Principal Deputy County Counsel-Consumer Fairness & Public Protection-26394509CFPP

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: County Counsel
Opening Date: 10/22/2026
Closing Date: Continuous

Job Summary
The County of San Diego's Office of County Counsel has an immediate opening for PRINCIPAL DEPUTY COUNTY COUNSEL - CONSUMER FARINESS AND PUBLIC PROTECTION 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 will be with the Consumer Fairness and Public Protection team and the attorney in this position will:

• Assist with the development and oversight of a consumer complaint intake and review process capable of identifying patterns of systemic harm, triaging matters for investigation or referral, and informing enforcement priorities and an outward, community-facing consumer complaint database.
• Provide guidance and advice to Deputy County Counsel and Senior Deputy County Counsel attorneys in matters of law and trial strategies, ordinance and policy drafting and interpretation, legal research, preparation of legal briefs and opinions, and recommendations, and trial and appellate practices.
• Act as a legal advisor for County departments, boards and commissions, or special districts as assigned by County Counsel.
• Perform legal research on all aspects of local government law.
• Prepare and rendering verbal or written opinions concerning department powers, functions, jurisdiction, authority, procedures, and matters of civil law.
• Assist in conducting caseload or assignment analysis; studies work patterns and section or team efficiency; assisting in developing and implementing procedures to improve efficiency.
• May guide, be a project lead over, and/or mentor less experienced attorneys and staff.
• May be required to perform the functions of the lower-level class in this series.

Please read the job description for additional information.

Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate has experience in subject matter experience in consumer protection law, legal research and litigation related to consumer protection, advising and drafting policy, and providing recommendations. The ideal candidate will also have some expertise in working with intake and case management software and helping build out, organize, and oversee the creation of a consumer complaint database.

Hiring Timeline and Date:
The 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 Required:

Positions 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 Screening:
The 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.

Evaluation:
Qualified 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.

Accommodation:
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job, on a case-by-case basis.
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?

• Yes
• No

02

Are you an ACTIVE MEMBER in good standing of the State Bar of California?

• Yes
• No

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?

• Yes
• No

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