The Role
The volume and complexity of litigation involving the DPC has increased significantly in recent years, reflecting the expanding scope of data protection law, the evolving regulatory environment, and the high-profile nature of the Commission’s enforcement activities.
The appointment of a Senior Litigation Lawyer is necessary to ensure that the DPC has the in-house expertise and experience required to manage litigation effectively and to safeguard the organisation’s regulatory and enforcement functions.
The Senior Litigation Lawyer is a senior specialist role within the Legal Unit of the DPC, with responsibility for the management and progression of complex litigation before the Superior Courts arising from the exercise of the DPC’s statutory functions, working under the overall direction of the Director of Legal Affairs.
The postholder will manage high-risk and high-profile litigation matters on behalf of the DPC, including judicial review proceedings, statutory appeals and other enforcement-related litigation. In doing so, the Senior Litigation Lawyer will contribute to the development and implementation of litigation strategy, in accordance with the DPC’s governance framework and under the guidance of the Director of Legal Affairs and in a manner consistent with the DPC’s regulatory objectives and public law obligations.
In addition to this litigation-led remit, the Senior Litigation Lawyer will contribute to high-level legal advisory work across the organisation, reflecting the seniority of the role and the integrated nature of the DPC’s legal functions. This will include advising on enforcement strategy, regulatory decision-making and legal risk in complex or novel matters, particularly where litigation considerations arise or are likely to arise.
Positioning of the Role
This role is positioned at Assistant Principal Higher in recognition of the complexity, risk and accountability associated with the litigation on behalf of the DPC.
The Senior Litigation Lawyer will act as a senior litigation specialist and escalation point within the Legal Unit, inputting on litigation strategy and engaging on behalf of the DPC with external legal advisors. The role involves significant professional judgment, autonomy and responsibility, including decision-making in time-critical and high-stakes contexts.
While the role is litigation-focused, the postholder will operate within the broader legal and regulatory environment of the DPC and will be expected to engage constructively with colleagues across the organisation, including regulatory, investigative and policy teams. The ability to translate litigation considerations into practical regulatory advice is an important aspect of the role and ensures that legal risk is appropriately managed across the lifecycle of enforcement activity.
Context within the DPC
The Senior Litigation Lawyer is a senior specialist role within the DPC, established primarily to build on the organisation’s capacity to manage complex litigation arising from the exercise of its statutory functions. While the immediate vacancy associated with this competition arises within the Legal Unit, the competition is intended to establish a panel from which appointments may be made to senior litigation roles, and where appropriate to senior advisory legal roles, across the organisation as business needs arise.
The postholder will operate at an organisational level, providing leadership and expertise in relation to litigation and enforcement-related legal risk. This includes working closely with senior colleagues across regulatory, investigative, enforcement and policy teams to ensure that litigation considerations are appropriately integrated into decision-making and enforcement strategy. The advisory aspects of the role arise primarily in support of this litigation-led function, particularly in complex or novel matters where litigation is ongoing or reasonably anticipated, and overall management of legal risk across the DPC.
The establishment of this panel reflects the DPC’s need to maintain access to senior legal expertise with substantial and demonstrable litigation experience before the Superior Courts, capable of being deployed flexibly to address high-risk court proceedings and related enforcement activity. Any appointments made from the panel will reflect the seniority, expertise and breadth of experience required at Assistant Principal Higher level and will be aligned with organisational priorities at the time of appointment.
Principal Duties
The duties of the Senior Litigation Lawyer will include, but are not limited to, the following:
Litigation
- Lead and manage in consultation with the Director of Legal Affairs, other internal stakeholders, external legal advisors and Counsel as appropriate, complex litigation on behalf of the DPC, including judicial review proceedings, statutory appeals and other enforcement-related litigation arising from the exercise of the DPC’s statutory functions.
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Act as a senior litigation specialist for the organisation, contributing to and advising on litigation strategy, managing litigation risk, and ensuring that proceedings are progressed effectively, efficiently and in accordance with the DPC’s governance framework and public law obligations.
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Take primary responsibility for the day-to-day management of litigation files, including assisting in the preparation and oversight of pleadings, affidavits, submissions and other court documentation, and for ensuring compliance with court directions and procedural requirements.
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Instruct and liaise with external legal advisors and Counsel as required, including contributing to the strategic direction of proceedings and managing the relationship with external legal service providers in line with agreed litigation strategy and governance arrangements.
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Advise senior management on litigation-related matters, including the assessment of legal risk, prospects of success and the potential implications of litigation outcomes for the DPC’s regulatory and enforcement functions.
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Represent the DPC, as required and appropriate, in dealings with external stakeholders in relation to litigation matters, including court appearances and engagement with other public bodies or regulators.
Enforcement and Regulatory Legal Support (Supporting Function)
- Provide senior legal input to enforcement activity where litigation is ongoing or reasonably anticipated, ensuring that regulatory decision-making is informed by litigation considerations and that legal risk is appropriately managed throughout the enforcement lifecycle.
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Advise on the legal aspects of enforcement strategy, including the interaction between investigative processes, decision-making and subsequent court proceedings.
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Support the development and refinement of enforcement processes and procedures, drawing on litigation experience to strengthen the robustness and defensibility of the DPC’s regulatory actions.
Advisory and Organisational Support
- Contribute to high-level legal advisory work across the organisation, particularly in complex, novel or high-risk matters where litigation considerations arise or are likely to arise.
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Provide senior legal advice to regulatory, investigative, policy and operational teams on matters of law and procedure, with a particular focus on mitigating litigation risk and supporting effective enforcement outcomes.
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Assist in the development of internal guidance, policies and training materials, as appropriate, to enhance organisational understanding of litigation risk and legal obligations.
Leadership, Governance and Professional Contribution
- Act as a senior legal resource within the organisation, providing leadership, mentoring and support to legal colleagues in relation to litigation matters and complex legal issues.
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Providing coaching, mentoring, guidance and development to more junior members of the team
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Contribute to the effective governance of the Legal function, including supporting knowledge management, continuous improvement in litigation management, legal risk oversight and engagement with external legal service providers.
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Maintain up-to-date knowledge of developments in data protection law, public law, litigation practice and relevant jurisprudence, and apply this knowledge proactively in the performance of the role.
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Carry out any other duties appropriate to the grade and role, as assigned by senior management.
Please note:
The above is a general guide to the key duties and responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive description. Other duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role may also be assigned from time to time.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Essential Criteria
Candidates must, on or before the closing date for receipt of applications, demonstrate all of the following:
- Professional Qualification
Be a qualified solicitor or barrister who is eligible to practise in the State and hold a valid practising certificate. -
Significant Litigation Experience
Have a minimum of four years’ post-qualification experience practicing before the Superior Courts, including experience of conducting or managing proceedings in the High Court and/or appellate courts, including at least two of the following:-
judicial review proceedings,
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statutory appeals,
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regulatory or enforcement-related litigation, and
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high-risk or high-profile court proceedings.
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Litigation Strategy
Demonstrate experience of taking primary responsibility for litigation matters, including contributing to the development of litigation strategy, managing litigation risk, instructing counsel and/or external legal advisors, and advising senior decision-makers on prospects, risk and outcomes. -
Public Law / Regulatory Context
Have strong knowledge and experience of public law and/or regulatory law, including experience of advising within a statutory or regulatory framework and an understanding of the legal obligations and constraints applicable to public bodies. -
Senior Advisory Capability
Demonstrate the ability to provide authoritative legal advice at a senior level on complex and novel issues, particularly where litigation considerations arise or are reasonably anticipated. This will include the proven ability to provide guidance, coaching and support to more junior members of the team.
- Professional Judgement, Accountability and Decision-Making
Demonstrate sound professional judgement and the ability to operate effectively at a senior level within an organisational governance and decision-making framework, including experience of making and advising on decisions in time-critical, complex and high-stakes contexts, with an appropriate level of accountability. -
Communication and Engagement
Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present complex legal issues clearly and concisely to non-legal audiences and to engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
In addition to the above, candidates will be assessed against the Civil Service Capability Framework, as outlined overleaf. In demonstrating these capabilities, candidates will be expected to provide examples drawn from senior-level legal practice, with particular emphasis on the conduct and management of complex litigation, the exercise of professional judgement in high-risk contexts, and the ability to operate with a high degree of professional autonomy and accountability. Examples should clearly reflect the senior specialist nature of the role and its litigation-led responsibilities.
Desirable Criteria
In addition, the following criteria are considered desirable and may be used to further shortlist candidates. While it is not expected that a candidate would possess experience in all of these areas, demonstrable experience in one or more may be considered an advantage:
- Experience of litigation arising in a regulatory, data protection, privacy, technology, digital regulation or EU law context, including experience of EU law litigation or proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
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Experience of working within, closely with, or in connection with the work of a public body, regulator or enforcement authority.
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Experience of managing multiple concurrent litigation matters and competing priorities in a complex organisational environment.
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Experience of contributing to organisational policy, guidance or training from a litigation or enforcement perspective.
How to Apply
By clicking Apply you will will see instructions on how to submit your complete application as below.
Please take care when completing your application, ensuring you include all relevant details.
Your application will form part of the assessment process where shortlisting is applied and also where candidates are called for interview. The Application Form allows applicants to detail their qualifications, skills and experience and how they meet the essential requirements and personal attributes of the post.
There is no requirement to provide any additional material such as a CV, etc.
Closing date
The closing date for receipt of applications is
strictly 12pm (noon) on Wednesday 24 June 2026.
All applications will be acknowledged.
Late applications will not be considered. 