Our Organisation

Inner Melbourne Community Legal (IMCL) is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides free legal assistance to low-income people in the inner Melbourne area. Our mission is to create a fairer, more equal community through advocacy and law reform, education, casework and strategic litigation. We provide access to justice to the most marginalised members of our community including individuals experiencing homelessness, family violence, mental illness, disability, racialised and/or over-policing, substance dependency and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

We operate across two offices in North Melbourne and Kensington, and deliver multiple integrated outreach services in partnership with other health, education and community organisations in the local area.

Some of IMCL’s signature programs include the Specialist Social Housing Program, Health Justice Partnerships and the Police Accountability Project. IMCL is on the Victorian Legal Aid Panel for family law, summary crime, family violence and youth justice.

About the Role

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Lawyer & Project Lead to contribute to the work of IMCL’s Police Accountability Project (PAP)

PAP is a specialist service providing advice, casework and advocacy on police misconduct. Originating in the 1980s under the former Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre, PAP has become a leader in addressing police misconduct and racialised policing. IMCL was established in 1979. Following the merger with FKLC in 2022, IMCL has embedded police accountability into its strategic priorities to support those affected by police misconduct. Our Police accountability practice focuses on criminal defence, family violence policing, strategic civil litigation and police complaints.

The Senior Lawyer & Project Lead will oversee the design, testing and delivery of a new Police Accountability Worker Intake & Advice Line (The Worker Line). The Worker Line will provide support for legal assistance sector lawyers and targeted community workers who are working with individuals impacted by police misconduct,

The role will work with other members of the PAP team to conduct capacity building and engagement activities aimed at upskilling stakeholders to identify policing issues and make referrals, and amplify the experiences of clients to drive ongoing advocacy to push for reform to the police complaints system in Victoria.

The Senior Lawyer & Project Lead will also provide legal services to IMCL clients impacted by police misconduct through advice clinics and casework.

The role will comprise the following key elements:

1. Project coordination of the development of the new Police Accountability Worker Intake & Advice Line, including design, testing, delivery and promotion amongst target users.
2. Provide legal services (advice, casework and court advocacy) with a focus on clients experiencing police misconduct.
3. Strengthen existing community partnerships through stakeholder and community engagement, secondary consultations and professional legal education initiatives, and identify, develop and implement new referral pathways for police accountability matters.
4. Identify policy and advocacy opportunities and work collaboratively with the Director of Advocacy & Policy and others to advocate for positive legal and social change.

Working at IMCL

IMCL is committed to promoting a diverse, inclusive and values-driven workplace. IMCL is party to a new sector-leading Multi-Enterprise Agreement and pays 3% above the SCHADS Award. IMCL employees will also have access to generous salary packaging benefits.

We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and experience to apply, including people with lived experience in the areas we practice in. We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTIQ+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse and refugee backgrounds, women, and people with a disability to apply. 

To be eligible to apply for this position you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, or hold a valid work permit or visa.

Applications should be made via the Job Advertisement Platform.

For further information, you are welcome to contact Molly Williams ([email protected]) using the subject line: Senior Lawyer / Project Lead - Police Accountability enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.