Grata Fund is seeking a full time Special Counsel - Strategic Litigation for a 12 month fixed term role.

The Special Counsel - Strategic Litigation will assist the General Counsel in the management of Grata’s legal team and work in collaboration with the Executive Director, Head of Campaigns and Communications and Head of Philanthropy to implement Grata Fund’s vision and strategy for a robust public interest litigation culture in Australia.

Job Responsibilities

This is a full time 12 month fixed term position based at UNSW Law in Sydney, with hybrid office/remote work options available. The Special Counsel reports to the General Counsel and is responsible for:

In house legal advisory

• Assisting the General Counsel to provide in-house legal advice, in consultation with external legal advisors as appropriate, to the Executive Director and board of directors on a range of internal and external legal matters, including risk, governance, administrative, employment, privacy, regulatory compliance, conflict management and legal ethics.

• Assisting the General Counsel and Head of Operations to implement systems, processes and policies to manage internal legal compliance obligations, including case file management, employment policies and governance policies.

• Assisting the General Counsel to draft and review agreements, including Indemnity and Guarantee Funding Agreements in funded litigation, Contractor Agreements, Consultancy Agreements, Employment Agreements, Tenancy Agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding.

Legal team management

• Assisting the General Counsel in managing the legal team’s work, including to:

  • Build relationships with affected communities and key stakeholders to encourage and identify case applications for funding,
  • Build pro bono alliances to incubate and litigate new cases,
  • Assess case proposals from the legal sector,
  • Manage funding contracts with plaintiffs and legal partners,
  • Maintain oversight of funded cases,
  • Monitor Federal & State legislative proposals, trends and new laws to identify opportunities for litigation,
  • Work with the legal and campaign sector to identify strategic opportunities for litigation,
  • Prepare briefs for counsel as appropriate, and
  • Engage in research, drafting and advocacy for law reform.

Relationships

• Contributing to Grata’s legal team’s relationships with the legal sector, academia and campaigners to incubate new strategic litigation in Australia on human rights, democracy and climate justice.
• Promoting Grata Fund’s offering, application process and partnership philosophy to the legal & campaign sector.

Cross-team collaboration

• Working with the Head of Communications to build broad campaign alliances around supported litigation to ensure lasting impact beyond the courtroom.
• Collaborating with the Head of Philanthropy to guide fundraising strategy development and litigation funding strategy.

And other reasonable duties as directed.

Qualifications and competencies

We’re seeking an Australian qualified lawyer with 10+ years legal experience and an unrestricted practicing certificate, who:

• Has demonstrated understanding and experience of strategic litigation;
• Has strong technical legal skills;
• Is committed to working with and for affected communities to achieve social justice outcomes;
• Has strong project management and stakeholder engagement skills; and
• Is an effective communicator with a broad range of audiences, including communities, legal stakeholders and policymakers.

Salary: $135,000 plus super, 6 weeks leave and salary packaging options available.

Grata Fund is fully committed to diversity and inclusion. Applications are strongly encouraged from First Nations people; people with disability; people who identify as LGBTIQ+; and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

About Grata Fund

Grata Fund is working to build a country where everyone can thrive, free of unjust systems that suppress universal rights, including human rights, democratic freedoms, and the right to a safe climate.

Grata Fund leverages targeted funding of high-impact litigation and integrated campaign strategies to break systemic gridlocks, shift power and create lasting change. We advocate for a robust democracy and work in partnership with and build the power of marginalised communities, First Nations communities, social justice movements, civil society, litigators and community lawyers.

We launched in 2016 by supporting Doctors for Refugees and Fitzroy Legal Service to successfully overturn draconian gag laws in the Border Force Act which threatened doctors with 2 years in prison for reporting abuse in offshore detention centres. Since then, we’ve worked to support over 50 cases on issues from remote First Nations housing rights, refugee rights, access to education for children with disabilities, access to voting rights, climate justice, technology and human rights.

We’re proud to say that we’ve worked alongside brave and courageous plaintiffs, and passionate philanthropists, to benefit over 1 million Australians across the country. We are based at the UNSW Law Centres Precinct in Sydney, and offer flexible hybrid home/office work arrangements.

Please contact [email protected] using the subject line: Special Counsel - Strategic Litigation enquiry via EthicalJobs with any queries regarding the role. Please do not send your applications to this address. Instead submit applications by clicking Apply Now.

Please note the role is open nation-wide as we can offer flexible and working from home arrangements for the right candidate.

A job description is attached.