What we do

The Chief State Solicitor’s Office (CSSO) is the principal provider of solicitor services to the Attorney General and government, providing advisory, litigation and transactional services to government departments and offices. We also provide solicitor services at tribunals and commissions of inquiry and represent Ireland at the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Our legal work is carried out by five legal divisions, each of which is headed by an Assistant Chief State Solicitor.

The CSSO provides the highest standard of professional litigation services to government, its departments and offices. The wide remit of the civil service’s requirements means that we are involved in a wide range of litigation on behalf of our clients.

• We represent the State and State authorities in judicial review proceedings where the application concerns a matter of immigration and asylum law. We also represent the State in other administrative law proceedings, including habeas corpus applications, Aarhus Convention Committee cases, and letters of request from foreign tribunals.
• We provide legal services to central government departments and offices in all areas of employment law and equality litigation. Our clients are assured of excellent, pragmatic and sensitive advice at what can be a particularly concerning time for employer and employee alike.
• We support the adherence of the rule of law in our civil litigation services to the State. Our Office plays an integral role in supporting the Criminal Assets Bureau in achieving their operational mandate.
• We also act on behalf of the State in particular areas of criminal law and related litigation, including being responsible for all incoming extradition and European Arrest Warrant applications.
• We remain committed to the mission of the CSSO in providing the highest standard of litigation and dispute resolution services to the State, including representing the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána in civil actions.
• We assist government departments and offices in constitutional law matters. We handle constitutional challenges in plenary proceedings, litigation in commercial disputes involving the State, family status cases and injunctions in all of these case types.
• We play a unique role in litigation concerning European Union law, including dealing with proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
• We deal with personal injury law and other tortious litigation which has not been delegated to the State Claims Agency, as well as being responsible for tribunals of inquiry, commissions of investigation and other statutory inquiries.

Our advisory practice meets the growing demand from our clients for specialist legal expertise across an increasingly wide range of commercial areas. The work in our Office on these matters is dynamic, demand-led and fast-paced, which requires agile and strategic solutions to meet our clients' needs.

• We have experience in both well-established and emerging areas of commercial law practice. For instance, we advise on a number of high profile sports competitions for the State together with ongoing funding to particular sectors such as childcare and the LEADER programme for rural Ireland.
• We provide advice on competition law, regulatory law, and company law to Government Departments. In particular, we provide advice to clients on state aid in terms of ensuring that grant aid measures comply with state aid rules and EU law.
• We advise on sensitive and highly significant commercial contracts which underpin the operation of the State.
• We bring extensive expertise to our public procurement law work and in related areas such as EU law and contract law. In doing so, we provide guidance to our clients in a wide range of areas including information technology, digital communications, inward migration, transport, and infrastructure projects.
• We assist our clients in the areas of data protection law, GDPR compliance and privacy law queries. Our advices cover matters including data sharing, data breaches, compliance with subject access requests, and risks associated with cloud data storage.
• We also advise public bodies in carrying out their functions when planning law and/or environmental law matters are involved.

We have a diversity of specialist property knowledge. Our work is uniquely positioned to deliver on the CSSO’s mission to provide the highest standard of professional legal services to central government, as economically and efficiently as possible.

• Our remit is wide-ranging and covers the full spectrum of commercial law, conveyancing transactions as well as landlord and tenant matters.
• We support the State in dealing with company law, probate and ultimate succession matters, and legal issues arising from the ongoing management of the State’s property portfolio.
• We provide guidance to the State with regard to maritime law as well as performing a unique role in relation to the State’s rights over the foreshore.
• We handle all property leasing and licensing work for government departments and offices, as well as dealing with the sale and purchase of property on behalf of our clients.
• We advise on property law related disputes at pre-litigation stage and collaborate closely with our litigation colleagues, the Office of the Attorney General and with counsel to see if non-litigious solutions can be found in preference to litigation or arbitration proceedings.
• We also engage as required with colleagues across the CSSO working in a broad spectrum of areas, such as commercial law, procurement, planning and public law.
• We handle the acquisition, disposal, leasing, licensing and provision of ancillary advices in respect of a variety of property types both intra-State and to third parties.
• We provide comprehensive legal supports in the licensing of medium-term accommodation to meet the State’s accommodation needs.