• Ongoing – Full Time – 35 hours per week
• Legal Officer Grade VI (salary range $154,840 - $158,102 plus super and annual leave loading)
• Location – Central Sydney office
About us
Legal Aid NSW is the largest legal aid agency in Australia, comprising a Central Sydney office and 28 regional offices in metropolitan and regional centres. Legal Aid NSW provides legal advice, information, minor assistance, and legal representation in many areas of law. Legal Aid NSW also provides alternative dispute resolution services, community legal education programs, and publications on legal issues. We can do this over the telephone or at one of our 28 offices.
About the role
Reporting to the Executive Director, Civil Law, Legal Aid NSW seeks a strategic and innovative senior lawyer to support our statewide Civil Law practice.
This is a pivotal opportunity for a highly accomplished legal practitioner and leader to provide strategic direction and expert guidance on civil law initiatives, planning, policy, and service reforms. You will be instrumental in fostering innovation and operationalising best practice, ensuring the highest quality, targeted legal services are delivered to clients across NSW.
Key Accountabilities:
· Leverage your extensive experience to provide thought leadership and strategic advice to the Civil Law Executive on critical matters impacting the Civil Law Division.
· Champion and lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of groundbreaking project and policy initiatives, ensuring they deliver tangible results.
· Design, develop and deliver proactive strategies, programs and reforms that ensure innovation, future focused and client centred services, and address current/emerging issues across the practice and the legal system.
· Contribute to the development and implementation of strategies and plans as part of the Civil Executive team.
· Cultivate a high-performing environment by providing expert guidance and mentorship to civil law staff, fostering excellence in service delivery and professional development.
· Manage complex stakeholder relationships with internal and external entities, ensuring effective communication, negotiation, and issue management.
· Oversee the Civil Projects team, ensuring efficient use of resources and successful project outcomes.
· Establish and lead working groups and committees as determined by the Civil Law Executive.
· Prepare submissions, briefings and other communications as required, on priority issues.
About you
The ideal candidate for this role will be an experienced lawyer with a diverse background in civil practice, policy and strategy. Previous experience in managing consultation and negotiations with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders with different needs and expectations, within agreed timeframes. You have strong management experience and possess high level communication, problem-solving and stakeholder engagement skills.
WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN LEGAL AID NSW!
We are committed to diversity and inclusion
We are committed to creating a culturally safe and genuinely inclusive organisation and workplace for everyone who works and interacts with us. We strive to be a place where people from diverse backgrounds want to work, where voices and cultures are valued and where people feel valued, welcomed, respected and heard.
We want a workforce that reflects our clients, so we can deliver a service that meets the needs of the community. We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds — including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, the LGBTQI+ community, culturally diverse people and other diverse communities.
We acknowledge, support and accommodate the diverse access needs of people with visible and invisible disabilities. If you need an adjustment to participate in the recruitment process, or you’d like information about what we can do to help you, please contact our team at erecruitment@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.
Other benefits of working with us
· You will have access to training, development and mentoring opportunities.
· We are an accredited Flex Ready certified employer and are recognised as leaders in the area of flexible work. Most of our staff work flexibly — for example, from home some of the time or in a way that helps them balance family and work life.
The essential requirements for this role
You must:
· be admitted as a legal practitioner in NSW
· be able to provide a current NSW Practising Certificate (unrestricted or eligible for unrestrictive practising certificate) before you start work with us
· be willing to do a Criminal Record Check
· hold Australian or NZ citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency (for ongoing vacancies) or a valid visa to work in Australia (for temporary vacancies)
How to apply
You MUST submit your application online through
iworkfor.nsw.gov.au. If you submit your application late or by email it will NOT be accepted.
Applicants are requested to attach:
· current resume / curriculum vitae (CV) (
maximum 5 pages)
· cover letter (
maximum 2 pages) responding to the following
two questions:
1. Outline the skills and experience that you think would make you the ideal candidate for the role.
2. Describe your leadership approach and how you would foster a high-performing and innovative environment within the Civil Law Division at Legal Aid NSW.
The selection process will include a range of comparative assessment techniques to assist in determining capability and suitability for the role.
Make sure your application is complete and you have answered all questions before you submit it.
Do you need help to apply?
It’s important to properly prepare before you apply for a role. Here is some other information to help you:
· If you have questions about the role, please contact the Hiring Manager - Meredith Osborne at
Meredith.Osborne@legalaid.nsw.gov.au · If you are an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are thinking about applying, you can contact the
Aboriginal Services Branch to arrange a confidential conversation about any questions you may have.
· The
Role Description here sets out the responsibilities of the role.
· The focus capabilities and key accountabilities in the role description indicate what is expected at that level. Being familiar with these will help you understand what the panel will be looking for in the successful candidate.
·
Applying for a Role·
Working at Legal Aid NSW
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