Senior Solicitor (Grade IV) - Criminal Law - Statewide Advice Team

• Ongoing full-time
• Hybrid working and flexible work arrangement
• Competitive salary package up to $160,373.00 including salary ($139,862.00 - $142,554.00) plus superannuation and annual leave loading

About us: 

Legal Aid NSW helps people with their legal problems. We can help people with most areas criminal law, family law and every day civil law legal issues. We give legal advice, help at court and do family dispute resolution. We can do this over the telephone or at one of our 28 offices. 

The State-Wide Advice Team (SWAT) is a unique and innovative team of lawyers providing telephone advice to eligible clients across NSW. The team is a high-volume provider of advice with over 19,000 advice sessions provided to clients last year. SWAT has 30+ staff and provides 30% of all family law advice, 22% of all criminal law advice and 12% of all civil law advice for Legal Aid NSW. SWAT also has the Legal Resource Team which owns, drafts and keeps up to date most of the legal information on the Legal Aid NSW website. The team works flexibly with most staff working predominantly from home. 

About the role: 

We are seeking Grade IV solicitor to lead our crime practice group, on an ongoing basis. You can work remotely under flexible work arrangements except for agreed office days when you will be required to attend our office in Parramatta.  

The main responsibilities of this role include: 

• Supervising and leading a team of crime legal officers in providing timely high-quality legal advice or to develop, review and maintain plain language legal information resources used by staff and the public. 

• Monitoring developments in law and legal processes to ensure resources used by legal officers and customer service officers are up to date and relevant. 

• Supporting and guiding staff in the provision of high-quality legal information, advice, minor assistance and customer service. 

• Resourcing staff with training and information. 

About you: 

We are looking for a lawyer with experience in criminal law who thrives in a multi-disciplinary team addressing criminal, civil, and family law issues. You have the ability to respond effectively to the needs of vulnerable and complex clients over the phone and are committed to delivering high-quality legal services. 

You are dedicated to quality assurance, ensuring that our team provides advice in line with Legal Aid NSW policies, guidelines, and practice management standards within a remote/hybrid work environment. 

Additionally, you have experience managing stakeholder relationships and a passion for supervising, mentoring, training, and developing junior solicitors. Your leadership fosters a highly capable team operating across diverse locations and online platforms. 

We may use this recruitment to create a talent pool for similar ongoing or temporary vacancies we have over the next 18 months. 

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 or be eligible for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW 

• be able to provide a current NSW Practising Certificate (unrestricted) before you start work with us 

• be willing to do a Criminal Record Check and/or Working with Children 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. If you submit your application late or by email it will NOT be accepted.  

Your application must include: 

• your resume (no more than 5 pages) 

• cover letter (no more than 2 pages). In your cover letter, please address the following points: 

1. What experience do you have in supervising, mentoring, or leading a team of solicitors in a hybrid advice setting? 
    

2. Outline your knowledge and experience in advising on criminal law matters.? 

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, you can contact the Hiring Manager – Diane Chappell on 02 9213 5284 or email: diane.chappell@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 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 

Application closing: Wednesday 19 February 2025, 11:59pm