Senior Solicitor - Legal Officer Grade V

Senior Solicitor Grade V
 

Ongoing and Talent Pool – Inner City Local Court only

• Ongoing –Full-Time 35 hours per week
• Talent Pool – Inner City Local Court
• Legal Officer Grade V (between $ 149,906 - $ 152,845 plus super & annual leave loading)
• Location – Sydney City
   

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.

About Inner City Local Courts (ICLC) 

ICLC is based at the Central Sydney office of Legal Aid NSW at 323 Castlereagh St Sydney. ICLC manages Legal Aid NSW’s work at the Downing Centre Local Court complex and at Waverley, Newtown and Manly Local Courts (except for EAGP work). ICLC also looks after the Sydney District Court appeals practice and Legal Aid NSW’s state-wide Supreme Court Bails practice. The ICLC Grade V senior solicitors rotate through these practices managing Legal Aid’s work and their teams of solicitors at each location/jurisdiction. 

About you 

You will be a highly experienced criminal lawyer and manager with a commitment to delivering high quality, culturally appropriate legal services to legally aided clients. You will have had experience in leading and mentoring teams of lawyers and non legal staff.

You will be a compassionate and principled person who can lead by example in growing cultural safety practices in the office for both staff and clients. You will be passionate about advocating for your clients.

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

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 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)

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)
• cover letter (no more than 2 pages). In your cover letter, please respond to the following targeted questions:

1. Outline your motivation for applying for this role and indicate how this aligns with the primary purpose of the role.
2. What are the biggest challenges faced by managers of criminal law teams? How will you use your strengths, skills and experience to enable you to address those challenges?

Make sure your application is complete and you have answered all questions before you submit it.

Applications Close: 9 February 2025 at 11:59PM

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 – Paul Johnson on 02 92195774 or email: paulalex.johnson@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