Senior Deputy County Counsel-Tax and Finance-26390409TF

Salary: $155,542.40 - $189,072.00 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 SENIOR DEPUTY COUNTY COUNSEL - TAX & FINANCE 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 Senior Deputy County Counsel will independently handle cases and assignments that are moderately difficult that have 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.

Attorneys in this position are part of a 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 the 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 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) 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); (ii) public finance (e.g., the Budget Act, bond issuances, setting fees for local services, and management of the County investment pool); (iii) local tax (e.g., the assessment, billing, and collection of the property tax, transient occupancy tax, cannabis tax, and documentary transfer tax); and (iv) general governance (e.g., the Brown Act, California Public Records Act, conflicts of interest, political activities, and record retention). 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 Senior Deputy County Counsel job description for additional information.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate has experience providing legal advice to clients regarding assessment practices and the California Revenue and Taxation Code, as well as representing clients in writs of administrative mandate and refund actions. The ideal candidate is an analytical thinker, able to accurately identify and articulate the critical issues in a case. Additionally, the ideal candidate has excellent legal research and writing skills, courtroom presence, and the ability to work collaboratively and professionally 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 three (3) years of professional, post-bar civil legal experience as an attorney handling civil law matters and/or cases in a public or private sector law office.
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.
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

Do you have at least three (3) years of professional, post-bar civil legal experience as an attorney?

• Yes
• No

05

Please describe any experience you have handling civil litigation or bankruptcy matters.

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 Taxation, including property tax collection, tax sales, transit occupancy tax, cannabis tax, excess proceeds, and general knowledge of the Revenue and Taxation Code
• Bankruptcy
• Litigation, including tax sale disputes, excess proceeds, quiet title, refund actions, or administrative writs
• Municipal Finance, including treasury, investment pools, municipal bonds, public agency and/or county debt issuance, the County Budget Act
• Assessor/ Recorder/ County Clerk
• County Governance, including Public Records Act, Brown Act, reviewing and/or drafting contracts and ordinances, and legislative analysis
• State Mandates
• 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 advising public entities, public employees and/or public officials regarding legal matters.

If you do not have this experience, please indicate "N/A".
10

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".
11

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

12

If you selected "other" in the previous question, please provide source.
Required Question