed, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn (set alerts for “remote insurance defense attorney,” “coverage attorney,” “workers’ compensation defense”).

  • Legal recruiters: BCGSearch, Major, Lindsey & Africa (coverage/complex), regional recruiters for WC/PI defense.

  • Firm sites: Careers pages for carriers’ staff counsel teams and national panel firms.

  • Groups: LinkedIn groups for insurance defense and coverage counsel; state defense bars (e.g., DRI chapters).

Visa & Work Authorization (International Candidates)

  • Common reality: Most roles require current U.S. work authorization and active state bar admission. Sponsorship (H-1B/EB-3) is uncommon but possible at larger organizations for niche coverage roles; confirm early.

  • LLM → bar route: Some firms will consider internationally trained lawyers with a U.S. LLM plus bar admission in a relevant state and strong coverage or reinsurance background.

How to Position Your Resume

Headline: “Insurance Defense Attorney | First-Party Property & Bad Faith | Remote Litigation”
Bullets with outcomes (examples):

  • Obtained summary judgment in premises case (exposure >$500K); drafted MSJ and argued remotely.

  • Managed 45-case docket; cut average cycle time 18% through proactive discovery and early mediation.

  • Tried auto liability case to defense verdict; preserved appellate record on Daubert/Frye issues.

  • Authored coverage opinions (CGL/ homeowners/ excess); negotiated tenders and additional insured status.
    Tech: Relativity, CaseMap, TrialPad/Trial Director, e-filing portals, Zoom/Teams.
    Licenses: List all state bars prominently.

Interview Prep: What to Expect

  • Substantive: Duty/breach/causation damages, bad-faith standards, spoliation, privileges, IME/EUO practice, appraisal/umpire for property claims, WC defenses.

  • Case walk-through: Be ready to discuss strategy, budget, carrier reporting, and outcome on 2–3 representative matters.

  • Writing sample: A clean MSJ, opposition, or coverage memo (5–10 pages).

  • Client service: How you manage adjuster expectations, reserves, and mediation strategy.

Sample Cover Letter (Short)

Dear Hiring Committee,
I am a [X]-year insurance defense attorney licensed in [States], with recent remote experience handling first-party property and bad-faith matters. I manage high-volume dockets, deliver succinct carrier reporting, and drive early resolutions through targeted discovery and dispositive motion practice. Enclosed are my resume and a writing sample. I welcome a conversation about how I can support your team’s litigation and reporting goals.
Sincerely,
[Name]

Tech Stack for Remote Success

  • Case management: Clio, Litify, Filevine, or firm CMS.

  • Research & drafting: Westlaw/Lexis, Brief analysis tools (as permitted).

  • Evidence: Relativity/Logikcull for e-discovery; TrialPad/Trial Director for hearings.

  • Ops: Timekeeping/billing accuracy, secure document workflows, e-signature.

Common Pitfalls (and Fixes)

  • Generic resumes: Add verdicts, MSJs, settlement ratios, and cycle-time results.

  • Weak writing samples: Pick a clean, recent motion or coverage opinion; scrub PII.

  • Under-licensure: If your target docket is multi-state, add one more strategic license (e.g., FL or TX).

  • Reporting gaps: Show sample carrier report sections (facts, liability, damages, reserves, plan).

Application Steps (End-to-End)

  1. Pick your niche: PI auto/premises, first-party property, WC, med mal, or coverage/bad faith.

  2. Tune materials: 1-page results-driven resume + 5–10 page writing sample + concise deal sheet/verdicts.

  3. Target employers: Create a list of 15–20 firms/carriers with remote or hybrid policies.

  4. Apply smart: Use LinkedIn Easy Apply plus direct firm portals; tailor 3–4 bullets to each posting.

  5. Activate referrals: Message former colleagues, mediators, or adjusters for warm intros.

  6. Prep interviews: Two matter walk-throughs, one failure/lesson story, and your mediation framework.

  7. Negotiate: Ask about bonus structure, origination credit, CLE budget, bar dues, tech stipend, and remote office reimbursement.

FAQs

Do I need trial experience?
Not always, but dispositive motion and deposition experience are highly valued. Trials help for senior roles.

Which state bars are most useful?
Jurisdiction-heavy states like CA, FL, TX, NY, NJ, and PA often open more remote dockets.

Coverage vs defense—what’s hotter remotely?
Coverage/bad faith counseling and briefing remain strong for remote-first roles; PI/WC also robust with hybrid options.

Clear Next Steps

  1. Set job alerts on LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter for “remote insurance defense attorney,” “coverage attorney,” and your target states.

  2. Rewrite your resume with outcomes: one verdict, one MSJ win, one early-resolution result, and your average cycle-time or case load.

  3. Assemble a writing sample (5–10 pages) and scrub PII.

  4. Make a target list of 20 employers (10 panel firms, 5 carriers/staff counsel, 5 boutiques) and apply this week.

  5. Request two referrals from ex-colleagues or adjusters; add them to your applications.

  6. Book two mock interviews covering a case strategy walk-through and a mediation plan.

  7. Negotiate offers for bonus, CLE/bar dues, tech stipend, malpractice, and remote office support.