Managing Attorney / Lead Attorney Needed — Licensed in AZ and/or CA (Remote)

I am seeking an experienced attorney licensed in Arizona and/or California to serve as a Managing Attorney / Lead Attorney for a small remote legal practice focused on business transactions, contracts, and outside general counsel services. This role is intended for someone who can independently take over active legal practice duties, client communications, matter management, and day-to-day firm operations. I am stepping back from active practice due to an auditory disability. Communication with me must be primarily by email, with only limited calls of approximately 5–10 minutes when truly necessary. I am looking for an attorney who can assume primary responsibility for the work I previously handled myself, including substantive legal work, client-facing communications, and operational management. For the right person, I would also consider a longer-term succession arrangement or sale of the practice. Responsibilities may include: Taking over day-to-day legal operations and matter workflows Performing substantive business transactions, contracts, and general counsel work independently Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts Preparing and revising service agreements, vendor agreements, client agreements, independent contractor agreements, NDAs, consulting agreements, licensing agreements, SaaS agreements, and other business contracts Advising clients on business/legal risks, contract strategy, corporate governance, compliance, and practical deal issues Managing assigned client matters from intake through completion Handling client communications, counterparty communications, vendor communications, and stakeholder communications Reviewing and preparing legal correspondence, contract markups, policies, memoranda, board/shareholder materials, and other legal documents Managing deadlines, calendars, matter status, and follow-ups Supervising or coordinating with paralegals, contractors, administrative support, or outside counsel as needed, without relying on day-to-day supervision from me Creating and maintaining matter plans, task lists, and status reports Ensuring quality control, ethical compliance, confidentiality, conflicts compliance, and professional standards Maintaining and improving firm systems, SOPs, templates, and workflows Providing practical legal and strategic judgment on client matters Escalating only major risk, ethics, malpractice, or client relationship issues as needed Helping transition active matters and firm operations away from my direct involvement Ideal candidate: Licensed attorney in good standing in Arizona and/or California Strong experience independently handling business transactions, contract matters, and/or outside general counsel work Able to assume primary responsibility for active legal work and client communications Prior law firm management, supervising attorney, lead attorney, or fractional GC experience preferred Excellent contract drafting, issue spotting, legal analysis, and written communication skills Able to manage client communications and matter ownership with limited reliance on calls with me Highly organized and able to manage deadlines independently Comfortable working in a remote legal practice Practical, business-minded, and client-service oriented Able to manage both substantive legal work and operational workflows Familiar with legal ethics, confidentiality, conflicts, and professional responsibility obligations Comfortable using legal practice management and remote collaboration tools Nice to have: Dual licensure in Arizona and California Experience with solo or small firm environments Experience managing remote legal teams or contract attorneys Experience serving startups, small businesses, agencies, consultants, service providers, SaaS companies, or professional services firms Experience with corporate governance, entity formation, operating agreements, founder agreements, employment/contractor agreements, commercial transactions, privacy/data terms, and compliance matters Familiarity with Clio, MyCase, PracticePanther, LawPay, QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Notion, Asana, Trello, or similar tools Experience creating SOPs, templates, and matter-management systems Interest in a potential acquisition or longer-term succession of the practice Engagement details: Remote Part-time or fractional role to start, with potential for expanded responsibility Must be able to work independently and take ownership of matters Communication with me will be primarily by email, with calls limited to short transition calls as needed Compensation structure open to discussion based on experience, scope, and availability Potential practice sale or succession arrangement may be considered for the right attorney Please respond with: Your bar admissions and current standing, including Arizona and/or California Your experience managing business transactions, contract matters, and/or outside general counsel work Your substantive practice areas Your experience independently handling client communications and client matters Your experience supervising legal support staff or other attorneys Tools/software you are comfortable using Your availability, hourly rate, and preferred engagement structure Whether you would be interested in a potential practice purchase or succession opportunity A brief explanation of how you would step in to manage both firm operations and client legal work independently