ROLE SUMMARY

The Health Justice Partnership (HJP) Solicitor will be key to ACDL’s Health Justice Partnership project with SWSLHD’s Community Mental Health Service (Health Partner). This is an exciting project for ACDL which will run until at least June 2025. Your role will be focused on providing legal advice and assistance to patients of the community mental health service, in the South-Western Sydney area. This role will be best suited to a lawyer who has strong generalist legal skills in a number of civil law areas, such as fines/consumer law, family law and domestic violence, guardianship, employment law, tenancy law, disability discrimination law. Experience in criminal law or understanding of criminal processes also advantageous.

Your work will involve working closely with medical and allied health staff at Liverpool Hospital, Bankstown Community Health Centre or other location as determined between ACDL and our Health Partner throughout SWSLHD, providing legal advice and assistance (where appropriate) ongoing legal representation, developing and running training / legal education for health staff in relation to legal issues, and working closely with other legal service providers with respect to referrals of clients.  

A position description is appended below.

ACDL OVERVIEW

ACDL is a specialist legal centre based in Sydney, which operates a disability discrimination law practice across NSW, and a disability and human rights law practice across Australia. It was established in 1994 to assist people with disability and their associates to learn about and pursue their rights under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth). 

ACDL is governed by a community-led Management Committee and is staffed by an Executive Officer/Principal Solicitor, 4 solicitors and volunteers. 

ESSENTIAL SELECTION CRITERIA

Applicants are required to respond to the following essential selection criteria:

1. Hold or eligible to hold a practising certificate in NSW and at least three (3) years’ post admission experience. 
2. Demonstrated understanding and experience in at least two areas of law affecting people with mental health conditions, such as fines/consumer law, family law and domestic violence, criminal law, guardianship, employment law, tenancy law, disability discrimination law.  
3. Demonstrated understanding and commitment to social justice, as well as the ability to identify legal and non-legal issues facing people with mental health conditions. 
4. Capacity to undertake independent legal research in relation to new and varied legal problems, and the ability to upskill and problem solve to achieve legal outcomes. 
5. Willingness and ability to travel to Liverpool Hospital, Bankstown Community Health Centre or other location as determined by ACDL and our Health Partner in SWSLHD on a two-day per week basis. 
6. Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with people from diverse backgrounds. 
7. Demonstrated ability to work autonomously with minimal supervision, manage program priorities, undertake own administration, maintain data entry, engage in ongoing evaluation activities, prepare reports and assist in the general day to day administration of the HJP. 
8. Work professionally and collaboratively with team members and Health Partner stakeholders to provide legal and non-legal support to people with mental health conditions and their associates. 
9. Ability to work with consumers of our Health Partner, some of whom have persistent and serious mental health issues, in a patient and empathetic manner. Understanding of the principles of recovery orientated care and trauma-informed care is important in this context.  

DESIRABLE

1. Project management experience. 
2. Civil litigation and ADR experience, including representation at mediation or conciliation. 
3. Insight / familiarity with mental health services. 
4. A current drivers licence.

Pre-Employment Checks

• Criminal record check
• Working with Children Check

People with disability and their associates, people from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait background or culturally and linguistically diverse background are encouraged to apply.

Please phone Kimia Randall on 0484 077 008 for enquiries. 

Suitable candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis upon receipt of applications, so please apply at your earliest opportunity.