• International parental child abduction lawyer
• Interesting and specialised field of law
• Community legal centre
• Office in New South Wales or Victoria with remote working arrangements available
• Part time or full time as negotiated, 3- 5 days/week (0.6 – 1.0 FTE), commencing as soon as possible.

The Role

Reporting to the Managing Lawyer, you will be responsible for the provision of legal advice and case work to clients throughout Australia who are affected by international parental child abduction (IPCA).

The Legal Service primarily provides legal advice and assistance by telephone and email, with some face-to-face contact with clients. Your duties include:

• Provision of advice to clients and professionals on our Legal Advice Line regarding IPCA and other international parenting matters
• Drafting outgoing return and access applications under the 1980 Hague Convention and applications under the Bilateral Agreements with Egypt and Lebanon
• Appropriate internal referrals to ISS Australia’s Social Work and Mediation services
• Liaising with Commonwealth Government stakeholders
• Preparation of legal information resources

• Provision of training and information about IPCA and the 1980 Hague Convention to professionals, government, and non-government organisations.

We offer a flexible work environment (hybrid office and remote work arrangements), salary packaging, access to an Employee Assistance Program and workplace health and wellness activities. Your salary will be based on the national Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHCADS) Award and will range between $84K - $92K pro rata, commensurate with experience.

You will be working closely with a small team in a supportive environment. The Legal Service is comprised of lawyers across our Sydney and Melbourne offices with one paralegal in our Melbourne Office. The team connects online on a regular basis.

About you

The ideal candidate will:

• Have a practising certificate, preferably with supervision conditions lifted

• Ideally have at least two years’ experience in family law
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent legal drafting skills
• Be keen to assist people in times of considerable personal distress.

We are looking for someone who is warm and professional, who is able to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team and is able and open to learning quickly and continuously.

ISS Australia welcomes and encourages applications from people with suitable skills from diverse backgrounds including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and other diverse groups in our society.

Written task

We particularly require a candidate who has excellent legal drafting skills. With a view to finding the right candidate, applicants who are short-listed for interview will be provided with a written task to complete. This is to ensure that the ideal candidate has excellent legal drafting skills.

About us

ISS Australia’s Legal Service is a community legal centre focused on international parental child abduction law and the 1980 Hague Convention. The service was established in 2012 and is funded by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department.

ISS Australia is a small not for profit organisation providing inter-country casework services to families separated by international borders, with a special emphasis on the rights and interests of children. We have an office in Melbourne and an office in Sydney. We form part of the ISS international network represented in over 130 countries worldwide. For further information about ISS Australia, see our website www.iss.org.au.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Managing Lawyer, Belinda Li on 1300 657 843.

A position description is attached.