• Join the friendly team at one of Australia’s most successful Community Legal Centres
• 12-month full-time contract - several positions at different levels available
• Supportive culture with a strong focus on staff wellbeing
• Not for profit salary packaging and additional leave benefits

We are:

Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS), one of Australia’s oldest and most successful dedicated community legal centres with a vision of justice and dignity for refugees and a world where those who seek Australia’s protection can live their lives with dignity, security, family unity and freedom.

RACS provides free, dedicated legal services to people seeking asylum and refugees. Through individual advice sessions, community education and public advocacy, RACS strives to ensure that individuals and families, at risk of persecution or other forms of significant harm, gain access to equal and fair representation before the law, and are granted protection by Australia, and opportunities to seek family unity, in accordance with Australia’s international obligations.

The role:

The primary role of the RACS Solicitor is to provide legal assistance to people seeking asylum, refugees, people that are stateless and displaced, in an immigration setting. You will also be contributing to RACS policy & law reform work. The position reports to a RACS Supervising Senior Solicitor. The Solicitor will carry out their duties in accordance with RACS policy and funding guidelines. The successful applicant will be working at RACS’ main Randwick office, but will be expected to travel to our outreach locations, to external meetings, detention centres and other locations as reasonably required.

The RACS working environment can be high volume and the successful applicant must be skilled in managing time and priorities.

You will:

• Provide casework assistance, limited assistance and advice as required in accordance with RACS’ Casework Guidelines to people seeking asylum, refugees, stateless and displaced people. This can include advising and representing clients at Departmental, Immigration Assessment Authority, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and Judicial Review level.
• Identify and appropriately respond to the cultural needs or particular vulnerabilities of RACS’ clients.
• Manage a large volume of client data and documentation in line with legal requirements. This includes maintaining files effectively and in accordance with RACS’ file management policies and in accordance with the Risk Management Guide.
• Communicate with a wide range of stakeholders in a confident and a respectful manner.
• Attend external supervision and/or debriefing as arranged.
• Be alert to the danger of burnout, monitor your workload and be pro‐active in self-care.
• Participate in RACS’ training and education programs as required to maintain appropriate skills that will enable provision of high quality and professional migration assistance. This includes completing and maintaining records of MCLE/ CPD points completed.

Level 4 solicitor has less than 3 years' legal experience/PQE or less than 2 years’ experience in the field of Refugee Practice or other relevant experience.

Level 6 solicitor will have more than 4 years' PQE and/or at least 3 years' refugee or other relevant experience and no longer subject to condition 2 on their practicing certificate.

Level 7 solicitor holds, or is eligible to hold, a NSW legal practicing certificate with more than 5 years legal experience/PQE and/or at least 4 years refugee, migration or other relevant advocacy experience and no longer subject to condition 2 on their practicing certificate. The applicant must also have completed or eligible to complete a Practice Management Course as soon as reasonably practicable.

You are:

An admitted solicitor with a passion for law reform and advocacy work and a sound knowledge of Australian immigration law and practice, particularly refugee law. The successful candidate will have the following:

Essential

• Demonstrated experience in a legal environment with knowledge of Australian immigration law and practice, particularly refugee law.
• Experience working with clients from torture & trauma backgrounds and or/ culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• High-level communication and interpersonal skills, including an ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders in a confident and a respectful manner.
• Ability to work under pressure, manage time and priorities effectively and meet strict deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and in a diverse team.
• A commitment to refugee and human rights issues.
• A passion for law reform and advocacy work.
  

Desirable

• Experience working with people seeking asylum, refugee, stateless or displaced communities.
• Experience working in a Community Legal Centre or Migration practice and the ability to work in an environment with limited resources.
• Strong written skills and an ability to compose written pieces for various audiences.
• Demonstrated language other than English will be considered favourably.
• Experience with or exposure to working in a court, tribunal or advocacy setting will be considered favourably.

To Apply:

If you're ready to join our team, please submit your CV, together with a cover letter addressing the above selection criteria.

Interviews will be held in the fortnight following with a view to commence at RACS as soon as practicably as negotiated. To find out more, contact Kirsty Wood on (02) 8317 6537.

Please note, recruitment may commence earlier, and we may make decisions prior to the application close date should we find appropriate candidates.

RACS is committed to working together to achieve a more inclusive community. Our workplace strives to be one that embraces and celebrates diversity and the wide range of skills, expertise and experience we can all bring to strengthen our dynamic, collaborative and responsive environment. RACS encourages people from all backgrounds to apply, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, people that identify as belonging to the LGBTIQA+ community and people with disabilities. RACS particularly welcomes applications from those with the lived expertise of seeking asylum, including those on temporary visas with the relevant permission to work.