Solicitor - Grade I-III - Family Law
Statewide, NSW, AU, 9999
Join Us as a Family Lawyer!
-
Passionate about family law, social justice, and helping those in need?
-
Ready to make an impact with Australia’s largest family law practice?
-
Looking for career growth, work-life balance, and a supportive team?
If so, we want to hear from you!
Experience in family law, care and protection or domestic violence matters is highly desirable but not essential.
We will use this recruitment to create a talent pool for similar ongoing or temporary vacancies we have over the next 18 months.
About us
Legal Aid NSW provides legal support in criminal, family, and civil law. We offer advice, court assistance, and family dispute resolution by phone or at our 28 offices.
Legal Aid NSW has Australia’s largest family law practice, handling diverse and dynamic cases across all life stages. We help adults and children resolve disputes and achieve safe, workable family arrangements. Our services include legal advice, outreach, duty services, family dispute resolution, and case representation in Commonwealth family law matters (property, parenting, child support, Hague Convention), state care and protection cases (parens patriae, NCAT, education), and domestic violence matters across NSW.
About the role
As a Family Lawyer, you will play a critical role in in the provision of family law services to clients of Legal Aid NSW. Your responsibilities include:
• Provide high quality advice and assistance, and casework service to disadvantaged communities;
• Conduct an effective legal practice;
• Comply with the Legal Aid Commission Act, policies and practice management standards and undertake all related administrative and case management activities.
Five roles will be included in this recruitment. Please refer to the role descriptions below for further details:
1. Solicitor Grade I-III Domestic Violence Unit (DVU)
2. Solicitor Grade I-III Early Intervention Unit (EIU)
3. Solicitor Grade I-III Family for Aboriginal Communities (FamAC)
4. Solicitor Grade I-III Generic
5. Solicitor Grade I-III Statewide Advice Team (SWAT)* (please refer to the Generic role description for this role)
*The SWAT role delivers high-quality legal advice via phone and video, assisting with straightforward matters, grants of aid, and referrals. Team members also develop legal resources and support LawAccess NSW in providing accurate information to clients.
In the next 18 months, we may have ongoing and/or temporary roles available in offices and specialist teams across New South Wales. In the pre-screening questions, you will be asked to nominate your preferred role(s) and office location(s):
Sydney and Surrounding Areas: Central Sydney, Parramatta, Penrith, Blacktown, Bankstown, Campbelltown
Illawarra and South Coast: Wollongong, Nowra
Central Coast and Hunter Region: Gosford, Newcastle
North Coast: Port Macquarie, Lismore, Coffs Harbour
Western NSW: Broken Hill, Dubbo, Orange
Northern NSW: Tamworth
Southern NSW: Wagga Wagga, Albury
Domestic Violence Unit: various locations, including some locations listed above
Early Intervention Unit: various locations, including some locations listed above
Family Law Service for Aboriginal Communities: various locations, including some locations listed above
Statewide Advice Team: Parramatta, flexible work arrangement negotiable.
Watch the videos below to discover the real impact you can have as part of our Family Law team:
About you
You will be a motivated solicitor who is dedicated to social justice and ready to make an impact in family law. You will bring:
-
A strong commitment to supporting vulnerable clients and advocating for meaningful change
-
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the empathy needed to connect with clients facing difficult situations
-
Detail orientation, with the ability to manage a varied workload with accuracy
-
An appreciation for working with diverse communities, respecting and understanding unique backgrounds and needs
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 before you start work with us
· be willing to do a Criminal Record Check and 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)
· have a valid Driver Licence and/or the capacity to travel regularly, and to regional and remote areas
The Family Law Division have a number of roles where it is a statutory obligation for staff to hold a valid Working With Children Check. You will be required to provide your Working With Children Check details prior to commencement in any role requiring the check.
WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN LEGAL AID NSW!
We are committed to diversity and inclusion
We are committed to fostering a culturally safe and inclusive workplace where people from diverse backgrounds want to work. Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion here.
We support and accommodate diverse access needs for people with visible and invisible disabilities. For adjustments during recruitment or more information, contact us at erecruitment@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.
Benefits of working with us:
-
Interdisciplinary Teams: Work with experts across fields to provide holistic client support.
-
Skill Development: Build expertise in advocacy, child representation, trauma-informed practice, and supporting diverse clients.
-
Career Growth: Access internal progression, in-house supervision, and training in advocacy, trauma-informed lawyering, and cultural competency.
-
Work-Life Balance: Enjoy flexible arrangements to suit your needs.
-
Wellbeing Support: We prioritise your professional and personal wellbeing.
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, in PDF or word format)
· cover letter (no more than 2 pages, in PDF or word format). In your cover letter, please respond to the following two (2) target questions
1. Your ability to provide high quality and client focused legal advice and representation to vulnerable and disadvantaged clients in the areas of family law, domestic violence matters and/or care and protection
2. What are the challenges in representing clients experiencing social and/or economic disadvantage?
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 on or email: Carey Pearson on 02 49086111 or email: Carey.Pearson@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 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 date: Tuesday 11 February 2025, 11:59pm