Senior Solicitor, Care And Protection

Job:
2024-53 Full-Time Permanent Newcastle, NSW

• Opportunity to deliver meaningful, culturally appropriate legal services to Aboriginal communities.
• Autonomous role requiring high legal acumen and handling of complex matters.
• Supervisory responsibilities, mentoring junior solicitors, and leadership development.

Primary Purpose of the Role

This position involves delivering culturally appropriate legal advice and representation to Aboriginal clients in areas such as care and protection/family law, early intervention, outreach services, community legal education, and referrals. The role requires a high level of professionalism, legal expertise, attention to detail, and the ability to work autonomously while consulting senior colleagues on complex matters. The position holder will supervise and mentor junior solicitors, serving as both an advocate and a supervisor simultaneously. It is an important role within the organization, guided by relevant legislation, professional obligations, and the organization's policies, practices, and guidelines.

Why Join the ALS Team?

At the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) you can make an impact. You will join a strong movement fighting for social justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities.

Our focus is our people:
the people we support and the people we employ. We offer a career you can be proud of and a place where you feel safe to be yourself. We invest in our people and appreciate the rich diversity of lived experiences, languages, and culture.

Born out of a protest movement over 50 years ago, the ALS is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation delivering high-quality, culturally safe legal and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW and the ACT. It's an exciting time to be joining us. We recently received additional funding to deliver a range of new programs aimed at addressing systemic issues and driving structural reforms. This is creating significant opportunities for the ALS, our staff and communities.

As well as the satisfaction of working in a job that really matters, we offer our staff benefits including:

• Not-for-profit salary packaging to reduce your tax liability and maximise take-home pay
• Annual leave loading of 17.5%
• Career and professional development opportunities
• Access to personal counselling for you and your family
• Additional paid leave of up to 6 days per year, paid parental and study leave
• Flexible work options - talk to us about how we can make this role work for you

About the Role

The Senior Solicitor is part of the Care and Protection Team. The Care &
Protection Team focuseson child welfare cases such as child protection, foster care, adoption, custody disputes, juvenile justice, and early intervention services. It also provides outreach, education, and referrals related to child and family legal matters.

The Senior Solicitor will be responsible for:

• Provide high-quality, culturally appropriate legal advice and representation to Aboriginal clients across various legal matters.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and specialized advice to the legal team, assist with management duties, and contribute to legal reform efforts.
• Ensuring all duties and activities are carried out in an ethical manner, complying with ALS policies, procedures and any other applicable guidelines or legislation
• Represent clients in complex legal matters, maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant laws, and effectively communicate with and advocate for Aboriginal clients.
• Manage caseloads, maintain files, utilize systems and technology effectively, and ensure good time management and coordination.
• Collaborate with team members, liaise with external stakeholders, develop and maintain productive relationships, and ensure ethical and lawful conduct in line with ALS policies and procedures.
• Travelling to regional and interstate locations for work purposes (An inherent requirement of the job is the ability to independently travel to regional locations by car for work purposes, therefore a current driver's license is required. The ALS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider reasonable adjustments where an employee cannot meet this requirement due to personal circumstances)

About You

We're looking for someone who brings:

• Cultural awareness and respect for Aboriginal communities, combined with appropriate legal qualifications and practicing certificate.
• Substantial experience (minimum 4 years) in representing clients in Care &
  Protection legal matters, with in-depth knowledge of relevant laws and procedures.
• Strong commitment to social justice principles, excellent communication skills (written and oral), time management, legal research, and problem-solving abilities.
• Capacity to mentor and supervise solicitors, work autonomously and in a team environment, manage demanding workloads, and provide high-quality legal representation.
• Well-developed interpersonal, influencing, and communication skills, with the ability and willingness to travel for work purposes.

Pre-Employment Requirements

ALS is committed to implementing safe recruitment practices. Your application may be subject to pre-employment checks such as reference checks, Working with Children (NSW) or Working with Vulnerable People (ACT) check, Right to work in Australia, COVID-19 vaccinations and National Police History check.

• Please send an up-to-date CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role to (Subject Title:
  Ref 2024-53 Senior Solicitor)
• When sending your application, please ensure you include the reference number 2024-53 in subject title
• If you have any enquiries or would like to discuss the role, please contact our recruitment team

I identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

I consent to receiving occasional updates from the ALS

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we live, work and travel. We pay our respects to Elders both past and present and acknowledge the contribution and sacrifices our Elders have made to better our community and future. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this site contains names and images of people who have passed away.