• Women’s Legal Service Victoria | Melbourne CBD | Immediate start | Hybrid working model | Full time or Part time - negotiable (minimum 0.8EFT)
• Be a part of a feminist community organisation supporting Victorian women.
• Ongoing Contract – Full time or part time (min 4 days)
• Share your legal expertise to our collaborative, feminist legal service.
• Hybrid working model (part in office/working from home), promoting a true work/life balance.

Your new role

This is an exciting opportunity to join Women’s Legal, providing legal advice and ongoing representation to women experiencing family violence and disadvantage. Reporting to the Managing Lawyer (Intake and Access) you will provide high quality, best practice intake and legal advice services to women as part of an integrated service model, including some appearances in court (other than trials).

• Provide legal advice and assistance to service users, including secondary consultations to workers supporting clients, as part of the new intake and triage model;
• Provide duty lawyer services on a rostered basis;
• Maintain a small caseload of legal matters in family violence. In your practice area(s), you may also maintain a small number of caseload matters in family law, migration, child protection and victims of crime assistance;
• Provide an integrated and holistic client service, working with social workers and financial counsellors, to address both legal and non-legal needs

This is a full time or part time (minimum 4 days) position, with an ongoing contract.

What you’ll need to succeed

This position would be suitable for candidates who hold, or are eligible to hold, an unrestricted practising certificate with a minimum of two years post admission experience in family violence, family law and/or child protection law. You will also have:

• Experience in the provision of legal advice, duty lawyer services and casework in areas relevant to the Women’s Legal practice
• A demonstrated ability to communicate with a diverse range of clients, whilst having understanding and empathy for their complex needs
• Ability to be flexible, particularly whilst working in an environment of change
• Experience in court advocacy in one or more of the following jurisdictions - Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Magistrates Court, Children’s Court and/or Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal;
• Experience working with victims/survivors of family violence.

What you’ll get in return

In return for your dedication, we offer competitive remuneration, bonus leave days, flexible work arrangements, salary packaging, and a vibrant, supportive work culture.

The detail:

• Up to 7 bonus leave days outside of annual leave (yes, outside of annual leave!) to support a well-rested end of year break
• Above-award remuneration
• A strong commitment to your professional development, personal development, and wellbeing
• A very flexible working environment that supports work-life balance
• A hybrid working model that supports both in-office and work-from-home arrangements
• Salary packaging (which can add up to $15,900 in tax-free pay every year)
• Fresh fruit available in the office
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program

Our Purpose:

To improve outcomes for all women, with a specific focus on victim-survivors of family violence by:

• Providing high quality legal services for Victorian women who are disadvantaged or marginalised by structural and systemic barriers ,
• Assisting women and professionals that work with women, to better understand the law and navigate the legal system safely, and
• Advancing gender equality by challenging unsafe and discriminatory policies and laws and informing and advocating for legal and policy initiatives that respect and promote the rights of women

Our culture

We’re continually building on our culture of inclusivity, collaboration and safety so our teams and individuals thrive. Our values are more than words – they’re actions we take together.

Together, we are:

Authentic: We are reliable, trustworthy and transparent about how we work. We reflect on our work and take responsibility for our actions.

Collaborative: We are stronger when we work together. By sharing power and privilege with diverse voices, we achieve better outcomes. We respond to requests for help with generosity.

Courageous: We are brave, resilient and face challenges with integrity. We unapologetically advocate for our goals and back one another to take considered risks to increase our impact.

Inclusive: We believe respect, equality and opportunity must be afforded equitably and to everyone. We understand this will require critical reflection on where power lies and how it functions, and active effort to disrupt it.

Purposeful: Our services respond to the community, laws and people we work with. We value curiosity and relish opportunities to improve our work.

To apply

Submit a resume and covering letter to tell us how you are the right candidate for this role. Please ensure the cover letter addresses how you personally align to Women’s Legal values that are listed above.

See the Women’s Legal ‘Work with Us’ page for a full position description.

Any other enquiries can be emailed to Ruth McKendrick, HR Officer at [email protected] using the subject line: Lawyer / Senior Lawyer - Intake and Access enquiry via EthicalJobs.

We will begin shortlisting immediately, so please apply as soon as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We recognise our work benefits greatly from the unique knowledge, skills and expertise of individuals with diverse experiences, including those with lived experience of family violence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women with disability and women from migrant, refugee or non-English speaking backgrounds. If this is you, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Women's Legal relies on an exception under the Equal Opportunity Act to employ women only.