Senior Lawyer - Local Aboriginal Land Council Service

Do you yearn to contribute to social change?

Can you see yourself thriving in a role working closely with staff and boards of Local Aboriginal Land Councils across NSW?

Do you have a background in commercial law and, preferably, experience providing legal services to Aboriginal people and/or organisations?

Join one of Australia’s most successful public interest & social justice organisations as a Senior Lawyer in our Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) Service. This role is responsible for delivering tailored legal services (advice, referrals, training and resources) to 120 LALCs across NSW.

The Senior Lawyer also plays a critical role in managing complex stakeholder relations and liaising with the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC). This is a unique, flagship role that would suit a confident, culturally sensitive and self-starting lawyer with strong relationship-building and project management skills.

Our ideal candidate

You'll bring to the team experience in the following areas:

• Commercial law (such as contracts, employment, property, governance, etc) and/or charity law experience.
• Experience in providing services to Aboriginal people and/or organisations (preferably in a legal environment) and/or relevant experience demonstrating an ability to acquire and apply those skills quickly in the role.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including in particular Aboriginal people, in a professional and respectful manner.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to stay focussed under pressure and to appropriately prioritise competing demands.
• Drive, focus, good judgment and a sense of humour.

Expertise that you may have that would support our team:

• 5 + years unsupervised practice as a lawyer (or equivalent experience in a legal role).
• Experience practising in general commercial law (such as contracts, employment, property, governance, etc) and/or charity law.
• Understanding of the cultural and legal context in which LALCs operate (desirable).

Candidates will need to demonstrate commitment to Justice Connect's vision, strategy and values.

What you will achieve in the role

In this role, you’ll work to:

• Autonomously provide legal services to LALCs including:
  • triaging enquiries from LALCs (including assessment of matters eligible for pro bono assistance)
  • providing legal advice and information to LALCs
  • facilitating referrals to Justice Connect member firms and barristers
  • monitoring referrals and supporting member firms and barristers to assist LALCs.
• Developing and delivering legal training for LALCs (face-to-face and by webinar), including face-to-face in regional areas.
• Contributing to the creation and improvement of online information and self-help tools to build the legal capacity of LALCs.
• Developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with the NSWALC, the LALC network and a range of other key stakeholders including Justice Connect member firms, current and potential funders and policy makers.
• Working with the Principal Lawyer to ensure compliance with high professional standards of service delivery including professional indemnity insurance and community legal centre accreditation obligations.

A week in this role

If you were here last week, you would have:

• Connected with LALCs by phone and email to deliver legal support through the provision of information, advice, pro bono referrals and referrals to other services.
• Liaised with staff across different teams and business units at the NSWALC to receive referrals to assist LALCs.
• Travelled to regional, rural and remote parts of NSW (COVID-permitting) to deliver plain language training to LALC boards and staff on governance, employment, and understanding contracts.
• Worked with NSWALC legal and policy staff to address systemic legal issues impacting the LALC network through legal advice, training, information and referrals.
• Reviewed and analysed trends in enquiry data, areas of law and service delivered to draw conclusions about ways in which improvements could be made to services to support LALCs.

Important role information

Employment is full time (37.5 hours per week) fixed term until 30 June 2023. Part-time will be considered for the right candidate.

The salary for this role is $100,919.65 per annum (pro-rate, plus 10.5% superannuation) with annual leave loading and generous salary packaging options.

This role will be based at our Sydney office on level 5, 175 Liverpool Street, Sydney NSW 2000 with hybrid working arrangements. Interstate locations may be considered for the right candidate.

Our Team

In the face of rising levels of unmet legal need, Justice Connect designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.

Justice Connect’s Not-for-profit Law program is Australia’s only dedicated community legal service for not-for-profits and charities. Our acclaimed self-help website (here) has over 300 legal resources and is the foundation of our service model. We offer legal advice and educational services to organisations across Australia and advocate for improved standards and legal frameworks for the not-for-profit sector.

We also run a certified legal training social enterprise and deliver a dedicated service for Local Aboriginal Land Councils in NSW.

How to Apply

Please upload your resume and a cover letter which outlines your skills and experience that will help you achieve success in this role.

For further information contact Savi Manii, Manager Not-for-profit Law on (02) 9160 7173.