Senior Solicitor Crime - Domestic Violence Unit
Sydney, NSW, AU, 2000
Senior Solicitor (Crime) – Domestic Violence Unit
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Ongoing Full-time Legal Officer Grade V
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Competitive Salary from $149,906- $152,845 plus super and annual leave loading
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Location – Central Sydney Office (Haymarket), flexible work location negotiable
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Be part of the DVU team that has been recognised as a 2024 finalist in the NSW Premier’s Award
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.
Legal Aid NSW’s Family Law practice is Australia’s largest family law practice with diverse and dynamic work. Our practice deals with the law as it impacts on families and relationships through the various life stages, helping adults and children resolve their family disputes and to achieve safe and workable arrangements for families.
About the Domestic Violence Unit:
The Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) was established in 2015 and is a specialist family and domestic violence service at Legal Aid NSW. The DVU is a state-wide interdisciplinary team of lawyers, case workers, mental health workers and financial counsellors who work together to provide trauma informed services to clients by helping them with their legal and non-legal needs. The DVU provides advice, duty services, minor assistance, limited complex case work and community legal education in a range of locations.
Last year, we supported nearly 8,000 clients. The DVU's excellence was recently recognised with a finalist nomination for the 2024 NSW Premier’s Award.
Watch the video to discover the real impact you can have as part of the DVU team!
About the role:
This is a senior leadership and management role in the DVU. The DVU is an interdisciplinary team that specialises in the provision of family law, care and protection law, Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders and other services to people who have experienced family and domestic violence.
This role has a focus on leading and mentoring the work our duty lawyers in the safe room at Local Courts on Apprehended Domestic Violence Order list days and enhancing criminal law expertise within the team. This involves directly providing legal services to clients of Legal Aid NSW, including in more complex matters. Expertise in the intersection of family law and criminal law highly desirable. This role is more suitable for a Criminal Law lawyer who is looking to expand their practice with family law experience.
About you:
You will possess a high level of leadership and employee management skills, be able to operate collaboratively and with autonomy to meet service needs. You will have strong communication skills to provide high quality support and expert advice, minor assistance and representation services to clients who have complex needs.
You will have the passion to be willing to work with stakeholders and communities, and deliver targeted outreach services, designed to promote access and equity. You will have the ability to manage a large workflow and experience in meeting deadlines.
We may use this recruitment to create a talent pool for similar ongoing or temporary vacancies we have over the next 18 months.
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)
· have 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 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 would 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:
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Work in interdisciplinary teams
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Hone your leadership skills
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Flexibility and work-life balance
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Professional development and wellbeing support
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.
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), addressing the below key points:
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The Domestic Violence Unit provides high-quality legal services to people experiencing domestic violence and other vulnerabilities. Outline your experience in leading and mentoring solicitors to provide advice and casework services to people who have, or may still be, experiencing domestic violence.
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The Domestic Violence unit is a specialist service providing legal and non-legal services to clients in an interdisciplinary framework. Please identify the challenges and strengths of working in an interdisciplinary team and how you address the challenges and leverage the strengths.
Make sure your application is complete and you have answered all questions before you submit it.
Recruitment timeline:
The panel will begin reviewing applications in mid-May 2025.
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 Solicitor In Charge Domestic Violence Unit - Pia Birac on pia.birac@legalaid.nsw.gov.au or 9219 5874
· 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 roles.
· 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.
Application close date: Wednesday 14 May 2025, 11:59pm
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Counseling, Healthcare