• Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
• Preston, Melbourne VIC
• Full time
• Salary Offering: VALS LC Level 1.1 - 1.3 $97 ,992 - $102 ,319 plus 11.5% Superannuation. (increasing to 12% in July 2025)

Additional Benefits:

• 17.5% Leave Loading
• 5 extra days leave on top of 20 days annual leave
• Only required to work 35 hours per week, any extra hours worked will be calculated as your Time In Lieu (TOIL) – which you may use as additional leave hours
• Access to company vehicles for any work-related trips
• Salary packaging is available via Maxxia

Office Locations: High Street, Preston

This role is full-time fixed term until 30 June 2025 (renewal subject to ongoing funding for new financial year in July 2025)

This position may require regional and very occasional interstate travel.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE:

The Senior Criminal Lawyers are to provide high quality legal services, including duty lawyer services, representation, advice and information on criminal law matters to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Victoria. You will be operating as part of an integrated and diverse team that includes junior lawyers, senior lawyers, administration staff and client service officers.

Day to day Responsibilities

• Appear as a senior advocate in various courts including the Children’s Court Criminal Division, Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Koori Courts in order to represent clients of VALS;
• Deliver a quality legal service by conducting casework in criminal law matters, including serious indictable matters, for members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
• You will be required to travel across Victoria to deliver services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Sometimes this travel will occur outside of usual business hours and on weekends;
• Participate in the on call after hours rotating roster and provide emergency advice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria. As a priority, ensure all VALS clients are represented whilst in custody;
• This position will require you to work duty lawyer shifts on a rotating seven day (including evenings, weekends and public holidays) roster
• Supervise and mentor staff working in the area of criminal law and contribute to the organisation in professional legal education and training;
• Ability to act in Managing Lawyer or Principal Managing Lawyer position in a higher duties capacity when required.
• Participate in community legal education projects, law reform and other VALS projects as required;
• Participate in monthly case-planning meetings with the criminal law team;
• Contribute to the collaborative relationship between Victoria Legal Aid and other community organisations with whom VALS interacts;
• Keep up to date with relevant legal developments and procedures by attending professional legal education programs and maintain an understanding of issues impacting the justice system and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities;
• As directed, undertake other duties which are incidental and peripheral to the main tasks, provided that such duties are reasonably within the employee’s skills, competence and training.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA:

• Admitted or eligible for admission as a legal practitioner in Victoria.
• Unrestricted practicing certificate, or eligible to apply for an unrestricted practicing certificate.
• Demonstrated ability to act as an advocate, deliver legal advice and casework in complex criminal law matters. Desirable that candidate has a minimum of three years’ experience in criminal law.
• Substantial knowledge of and practical experience in the law and court procedures with a focus on the criminal law jurisdiction.
• Ability to supervise, mentor, train and contribute to the development of individuals and their knowledge and skills in criminal law.
• Sound interpersonal skills and the capacity to communicate effectively with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
• A commitment to and understanding of the legal issues faced by members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community in Victoria.
• The ability to work collaboratively with others and to foster a co-operative and supportive team environment.
• A knowledge of the principles and values of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service.
• Basic competency in the use of MS Office Software.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

On offer of this position, you must provide:

• Copy of your current Employee Working with Children Card.
• You will be required to complete a current Criminal History Police Check.
• Up to date vaccination certificate or valid medical exemption
• Proof of rights to work in Australia, i.e., a copy of an Australian Passport, Birth Certificate, or Immigration VISA documentation
• Current valid Victorian Driver’s Licence
• Copies of any certificates or degrees relevant to this role

We do not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. No (search) fee will be paid in the event we hire a candidate whose resume is submitted by an employment agency to any of our employees without a valid written recruitment agreement. Such resumes shall be deemed the sole property of VALS.

To learn more about us, head tovals.org.au/about-vals.

For more details about our other roles, check our careers page.

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