• Lead a gender inequality, early intervention, law reform agenda
• Generous salary packaging options & additional paid leave
• Canberra based - minimum 4 days per week - relocation assistance

The Organisation

The Women's Legal Centre ACT is an innovative community legal centre providing crucial services to vulnerable women in Canberra across the spectrum of need, including legal information and referral, legal advice and representation and litigation.

Employment, sexual harassment and discrimination law is one of the Centre’s primary legal practice areas, delivering holistic and wrap around services to clients, community legal education and a focus on early intervention and law reform agenda to redress power imbalances and address gender inequality.

Benefits & Culture

• Established service with long-term, secure funding
• Leaders in trauma informed lawyering in the ACT
• Feminist workplace and culture, flexible working arrangements
• Respectful, values driven environment
• Passionate, professional, highly skilled and dedicated team

The Role

You will lead and drive the employment, sexual harassment and discrimination practice area, managing a small team and working in close collaboration with the Principal Solicitor and CEO to deliver on strategy.

You’ll build and refocus the program with a gender imbalance and early intervention lens and lead law reform, public interest and advocacy work. Additionally you will:

• Manage a caseload of matters including representation in Commissions and Federal Courts
• Develop partnership opportunities and manage stakeholder relationships
• Act as a spokesperson and represent the Centre in public, media and community forums
• Supervise, coach and mentor your team to provide expert legal advice
• Manage risk, compliance, funding and reporting obligations

Skills Required

Your background may be community legal, private practice, union or commercial as an employment lawyer or industrial officer. You’re passionate about gender inequality and have a genuine interest, vision and ability to lead and build a program to best respond to employment and discrimination law issues which affect women. You bring a focus on big picture law reform and:

• Minimum 4 years PAE including employment law, casework and litigation
• High level stakeholder relations and partnership development skills
• Skills in media relations and as a spokesperson
• Ability and desire to work as part of a multidisciplinary team in a trauma-informed service delivery model, collaborating with other agencies to deliver client outcomes
• Personal commitment to reflection and self-care practices

Applicants must be admitted to practice/eligible to apply for a restricted practising certificate in the Australian Capital Territory.

If you’re passionate about driving change in employment & discrimination law issues affecting women, please apply now by sending your resume and cover letter addressing the skills required above. Alternatively, to discuss, please call Louise Furlong on 02 8243 0570.

Please note being a woman is a genuine occupational qualification under s34 of the Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT). Part-time applications will be considered. As there is no formal closing date for this role, if you are interested we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.