Senior Executive Solicitor

publicjobs; Dublin; On-site; EUR 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

South Dublin County Council is seeking a Senior Executive Solicitor to join the Law Department. The role provides comprehensive local government legal services across conveyancing, litigation, regulatory and EU law, with advocacy, supervision of staff, and external Counsel engagement as required.

The candidate will work independently when needed and contribute to strategic objectives. The ideal applicant is admitted as a Solicitor with at least five years’ post‑admission experience, strong

Qualifications

• Admitted and enrolled as a Solicitor in the State.
• At least five years' satisfactory experience as a Solicitor, including conveyancing and court work, after admission and enrolment as a Solicitor.
• Possess a high standard of professional training and experience; and
• Have a satisfactory knowledge of public service organisation.

Responsibilities

• Handle residential conveyancing, including rollout of local government schemes and process improvements.
• Advise and draft in high-value commercial transactions to support the Council's vision.
• Represent the Council in judicial reviews, civil litigation and code enforcement, including advocacy.
• Provide advisory services to all Council departments on required areas of law.
• Manage engagement of external Counsel and budget spends for specific areas of expertise.
• Carry out other duties as assigned by the Law Department.

Skills

Conveyancing knowledge

Commercial drafting

Civil litigation advocacy

Legal research

Team management

Communication skills

Team building

Education

Solicitor admission

Job description

Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 5th November 2026

About the Employer:

South Dublin County Council is one of four local authorities in the Dublin region. The county covers an administrative area of 223 square kilometres, bordered by Dublin City to the northeast, the Dublin Mountains and County Wicklow to the south, the River Liffey to the north separating it from Fingal, and County Kildare to the west. The county is home to a diverse and growing population of 301,075 people, more than 6,500 businesses, and a wide range of significant economic, social and cultural infrastructure that supports the wider capital city region.

The Council’s Corporate Plan sets out its vision and strategic direction over a five-year period, with a clear ambition to make South Dublin a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable county for everyone who lives, works, studies, visits or does business here. As the local authority for South Dublin County, the organisation is committed to being a people‑first, proactive and forward‑looking public service that responds to the needs of communities today while planning responsibly for the future.

South Dublin County Council delivers its services through the work of 40 elected members representing seven electoral areas, supported by approximately 1,300 employees across a wide range of professional, technical and operational roles. The adopted revenue budget for 2026 provides in excess of €422 million to support service delivery. In addition, a three‑year capital investment programme of approximately €1.5 billion is driving major improvements in county infrastructure, including the accelerated delivery of social and affordable housing, the regeneration of towns, villages and district centres, the advancement of climate action initiatives, and the provision of high‑quality community facilities to meet the needs of existing and future communities.

About the Role:

The Senior Executive Solicitor is a senior position within the Law Department of South Dublin County Council and will be required to work under the supervision and direction of the Law Agent/ Senior Solicitor.

The Senior Executive Solicitor provides a comprehensive service to the County Council in the entire area of local government law including, but not limited to, conveyancing, litigation, commercial, regulatory law enforcement, public law and EU law.

The role also entails advocacy, managerial, analytical, research, compliance, administration and supervisory functions within the Law Department. They will be required at times to work independently under their own initiative as circumstances demand and/or manage and supervise other staff and will carry out such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

The Senior Executive Solicitor duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Residential conveyancing, including the supervision of rollout of various local government schemes, and implementation of procedures and process improvements.
• Commercial conveyancing, including advising, negotiating and drafting complex land and commercial agreements to deliver the Council's strategic vision.
• Representing in judicial review, civil litigation and code enforcement cases, including advocacy.
• Advising on commercial law, procurement law, planning law, housing law, equality law, employment law, access to information law and other relevant statutory and regulatory areas, as required.
• Advisory services to all Council departments as required in areas of law and as delegated by the Law Agent/ Senior Solicitor.
• General legal matters appropriate to the role and as assigned when required in accordance with the needs of the Law Department.
• Managing engagement of external Counsel and associated budget spends on specific areas of expertise and/or law.
• Such other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

About You:

Candidates shall -

(a) have been admitted and enrolled as a Solicitor in the State;

(b) have at least five years' satisfactory experience as a Solicitor, including adequate experience of conveyancing and court work, after admission and enrolment as a Solicitor;

(c) possess a high standard of professional training and experience; and

(d) have a satisfactory knowledge of public service organisation.

The ideal candidate shall have the following Skills and Experience:

• Possess satisfactory knowledge and understanding of conveyancing processes and procedures including experience in delivering and overseeing high volume transactions.
• Implementing procedures and process improvements to deliver on the Councils housing strategy obligations.
• Advising and drafting in commercial transactions of high value and working with different stakeholders to deliver organisational objectives.
• Have requisite experience in advising and representing in some or all areas of the law identified in the duties of the role.
• Demonstrate adequate knowledge and skills in advocacy in civil litigation and/or code enforcement at all court levels.
• Have a track record in legal researching and using analytical skills to deliver timely legal advice to clients.
• A strong track record and relevant management experience, including management of staff.
• Strong interpersonal and communications skills.
• An ability to build effective teams which are strongly motivated and contribute to good employee relations.
• Good organisational skills and be able to develop a formulate efficient work practices.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 5th November, 2026.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.