• Improve outcomes for women charged with criminal offences
• Join a team providing specialist holistic legal, and non-legal support
• Full time, 18-month contract initially

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre is a leading social justice law and policy centre. We build a fairer, stronger society by helping to change laws, policies and practices that cause injustice and inequality.

PIAC offers a dynamic workplace where wellbeing is promoted, and flexibility supported.

The Women’s Homelessness Prevention Service (WHPS) is a new service as part of PIAC’s Homeless Persons’ Legal Service (HPLS), providing specialist, holistic support including both legal and non-legal assistance to women including trans and gender diverse women. It particularly seeks to reach victim-survivors of domestic and family violence who:

• are at risk of being evicted, homeless, and/or facing other barriers to accessing and maintaining safe and stable housing and/or
• have been policed or charged with criminal offences.

You will advise and represent women charged with criminal offences, particularly women who are victim / survivors of domestic and family violence or sexual assault. Additionally, you will:

• provide advice to HPLS legal clinic lawyers in criminal matters
• develop legal and policy responses to systemic issues for women experiencing homelessness
• contribute to submissions, reports, and media releases to communicate PIAC’s policy positions

You are a criminal solicitor, eligible for a practicing certificate in NSW, with an awareness of legal issues and barriers facing victims of domestic and family violence or sexual assault and/or who are experiencing homelessness. Additionally, you have capacity to:

• identify best practice and innovative legal strategies for achieving better outcomes for women before the criminal legal system
• provide accurate and appropriate legal assistance and to manage relationships with clients
• conduct outreach in the community, including in non-legal settings

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you can protect and promote the human rights of women who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness and who are in contact with the criminal legal system, please please direct your enquiries to Kira Levin, Managing Solicitor, HPLS via [email protected] using the subject line: Criminal Solicitor - Women's Homelessness Prevention Service enquiry via EthicalJobs, or for application instructions, click 'Apply Now'.

Please note there is no application close date, and we invite you to apply as soon as possible.

A position description is attached.