Gary gives us insight into his career as Advisory Counsel (Grade III) in the Office of the Attorney General.
Please tell us a little bit about your role.
I joined the Office of the Attorney General in January 2025 having previously completed a clinical placement in 2014. My role as Advisory Counsel is to assist the Attorney General in carrying out his constitutional duty under Article 30 of Bunreacht na hÉireann as legal adviser to the government. To this end I advise on legal queries from government departments, coordinate litigation involving the State, and provide observations on draft legislation to ensure it is legally robust and constitutionally sound.
What were your reasons for applying for your role?
I studied the BCL (Law and Irish) in UCC with a view to one day becoming a barrister practising in the area of public law. I always considered law to be a means through which to the common good and individual justice could be achieved which, to many, I suspect is an old-fashioned notion. It led me to focus on areas such as human rights and constitutional justice where I could endeavour to make a difference. I was very fortunate to practice and have a career in that area for many years.
The BCL (Law and Irish), however, had also afforded me the opportunity to do a clinical place with the AGO in 2014 where I learned about the role of Advisory Counsel and how it worked. It struck me that much of what I wanted from a career at the Bar was to be found in the AGO itself where legal practitioners who had been operating at the highest levels in private practice worked together to serve the people of Ireland. It was a job filled with interesting cases, and great people who understood what collegiality really meant. The catch, however, is that you had to have a prior career of legal practice in order to even be considered for the role. So, I took the lessons learned from my short-time in the Office into private practice and hoped that one day I might find myself in the position to apply. Sure enough, a competition eventually came around and here I am today.What do you value most about your job?
The sheer variety of public law cases we get to work on. There is never a dull day in this job (for better or for worse). Every day you’re dealing with important legal issues and highly sensitive files; the kind of cases you might advise on once in a legal career in private practice are our bread and butter. Whether it’s a complex constitutional matter with wide-ranging implications on how we treat each other or new legislation reshaping how our system works, you have to bring your “A” game and that drives you to be better.
What are some of the benefits and supports available to you?
The AGO is very much committed to the continuous professional development of its staff and funds us to attend courses or conferences on a regular basis to keep ourselves up-to-date with the latest legal developments. There’s also the opportunity to undertake language study to further broaden our communication skills; allowing us to engage better with our EU colleagues/counterparts.
More than anything though, I think one of the best support structures we have in the AGO is our collegiality. What’s so great about this place is the work-life balance it encourages giving each of us time to explore our own hobbies and we champion each other’s endeavours. We have a number of social groups which meet regularly and our running club is very competitive. Ultimately, we’re a team of dedicated public lawyers who share common interests and support each other in variety of ways.What opportunities has this role provided for you?
You’ll find travel for work and training is a big part of the role as you progress. I’ve been very lucky in that I have had the opportunity to travel to Luxembourg to participate in a Preliminary Reference and appear before the Court of Justice of the European Union. It’s the kind of high stakes litigation where you have to be on the ball and it’s an extremely rewarding experience to be at the table with your colleagues for a case like that. I’ve also visited the EU and Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU Institutions in Brussels as part of our secondment training programme. This knowledge gathering and information sharing exercise allowed us to meet with our seconded colleagues and European counterparts to gain further insight into how EU Law influences everything we do. Opportunities like that are considered by the Office to be a crucial part of your development as an Advisory Counsel and something to be encouraged among new entrants.
What has surprised you since starting this role?
I don’t think I was as consciously aware of the importance of secondment in the life of an Advisory Counsel. One of the most interesting aspects of this role is that of secondment where after spending a period of time in the Office (usually between a year and eighteen months) and being trained in our procedures as well as our philosophy towards legal advice, you will be deployed to a government department as an on-site adviser. It’s something that gives you an opportunity to really embed yourself in the work of a government department and provide advice directly to the client. It gives you a better understanding of what the policy objectives are and your role in facilitating same by providing legal guidance on how it may be achieved. The secondment programme was in its infancy when I interned in this Office and upon returning in this role I can see how much valuable experience it has given colleagues. It’s an exciting part of your career as an Advisory Counsel that I hadn’t really appreciated as much beforehand.
What aspect of the role do you particularly enjoy?
As you grow in your role you will inevitably build up a specialism within your group and files of a similar nature will be assigned to you over time. When dealing with litigation matters this really allows you to view the issues from a wholistic perspective and consider the entire board with strategizing on approach. You not just looking at the law through the lens of a single case or set of cases but rather the wider questions common in all which speak to the operation of the system itself and so can advise with those broader considerations in mind. It’s rare to get such a perspective in private practice and it’s very rewarding to be able to advise on such matters.
Would you recommend a career in the public sector and why?
Absolutely. I think many law students and young lawyers are unaware of the great opportunities available to them in the public sector and kind find themselves dissatisfied with the paths presented to them earlier in the career. The big commercial firms have done a very good job over the last decade or so of presenting themselves as the goal to be aimed for when embarking on a legal career. And if you’re interested in corporate law then maybe that life is for you. But law is so much more than that and I don’t think enough lawyers know about the careers available to them in the public sector whether that’s within the AGO, as part of the legal unit in a government department, or other specialist legal roles. This is not an “alternative” career in law; it is one of the most exciting places to be, working as a practitioner at the coalface of policy and law. What’s not to love?.