More than 30 legal staff in Office of the Attorney General on secondments

At the end of 2018, there were 24 advisory counsel seconded as legal advisers in 14 Government departments under the secondment programme started in 2006, according to the office’s annual report for 2018.

Two advisory counsel were also seconded to the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the European Union and one was seconded to the European Parliament. Two were also seconded as national experts to EU institutions.

Four state solicitors were seconded to work for commissions of investigation and a tribunal of inquiry in 2018, while two other staff members were seconded to Government departments.

A state solicitor in the Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO) was nominated to the National Experts in Professional Training programme in the European Commission during the year.

Staff who were on secondment in the Permanent Representation in Brussels and EU institutions delivered a series of EU legal lectures for staff in the Office of the Attorney General over the course of 2018.

The office views secondment opportunities as “a key strategy in retaining expert staff and further building legal expertise”, and Damien Moloney, director general of the Office of the Attorney General, said the secondment programme is “highly successful”.

The office also engages with private law firms to keep abreast of developments, particularly technological advances, as well as with counterpart offices in other jurisdictions.