Use your legal research, policy and advocacy skills to help shape laws, systems and public conversations that improve women's safety, equity and economic security.

About the Role

The Law Reform and Advocacy Researcher is a key member of the Law Reform and Advocacy Team at Women's Legal Service NSW.

Our goal at Women's Legal is to be one of Australia's leading feminist law reform and advocacy programs. Drawing on the experiences of women accessing our services, our legal expertise and robust evidence, we advocate for changes to laws, policies, systems and community attitudes that improve women's safety and economic security.

Our work extends well beyond preparing law reform submissions. We deliver proactive advocacy campaigns, respond to emerging legal and policy issues, engage with government and decision-makers, work collaboratively with community and sector partners, contribute to public debate through media and stakeholder engagement, and influence systemic reform at the state and national level.

As the Law Reform and Advocacy Researcher, you'll undertake complex legal and policy research, analyse legislation and emerging issues, prepare high-quality reports and publications, and contribute to strategic advocacy campaigns that create meaningful change for women.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys analysing complex issues, translating evidence into practical advocacy, and contributing to reforms that have a lasting impact on women's lives.

Your Role in the Team

As a member of the Law Reform and Advocacy Team, you'll work closely with the Women's Rights and Working Women's Centre Law Reform Leads and collaborate across the breadth of our legal practice. The role ensures our law reform and advocacy priorities are grounded in the experiences of women accessing our services, emerging legal issues, and the expertise of our solicitors.

A key priority of this role is to elevate and centre First Nations voices in our law reform and advocacy work. You'll work closely with our First Nations team and consultative networks to ensure our research, policy development and advocacy are informed by the priorities, expertise and lived experiences of First Nations women and are culturally safe, respectful and responsive.

You'll also work collaboratively with the Education and Training Team, Communications and Advocacy, Strategic Service Delivery as well as with external stakeholders across government, academia, the legal profession, community organisations and civil society to support strategic advocacy, public engagement and systemic reform.

Key responsibilities include:

• Undertaking sophisticated legal, policy and social research to support evidence-informed law reform and advocacy.
• Preparing law reform submissions, policy advice, reports, briefing papers, discussion papers and other high-quality publications.
• Analysing legislation, case law, policy developments and emerging issues affecting women.
• Contributing to strategic advocacy campaigns and organisational responses to emerging legal and policy issues.
• Developing evidence and resources that influence legislation, government policy, institutional practice and public debate.
• Supporting stakeholder consultation, coalition-building and partnerships across government, the legal profession, academia and the community sector.
• Translating complex legal and policy issues into clear, accessible resources for diverse audiences.
• Working collaboratively across Women's Legal to ensure client experience, legal expertise and research inform advocacy priorities and systemic reform.
• Monitoring emerging legal and policy issues and identifying opportunities to influence reform.
• Contributing to monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement to strengthen Women's Legal's advocacy impact.

Why Join Women's Legal Service NSW?

You'll be joining one of Australia's specialist women's legal services, that values lived experience, intersectional feminism, and strong relationships with community, where legal practice, research, advocacy and education work together to create lasting systemic change.

This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of legal research, policy development, advocacy and public engagement. You'll contribute to influential campaigns, collaborate with experts across the legal and community sectors, and help shape reforms that improve the safety, rights and economic security of women across NSW.

Working in a collaborative, feminist and values-driven organisation, you'll see your work translated into real-world outcomes - from influencing legislation and government policy to strengthening service systems and shifting public understanding of issues affecting women.

ABOUT US

Women's Legal Service NSW advocates for an end to gender-based violence and for gender equality in Australia. As a state-wide specialist women's legal service, we assist women and non-binary people across NSW to obtain legal advice and representation through our trauma-informed, holistic legal practice to address women's safety and economic security.

We use the knowledge and experience gained from supporting more than one hundred thousand women, together with our expertise in the feminist analysis of social issues and the law, to identify where we can make the most meaningful and lasting impact. We invest in specialist legal, policy and advocacy expertise to drive structural and systemic change through law reform, strategic policy development, systemic advocacy, and education and training. By ensuring women's experiences inform legislation, public policy, legal practice and community understanding, we work to improve women's safety, economic security and equity.

Our solicitors advise and represent women in a range of practice areas including discrimination, employment, sexual harassment, family law, domestic, family and sexual violence, and compensation and victims support for victims of crime.

WORKPLACE OF CHOICE

Women's Legal promotes gender equity by creating a workplace of choice for women that is:

• Safe. We have clear and effective policies addressing sexism, discrimination, harassment, bullying and abuse.
• Diverse. We acknowledge, value and respect diversity, lived experience and different perspectives.
• Culturally Safe. We recognise and respond to the need for cultural safety for First Nations staff and are committed to embedding First Nations voices throughout our work.
• Flexible. We support flexible work arrangements that accommodate caring responsibilities, disability or health needs, and study commitments.
• Supported. We practice trauma-informed care that recognises the impact of vicarious trauma. Staff have access to regular external professional supervision and debriefing.
• Focused on Career Growth, Leadership and Learning. We support staff to build careers in social justice through professional development, leadership opportunities, legal practice, research, advocacy, education and strategic organisational development.

Salary Range 2025–2026

Women's Legal seeks to close the gender pay gap by providing job and economic security through an Enterprise Agreement that pays above Award and provides generous leave provisions. You also have the opportunity to salary package, increasing your take-home pay by up to $15,900 tax free each year.

Law Reform and Advocacy Researcher Grade 5: From $100,182.32 to $121,355.39 pro rata per annum (2025-2026) (indexation to be applied for 2026-2027) (salary level based on experience) with the Women's Legal Service NSW Enterprise Agreement, plus superannuation and salary packaging.

The position is based in our office at Lidcombe. The role may require travel across Greater Sydney as well as to rural, regional, and remote NSW as part of Women's Legal's outreach and stakeholder engagement activities.

Women's Legal considers being a woman a genuine occupational qualification for this position under section 31 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential Criteria

1. Commitment to Social Justice and Gender Equity. Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, social justice issues for women, particularly First Nations women, and women experiencing deep and persistent disadvantage (social, economic and cultural) and lack of access to legal services.
2. Qualifications. A tertiary qualification in Law, Public Policy, Social Science, Criminology or another relevant discipline, together with demonstrated experience undertaking legal, policy or law reform research.
3. Law Reform, Policy and Systemic Advocacy. Demonstrated experience preparing law reform submissions, policy advice or other evidence-informed papers that influence policy, practice or systemic reform.
4. Research, Analysis and Evidence-Informed Practice. Demonstrated experience applying qualitative and/or quantitative research methodologies to collect, analyse and synthesise information that informs policy, practice or organisational decision-making.
5. Written Communication and Influence. Demonstrated experience preparing high-quality reports, submissions, briefing papers and other publications, with excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to synthesise complex legal and policy issues into clear, persuasive information for a range of audiences.
6. Legal Research and Analysis. Demonstrated ability to analyse complex legislation, policy and research and communicate findings to support evidence-informed decision-making.
7. Time Management and Organisational Skills. Highly developed organisational skills, with the ability to deliver quality outcomes and manage multiple research activities, competing priorities and deadlines while working both independently and collaboratively.
8. Relationships. Strong interpersonal, consultation and collaboration skills, with the ability to establish productive working relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders.
9. Technical & Systems Proficiency. Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and the ability to use organisational information systems, databases and reporting tools to support research, analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
10. Legal Ethics and Risk Management. Demonstrated understanding of confidentiality, privacy and information management obligations.

Additional Criteria

1. Pre-Employment Screening. Satisfactory Police Check and Working with Children Check (as applicable).
2. Willingness to Travel. Ability to travel in line with work commitments.
3. Professional Development. Commitment to undergoing organisational relevant training and education in line with role responsibilities.

Desirable Criteria

1. Sector Experience. Experience in the community legal, human rights or not-for-profit sector.
2. Values-Based Legal Practice. Understanding of feminist legal practice and systemic advocacy.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact us at [email protected] using the subject line: Law Reform and Advocacy Researcher enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.