Mental Health Law Centre is a not for profit community legal centre based in Subiaco providing a range of free legal services to the community. MHLC recently merged with Ruah Community Services and now also enjoys the benefits of being part of a larger community organisation. This has allowed us to look at new opportunities and projects. The result is Ruah Legal Services.

Ruah Legal Services will offer a part time family and domestic violence solicitor to assist clients with FDV matters, including family law and restraining orders. This position will work closely with the newly created Care and Protection project, a multidisciplinary care and protection legal service. That service is staffed by two full time care and protection lawyers who will work alongside a team of support workers to help parents navigate their way through child protection legal proceedings to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children. We are looking for a dedicated legal advocate who is keen to join a great team, and who are excited about contributing to the development and evolution of a new legal service in care and protection.

This role will be out and about often – not sitting in an office. You will be visiting women’s refuges and FDV centres to provide timely, practical legal services to our clients. It will involve legal casework across a range of areas of law, including restraining orders, family law, care and protection, tenancy and criminal law. We anticipate the majority of your court work will be in Magistrates Court restraining order proceedings but the role may also include court work in other jurisdictions, including the Family Court.

You must be an efficient worker, able to work flexibly, quickly and autonomously, manage your own file load and your own time. We have invested heavily in the latest case management software to help our lawyers focus on legal work and not administration so you must be great with technology and be prepared to work in new and innovative ways. At Ruah we work flexibly at many places which might include the office, home, or while out and about. We are embracing the new world of flexibility.

This is a part time position of 22.5 hours per week. We are flexible on what days you work those hours. In addition to your client and advocacy work, you will work in the team to mentor and train junior lawyers, supervise paralegals and volunteers, and participate in the community legal education services and policy work of the Centre.

You must love being in court and advocating for your clients. This role will be focused on providing legal advice, advocacy and representation (including at trial) to parents. You must understand and be committed to principles of holistic, trauma-informed and culturally-safe legal practice. This role will require emotional resilience and excellent interpersonal skills. You will have the ability to communicate sensitively and effectively with clients who are traumatised and who have complex personal circumstances, including mental illness. You will also be responsible for building collaborative, constructive relationships with key sector peers, stakeholders and service providers.

The position is 22.5 hours per week which can be worked flexibly and with hours and times as agreed.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for all positions.

The application pack is attached.

Our Commitment to Diversity

We are all better off, as a community, as a society, if we are all connected. At Ruah we believe true connection comes from a place free from judgement and discrimination, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People are welcomed and treated with respect and their culture is celebrated.

Where everyone regardless of ability, age, culture, gender, race, sexual identity or intersex status are free to be themselves. Free to celebrate our differences.

We are building a workplace where difference is embraced and encouraged – and to do this, we need people on our team who are representative of the clients we work with, who are passionate about change and courageous enough to stand up for what is right.

Everyone is welcome. Everyone belongs.

An application kit is attached.