Salary: $191,692.80 - $233,001.60 Annually
Location : County of San Diego, CA
Job Type: Regular - Full time
Remote Employment: Remote Optional
Job Number:Department: County Counsel
Division: Leg Adv/Spec Svcs
Opening Date: 09/18/2026
Closing Date: 9/28/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Job SummaryThe County of San Diego's Office of County Counsel has an immediate opening for
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY COUNTY COUNSEL - ASSESSOR/RECORDER/COUNTY CLERK in a rewarding and productive position performing legal work for local government.
The County Counsel's Office generally supports remote teleworking and a teleworking schedule with a mix of in-office and remote work may be available in this position.The Office of County Counsel is a full-service law office, tasked with handling the County's civil law needs, including proactive participation in all phases of government decision making and a very active and successful trial litigation program. The Principal Deputy County Counsel will independently handle cases and assignments that have an elevated level of difficulty and complexity, and handling matters that have significant impact upon the County and its officers, boards and districts. This position provides legal advice and litigation support to the Assessor/ Recorder/ County Clerk (ARCC) and will work with attorneys assigned to the Finance and General Government Team.
The attorney in this position will provide dedicated legal support to Assessor in connection with Assessment Appeals Board ("AAB") hearings, including witness preparation, legal advice, representation at hearings, and drafting proposed written findings. The attorney will also provide litigation support related to AAB matters, including preparing and filing writs of administrative mandate, as appropriate, to challenge AAB decisions.
In addition, the attorney will provide advisory legal support to ARCC with a focus on the review and development of policies and procedures, contract review, legislative support, California Public Records Act requests, and records retention.
The attorney will be expected to complete appraiser training, which will be provided by the Assessor's Office. Although a mix of remote and in-person work will be permitted, the attorney must remain available in-person for AAB hearings, which generally occur on Thursdays.
Please note that the County is advertising three recruitments at the Senior Deputy County Counsel, Principal Deputy County Counsel, or Supervising Deputy County Counsel level. The candidate should apply for the position that best reflects the candidate's level of experience.
Please read the
Principal Deputy County Counsel job description for additional information.
Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate has experience providing clients advice on assessment practices and the Revenue and Taxation Code and representing clients in writ of administrative mandate litigation or refund actions. The ideal candidate would be an analytical thinker, able to accurately articulate the critical issues in a case. Additionally, the ideal candidate would have excellent legal research and writing skills, courtroom presence, and the ability to work in a supportive and professional team environment with other attorneys and support staff.
Hiring Timeline and DateThe timeline for this recruitment is outlined below.
- Job offers and background process begins shortly after interviews. Note: Current County employees may be excluded from additional background screening.
- Pre-employment Medical Screening: Approximately 3 days following successful background investigation results.
- Anticipated Start Date: Start date will be based upon successful completion of medical screening or other mutually agreed upon date. If you are not selected for this interview process, you may have the opportunity to compete for future vacancies.
If you are not selected for this interview process, you may have the opportunity to compete for future vacancies.
Minimum Qualifications Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California,
AND, 1. Two (2) years of experience as a Senior Deputy County Counsel Attorney in the County of San Diego, or at an equivalent level with another California county or city, handling above average difficult and complex cases or assignments;
OR,
2. Five (5) years of professional post-bar civil legal experience as an attorney, which must have included handling civil law matters and/or cases in a public or private sector law office.
Note: Experience with a public entity representing public boards and commissions, preparing and trying public entity lawsuits, and drafting ordinances, policies, and public contracts is highly desirable.
To be considered for this position, please provide your CA Bar number or attach a copy of your California Bar Card to your application.Notes: 1) Please attach a copy of your resume to your application.
2) Please attach a concise substantive legal writing sample to your application.
Also RequiredPositions may involve necessary and timely transportation for field travel, requiring the ability to arrange transportation to different worksites, meetings, or field work.
Must have a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness. Misdemeanor and/or felony convictions may be disqualifying depending on type, number, severity, and recency. Prior to appointment, candidates will be subject to a background investigation.
Blind Applicant ScreeningThe Department of Human Resources removes personally identifiable information from all new recruitments. This practice, called Blind Applicant Screening, will hide a candidate's personal information that could influence or bias a hiring decision. Personal information includes name, phone number, address, gender, age and race. This process will help contribute to a fair and equitable selection process leading to a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
The most highly qualified candidates, based on the evaluation results, will be referred for an interview. Be sure to include your experience in meeting the minimum requirements in both the Work Experience section and the Supplemental Questionnaire section of the application.
Conditions of EmploymentAs part of the County of San Diego's pre-employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check (including fingerprinting) and a pre-employment medical screening prior to beginning County employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job-related activities of the position. Current County employees may be excluded from this process.
EvaluationQualified applicants will be placed on a
six (6) month employment list based on scores received during the evaluation of information contained in their employment application and supplemental application questionnaire. Please ensure all information is complete and accurate, as the responses you provide on the supplemental application questionnaire will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in the initial screening process, your application will be reviewed individually to confirm that the information you provided is accurate and qualifying.
AccommodationReasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job, on a case-by-case basis.
Click here to see the County Counsel Benefits Summary (CC)01
*Please be sure to answer the following questions in a thorough and completed manner, as your responses may be used to determine your overall score.
*Please do not indicate "See Resume" as this is not an acceptable answer.
*Please note that if you are invited to a selection interview(s) by the Office of County Counsel your responses to the following questions may be subject to verification.
Do you understand this information? 02
Are you an
ACTIVE MEMBER in good standing of the
State Bar of California?
03
If you answered
"YES" to the question above, please indicate your Bar Number in the space below.
If not, please indicate "N/A". 04
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Do you have at least
two (2) years of experience as a Senior Deputy County Counsel Attorney in the County of San Diego, or at an equivalent level with another California county or city, handling above average difficult and complex cases or assignments;
OR, 2.
Five (5) years of professional post-bar civil legal experience as an attorney, which included handling civil law matters and/or cases in a public or private sector law office.
Do you meet the minimum requirements to qualify? 05
Please describe any experience you have handling civil litigation, including appeals and writs, or administrative hearings.
If you do not have this experience, please indicate "N/A". 06
Please describe your experience handling discovery, motions, trials, and appeals, or any other experience appearing in state court, federal court, or any other tribunal or administrative hearing.
If you do not have this experience, please indicate "N/A" 07
Do you have experience in these areas of law? If yes,
please check all that apply. - Property Assessment and/or Taxation, including any knowledge of the Revenue and Taxation Code, Property Tax Rules, State Board of Equalization Assessor's Handbooks and Annotations
- Administrative Hearings
- Litigation, including appellate, writs of administrative mandamus, and refund actions
- Recorder-County Clerk advisory
- County Governance, including Public Records Act, Brown Act, reviewing and/or drafting contracts and ordinances, and legislative analysis
- Municipal Finance
- Bankruptcy
- None of the above
08
Please describe your experience for each area selected in the previous question.
If you do not have this experience, please indicate "N/A". 09
Please describe any experience you have with property valuation and appraisals.
If you do not have this experience, please indicate "N/A". 10
Please describe any experience you have advising public entities, public employees and/or public officials regarding legal matters.
If you do not have this experience, please indicate "N/A". 11
Please describe any additional expertise or capabilities you possess which makes you a good candidate for this position.
If not providing a response, please indicate "N/A". 12
How did you first hear about this job opportunity?
- County Website
- Family, Friends, & Neighbors
- County of San Diego ERG's
- National Association of Counties
- City Attorney Association of San Diego
- LinkedIn
- Voice and viewpoint
- Lawyer Bar Associations
- Counties.org
- other
13
If you selected "other" in the previous question, please provide source.
Required Question
