Trainee Solicitor

ESB’s in-house legal team is recognised as playing a pivotal role in ESB’s Driven to make a difference: Net Zero by 2040 strategy, advising all of ESB’s businesses across electricity generation, supply and transmission on six core areas of legal practice; being corporate and commercial law, regulatory and competition law, employment and industrial relations law, litigation and dispute resolution, commercial property and planning and environmental law. As a member of the in-house legal team, the trainee solicitor will play a pivotal role in helping ESB deliver its strategy, which is anchored in ESB’s ambition to lead the national transition to a low-carbon energy future based on clean, reliable, affordable electricity.

ESB’s strategy calls for significant capital investment by ESB across multiple projects, requiring the provision of expert and timely legal advice and transactional support by their in-house legal team. You will join a dedicated team whose strength lies in the diversity of training and experience of its staff. ESB lawyers come from varied backgrounds; some having trained in the ESB legal department itself and some having trained and worked in private practice, including in top tier commercial law-firms and multinationals. Collectively, their specialist legal advisers have decades of experience in the energy sector in Ireland, providing them with a unique ability to provide legal advisory services and comprehensive training that one would normally only expect to find in a medium to large private practice law-firm.

Position description

The Trainee Solicitor can expect to work across the ESB legal department with rotations in a variety of the areas of legal practice outlined above. The Trainee Solicitor will during legal practice rotation report to a senior practice area solicitor. A training solicitor will be appointed to support and guide the trainee solicitor during their training contract.

Key responsibilities

The responsibilities of the successful candidate will include:

• Working proactively and collaboratively with the senior practice area solicitor or a delegated solicitor to provide high quality and timely legal advice to internal clients across ESB Group.
• Assisting in the management of files to ensure that client’s needs are attended to in a prompt manner with clear high quality legal advice.
• Assisting with the drafting of correspondence and contracts.
• Research and advisory work in collaboration with senior practice area solicitor.
• Meeting with and advising ESB internal clients in collaboration with the senior practice area solicitor.
• Working in compliance with and ensuring adherence with ESB’s corporate governance frameworks.
• Liaising with other specialist areas within ESB as required.
• Assisting in maintaining positive and collaborative relationships with internal clients, the ESB in-house legal team, external law firms and counsel appointed by ESB.
• Keeping appraised of legislative changes and case law.

Essential skills, experience and qualifications

The successful candidate:

• Has good organisational and analytical skills.
• Has developed communication and interpersonal skills.
• Has strong legal research and drafting skills.
• Shows the ability to work as part of a team and build relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Is trustworthy and behaves with integrity.
• Has an ability to work effectively under pressure and deliver results working to tight timelines.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 package.

Qualification on or before 22 July 2024:

• Have attained a minimum primary ordinary degree (at least level seven (7) on the National Framework of Qualifications).
• Has successfully passed all eight Law Society of Ireland FE1 entrance examinations and meet the Law Society of Ireland’s requirements for acceptance onto its Professional Practice Course 2024, commencing in September 2024
• After completion of the Professional Practice Course 2024 the trainee solicitor will be required to undertake the advanced electives. The training solicitor will provide guidance to the trainee solicitor on the electives that align best with ESB’s Driven to make a difference Net Zero by 2040 strategy.
• Subject to the terms of agreement between ESB and the trainee solicitor ESB will make payment of the trainee solicitors Professional Practice Course and Advanced Elective fees.
• The trainee solicitor will also receive a salary while undertaking the Professional Practice Course 2024.

Location

ESB is committed to offering flexibility in ways of working and we call that Smart Working – combining digital tools with a culture of trust and empowerment to enable flexible and remote ways of working.​

The successful candidate may combine remote / smart working within the jurisdiction, with attendance at base for in-person collaboration, the frequency of which is agreed with the manager, business needs and subject to ongoing review​.

The base location for this role will be ESB Networks Office, Three Gateway, East Wall Road, Dublin 3,D03R583 and/or ESB Head Office, 27 Fitzwilliam Street Lower, Dublin 2,D02KT92.

Closing date for applications is on Monday 22 July 2024.