• Full time ongoing position available
• Salary based on experience, range: $118,802 - $151,201 plus super
• Attractive employee benefits including salary packaging

About the role:

We are seeking an experienced lawyer with management and supervision experience to lead the specialist Mental Health and Disability Law team (MHDL), primarily based in Melbourne. You will partner with the Program Manager Mental Health and Disability Law to provide high quality mental health legal services across Victoria.

You will have expertise in providing client centred legal assistance and appearing in courts and tribunals and demonstrated ability to manage a large team. You will also demonstrate an ability to take a strategic approach to the work of the team and the opportunities presented by key law reform initiatives, including the findings and recommendations of the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System. You will also have a commitment to promoting VLA's vision and values.

About you:

As our ideal candidate, you will:

• Be an experienced lawyer with substantial knowledge and practice experience in managing complex civil law casework, including mental health and disability law.
• Have demonstrated ability to lead and manage a team with effective mentoring and support.
• Have experience in designing, monitoring and evaluating services and working autonomously, meeting deadlines and making complex decisions in a timely way
• Have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence, engage and communicate effectively with a wide range of clients and stakeholders.

Don't meet every requirement? At VLA, we understand that your work and life experiences can be just as valuable. If you're excited about this role but your CV doesn't align perfectly with our job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or one of our many other opportunities.

About Victoria Legal Aid:

We provide legal representation to those who need it most. With over 1000 staff employed in 15 offices across Victoria, we help people with their legal problems by providing information, advice and education with a focus on the prevention and early resolution of legal problems. Our clients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds and foster a work culture that's inclusive as well as diverse. Your unique ideas and perspectives are valued so that we best represent the people we serve.

Employee benefits:

• Family friendly, flexible hybrid work from home & office model
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Supportive team environment in modern offices
• Salary packaging which allows up to $15,900 of your salary each year to be tax free

How to apply:

To be considered for this role, please click "Apply Now" and submit a current resume and completed candidate application form (listed within the file attachments).

If you require adjustment to the recruitment and selection process or need an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team via [email protected] using the subject line: Managing Lawyer, Mental Health and Disability Law enquiry via EthicalJobs.

For further information review the attached position description or contact Catherine Leslie, Program Manager Mental Health and Disability Law on (03) 9280 3706.

No agency applications will be accepted.

Other relevant information:

VLA employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It is also a requirement that staff attend for office-based days at their primary work location. In line with this requirement, interstate applications will be considered only where the candidate is able and willing to relocate to Victoria, unless part of a border community.

VLA is committed to putting the safety and wellbeing of children first.