Solicitor - Legal Officer Grade Iv - Criminal Law Division - State-Wide- Ongoing

Solicitor - Legal Officer Grade IV - Criminal Law Division - State-Wide - Ongoing & Temporary Full-Time

About us

Legal Aid NSW helps people experiencing disadvantage with their legal problems. We can help people with criminal, family and civil law issues. We give legal advice, represent people at courts and tribunals and provide family dispute resolution. Assistance is available over the telephone or at one of our 27 offices.

About the Role

Provide legal advice and representation to clients of Legal Aid NSW, including minor assistance and casework service, in accordance with Legal Aid NSW policies and guidelines in order to contribute to the implementation of Legal Aid NSW’s mission to deliver high quality legal services to our clients and to assist them to resolve their legal problems.

About you

The right person for this role will be an experienced Criminal Law solicitor who can maintain a busy practice whilst simultaneously supervising and leading other solicitors.

The successful applicants will be committed to delivering excellent service for clients and have a demonstrated knowledge of Criminal law. An enthusiasm for mentoring/developing staff is essential, together with an interest in therapeutic jurisprudence.

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 a reasonable 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 ************@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
• be willing to do a working with Children Check
• hold a valid Driving Licence
• 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 www.iworkfor.nsw.gov.au. Any late application or application by email will NOT be accepted.
• Applicants should read the Role Description and consider the Focus Capabilities and Key Accountabilities when preparing their resume and cover letter.
• This recruitment will be used to fill any current vacancies and may be used to create a Talent Pool for similar future temporary or ongoing vacancies that may arise over the next 18 months.

Applicants are requested to attach:

• current resume / curriculum vitae (CV) (maximum 5 pages)
• cover letter (maximum 2 pages) responding to the following two targeted questions:

1. Identify the perceived challenges of conducting your own busy Criminal Law practice while supervising a Criminal Law team.  What steps will you take to overcome these challenges?
2. Describe how you will develop the skills of a junior staff member in your team.  

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

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: Rebecca Simpson on (02) 9066 6*** or ***************@legalaid.nsw.gov.au