The city-based Country Civil and Family Law Solicitor reports to the Civil & Family Law Manager. The purpose of the position is to ensure the delivery of consistently high quality and culturally appropriate service delivery to ALRM’s clients. And to ensure that the ALRM’s policies and procedures on the assessment, acceptance and delivery of legal casework are implemented and maintained. To ensure that all resources allocated to the legal practice and its casework activities are appropriately managed, effectively deployed to the priorities of the practice as well as effectively monitored and accounted. 

Based in the ALRM Adelaide office, the position will outreach through the country offices in Ceduna and Port Augusta. The incumbent will work with the country-based field officers to provide outreach services to ATSI people in regional rural and remote areas. Much of the communication will be done by telephone and AVL however the incumbent will be expected to travel on rural and remote court circuits to deal with civil clients and to raise community awareness of the service.  

ALRM Core Objectives

The central object of the Movement is to assist Aboriginal persons (especially those Aboriginal persons who are detained in custody or imprisoned) to relieve their poverty, the consequences of their dispossession and social misfortune and to assist further in removing destitution and helplessness amongst Aboriginal people through the use of the legal system of the State of South Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia. (Please refer to ALRM Intranet for more core ALRM Objectives),

Key Responsibilities

• Demonstrated experience with an ability to relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients with sensitivity and understanding.
• Demonstrated knowledge, understanding and experience in the effective delivery of legal and related services to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people, with an emphasis upon women and children in the family law and child protection systems as well as general civil law experience in personal injuries, discrimination law and industrial law issues.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the impact of the legal system on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities.
• Demonstrated capacity to undertake the delivery of quality legal advice and representation including the ability to manage and balance priorities without compromising service quality in an environment of high workload and varied locations, the ability to prepare correspondence and documents, which articulate clients’ concerns and instructions and the ability to exercise proper and accurate file management.
• Demonstrated success in working as part of a team in the delivery of quality service.
• The ability to maintain good relationships with clients and colleagues.
• To work as part of a team including other legal staff, field officers and support staff to provide legal advice and representation to clients of ALRM of a consistently high quality and to ensure the provision of a culturally appropriate and responsive service to clients
• TO understand and apply ALRM Policies and to work so as to achieve the KPIs of Attorney General’s Department program funding agreements as they relate to the provision of legal aid services to clients.
• Provide duty lawyer advice and interviews
• As part of the team provide legal advice, representation, information and education in relation to family law, child protection and civil law matters generally in rural regional and remote areas
• As directed, provide general advice to ALRM with respect to policy issues arising in the area of practice
• Liaise with other legal service providers, Federal and State Authorities and other agencies as required
• Perform such other duties commensurate with the functions of ALRM and this classification, as may be required.
• Ability to manage potential conflicts of interest between the ALRM family law/ Child protection practice and the ALRM criminal practice in Adelaide, Port Augusta and Ceduna offices as it relates to the incumbent’s clients.
• Other duties as directed from time to time.

Essential Criteria

• Admitted or eligible for admission as a Solicitor or Barrister of the Supreme Court of South Australia and as a practitioner of the High Court of Australia.
• Unrestricted category C South Australian practising certificate or equivalent, preferably with up to 5 years post admission experience. 
• A sound knowledge of the Family Law Act 1975 Commonwealth and the recent changes to the Act and family law practice and demonstrated experience in providing legal advice and representation in relation to family law matters, with an emphasis on the interests of Aboriginal women and children
• Demonstrated experience in providing legal advice and representation to clients of ALRM in relation to child protection matters, 
• Demonstrated experience in providing civil legal advice and some representation to clients of ALRM in relation to civil law matters including personal injury claims, consumer law, landlord and tenant, and racial discrimination – equal opportunity matters
• Commitment to the principles of social justice and sound knowledge, and understanding of, contemporary and historical issues as they relate to Aboriginal people in South Australia
• Knowledge of OHS&W issues as they apply in the workplace
• General knowledge and experience in civil claims and procedure.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of the Victims of Crime Act 2001 (SA)
• Knowledge of the Victims of Crime (Statutory Compensation) Regulations 2019 
• Knowledge of the Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA)
• Knowledge of the Civil Liability Regulations 2013 (SA)
• Equal Opportunity Act, Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare standards.
• An understanding of the objectives of Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement, its services and clients.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Organisation’s Core Values (Code of Ethics) and the Employee Conduct Policy.
• Commitment to the principles of social justice and sound knowledge, and understanding of, contemporary and historical issues as they relate to Aboriginal people in South Australia