Senior Lawyer

Make a difference providing high quality legal and education services to communities before and after disaster events.

• Full time maximum term position up to 17 months
• Salary based on experience, range: $97,922 - $122,400 plus super
• Up to $15,900 in salary packaging and hybrid WFH & office model

About the role:
In this new role you will support DLHV's (Disaster Legal Help Victoria) work through cross sector collaboration, outreach, stakeholder partnerships, and community engagement. You will build and maintain relationships with legal assistance stakeholders to improve service delivery and provide legal advice to impacted community members and support other lawyers in civil/disaster law service delivery. Additionally, you will lead community legal education projects and advocate for systemic changes to improve access to justice for at-risk and disaster impacted communities. Finally, you will stay informed on access to justice issues and civil/disaster law.

About you:
As our ideal candidate, you will possess:

• Substantial knowledge or practical experience in civil or disaster related law and relevant court procedures.
• Knowledge and experience, or the ability to quickly acquire knowledge, of the disaster legal services area and policy issues, including the relevant legal and policy frameworks.
• Ability to provide strategic advice on legal and policy issues and demonstrate an understanding of the role of external organisations, private practitioners, community and welfare groups in the delivery of legal assistance services.
• Demonstrated ability to positively engage with key partner agencies and/or their workers, to appropriately manage referrals to and from those agencies and to promote the service within community settings.

Don't meet every requirement? At VLA, we understand that your work and life experiences can be just as valuable. If you're excited about this role but your CV doesn't align perfectly with our job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or one of our many other opportunities.

About Disaster Legal Help Victoria:
DLHV is a cross sector state-wide partnership between the Federation of Community Legal Centres, Justice Connect, the Law Institute of Victoria, Victoria Legal Aid, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, and the Victorian Bar. Our role is to lead and coordinate legal responses to communities impacted by disaster and contribute to the building of community resilience through legal education and legal sector upskilling before disaster events.

About Victoria Legal Aid:
We provide legal representation to those who need it most. With over 1000 staff employed in 15 offices across Victoria, we help people with their legal problems by providing information, advice and education with a focus on the prevention and early resolution of legal problems.

Our clients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds and foster a work culture that's inclusive as well as diverse. Your unique ideas and perspectives are valued so that we best represent the people we serve.

Employee benefits:

• Focus on work-life balance including flexible working arrangements
• Hybrid work from home & office model
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Excellent salary packaging options including General Expenses up to $15,900, Meals & Entertainment up to $2,650 and Novated Leasing
• Opportunity to join Myki Commuter Club (and salary package the cost)
• Supportive team environment in modern offices (including free gym and end-of-trip facilities at our CBD office)

How to apply:
To be considered for this role, please submit a current resume and completed candidate application form (listed within the file attachments).

If you require adjustment to the recruitment and selection process or need an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team.

For further information review the attached position description or contact Sharon Keith, Program Manager on 0434-999-715.

No agency applications will be accepted.

Applications close by 11.59pm on Wednesday 31 January 2024

Other relevant information:
It is a requirement that staff attend for office-based days at their primary work location. In line with this requirement, interstate applications will be considered only where the candidate is able and willing to relocate to Victoria, unless part of a border community.

VLA is committed to putting the safety and wellbeing of children first.