Member of the Legal Service

Job title	Member of the Legal Service
Reference	EC-2026-SJ- 531054
Application deadline	30.11.2026 - 12.00 (noon, Brussels time)
Directorate-General (full name)	Legal Service
Unit	SJ.A
Place of assignment	Brussels
Domain*	Law
Contract type and Function Group	Contract Agent 3b FG IV
Other useful information (contract duration, other ...)

*please use one of the standardised domains that can be found here

About us

The team in charge of the application of the Digital Services Act in the Legal Service of the European Commission. The team advises DG CONNECT on the interpretation and application of the Digital Services Act and other rules of EU law pertinent for its application, reviews draft procedural acts and decisions as well as draft implementing and delegated rules. The team represents the European Commission in the Union courts and, where relevant, before national courts in any case involving the Digital Services Act.

The Legal Service provides comprehensive in-house legal assistance to the Commission and all its departments. It assists the Commission in its functions of drafting legislation and conducting international negotiations, as guardian of the treaties and in the exercise of the implementing powers conferred on it by the Community legislator or by the Treaties. This quadruple task means that the Service has a general advisory role. To perform that role effectively, it must be consulted in advance on all documents to be submitted to the Commission. Its opinion is conveyed to the full Commission. The SJ.A AFFAIR Team, in which the successful candidates will work, provides legal advice to the Commission Services and represents the Commission in all legal proceedings in the following areas: freedom to provide services, freedom of establishment, financial services, digital services and transport services. The Legal Service is located in the Commission headquarters in the BERLAYMONT.

About the role

The tasks to be undertaken by the lawyers of the Legal Service, working in one of 13 specialised teams, include the examination of the application of EU law, in particular examination of the legal problems arising from the application of the Treaties, either in Members States through their national legislation, or in the activities of the Commission. This mission also includes the defence of Union interests in litigation before the European courts, including the General Court, the Court of Justice and other national and international tribunals and courts.

In the course of the coming year, the Legal Service is seeking to hire up to four contract agents of Function Group IV, we have several posts with the same job description, to deal in particular with the work resulting from the enforcement of the Digital Services Act. The work comprises advice to DG CONNECT on the preparation of Commission decisions and defence of the decisions adopted by the Commission in the Union courts.

Qualifications, experience and skills

We look for enthusiastic, resilient, committed and open-minded candidates.

The candidate should have:

• a very good background in EU law
• very good drafting and communication skills;
• very good knowledge of English. Good knowledge of French is an important asset. The ability to work in other official languages of the Union is also an asset.

We are looking for lawyers with relevant professional experience. That experience can be but must not necessarily be linked to the Digital Services Act. Applicants that lack prior experience with the Digital Services Act must have relevant litigation experience or working experience in the Union courts or national courts, and/or relevant experience in neighbouring fields of law, such as data protection, artificial intelligence, intellectual property. Admission to the bar in one of the Member States of the EU or qualification for judicial office in one of the Member States of the EU, or equivalent, is a strong asset.

Due to a current shortage in lawyers from those jurisdictions, the Legal Service would in particular welcome expertise in Danish law, Estonian law or Luxembourgian law. It therefore particularly encourages applications from lawyers with a qualification in those jurisdictions.

How to express your interest?

1. You should send your documents in one single pdf in the following order:

2. Your CV

3. Completed application form

Please send these documents by the publication deadline to SJ-HR-EXTERNAL-APPLICATIONS@ec.europa.eu indicating the selection reference EC-2026-SJ-531054

Eligibility, recruitment steps, contract and working conditions

Please consult the pdf document at the end of this page