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 Summary
The County of San Diego's Office of County Counsel has an immediate opening for PRINCIPAL DEPUTY COUNTY COUNSEL - TAX AND FINANCE in a rewarding and productive position performing legal work for local government.
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 to County officials on matters primarily involving finance and governance issues and advocates on behalf of the County of San Diego, as well as its officers and departments' employees, by representing them in civil litigation in state and federal courts as well as before administrative tribunals.
The attorney in this position will provide dedicated section that provides a broad range of legal advice and litigation support to departments in the County's Finance and General Government Group such as the Treasurer/Tax Collector, Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Auditor and Controller, Chief Administrative Office, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, Office of Economic and Government Affairs, Office of Ethics and Compliance, Office of Financial Planning, and Registrar of Voters. The attorney in this position is expected to be primary advisory and litigation support for Treasurer/Tax Collector, including: (1) advising on issues related to the treasury, tax collection, tax penalties and cancellation, property tax sales, excess proceeds, transit occupancy tax, documentary transfer tax and cannabis tax and (2) litigating petitions to set aside tax sales, petitions related to excess proceeds, and creditor representation in bankruptcy proceedings.
This attorney will also provide advisory and litigation support as needed for the other departments in the Finance and General Government Group. Attorneys may advise and represent on federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding such topics as: (i) public finance (e.g., the Budget Act, bond issuances, setting fees for local services, and management of the County investment pool; (ii) local tax (e.g., the assessment, billing, and collection of the property tax, transient occupancy tax, cannabis tax, and documentary transfer tax); (iii) general governance (e.g., the Brown Act, California Public Records Act, conflicts of interest, political activities, and record retention); (iv) the election process for local, state, and federal elections in the County (e.g. voter registration, management of voting systems, employment and training of poll workers, election ballot processing, and vote tallying). Attorneys may also advise local legislative bodies, and draft County ordinances and resolutions.
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 local property taxation and the Revenue and Taxation Code and representing clients in civil litigation regarding local property taxation and/or bankruptcy matters. 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 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 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 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.
Conditions of Employment
As 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.
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.
