Job: 2024-161 | Full-Time | Permanent | Bathurst, NSW

Primary Purpose of the Role

The primary objective of the position is to deliver culturally appropriate legal advice, and representation to clients in accordance with the ALS policies, procedures and guidelines in criminal matters, including early intervention and outreach services, community legal education and referrals.

Why Join the ALS Team?

At the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) you can make an impact. You will join a strong movement fighting for social justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and communities.

Our focus is our people: the people we support and the people we employ. We offer a career you can be proud of and a place where you feel safe to be yourself. We invest in our people and appreciate the rich diversity of lived experiences, languages, and culture.
Born out of a protest movement over 50 years ago, the ALS is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation delivering high-quality, culturally safe legal and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW and the ACT. It’s an exciting time to be joining us. We recently received additional funding to deliver a range of new programs aimed at addressing systemic issues and driving structural reforms. This is creating significant opportunities for the ALS, our staff and communities.

As well as the satisfaction of working in a job that really matters, we offer our staff benefits including:

• Not-for-profit salary packaging to reduce your tax liability and maximise take-home pay
• Annual leave loading of 17.5%
• Career and professional development opportunities
• Access to personal counselling for you and your family
• Additional paid leave of up to 6 days per year, paid parental and study leave
• Flexible work options – talk to us about how we can make this role work for you

About the Role

The Intermediate Solicitor is part of the Criminal Law Practice based in Bathurst, NSW.

The Intermediate Solicitor will be responsible for:

• Working closely with the Managing Lawyer, to oversee the day to day management of the office, including staff super vision, diary management, rostering, and the allocation of criminal law matters to solicitors within the practice.
• Supervise and mentor more junior solicitors undertaking criminal law work, and assist them in the development of their advocacy skills.
• Prepare and run complex Local Court (‘LC’) and Children’s Court (‘CC’) hearings and sentence matters and assist with the management of the LC/CC Practice.
• Liaise with the Cluster Manager/Managing Solicitor and Deputy Principal Solicitor on any complex committal matters and seek approval to retain Counsel pre-committal if required.
• Assist with the development of submissions on law reform and represent the ALS at meetings, working groups, conferences and seminars as directed.

About You

We’re looking for someone who brings:

• Legal qualifications and a NSW Practising Certificate with a minimum of 2 years’ experience in Criminal Law.
• In-depth knowledge of criminal law, including practice and procedure
• Proven capacity to provide a strong advocacy role in leading the District Court and Committal Practices, along with the LC/CC practice.
• Ability to perform management, supervisory and mentoring tasks in relation to a multidisciplinary team of staff.
• Capacity to provide high quality legal representation and advice to Aboriginal people, and manage complaints by clients and/or family members.
• Willingness to drive or fly distances within the region and stay overnight or longer to undertake court work or training.

Pre-Employment Requirements

ALS is committed to implementing safe recruitment practices. Your application may be subject to pre-employment checks such as reference checks, Working with Children (NSW) or Working with Vulnerable People (ACT) check, Right to work in Australia, COVID-19 vaccinations and National Police History check.

How to Apply

Please click apply now. Before you begin, make sure you have an up-to-date CV and cover letter outlining your suitability for the role.

If you have questions about this role, please email [email protected] using the subject line: Intermediate Solicitor, Criminal Law Practice enquiry via EthicalJobs.

At ALS NSW/ACT, we are committed to providing equal opportunities to all candidates. If you identify as a person with a disability and need any adjustments or support with your application including throughout the recruitment process, please let us know by reaching out to our Recruitment Team at [email protected].