Job: 2024-53 | Full-Time | Permanent | Newcastle, NSW

Primary Purpose of the Role

This position involves:

• Delivering culturally appropriate legal advice and representation to Aboriginal clients in areas such as care and protection/family law, early intervention, outreach services, community legal education, and referrals.
• The role requires a high level of professionalism, legal expertise, attention to detail, and the ability to work autonomously while consulting senior colleagues on complex matters.

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 Senior Care & Protection Solicitor is part of the Care and Protection / Family Law Practice based in our Newcastle office.

The Senior Solicitor will be responsible for:

• Provide high-quality, culturally appropriate legal advice and representation to Aboriginal clients across various legal matters in the area of Care and Protection.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and specialised advice to the legal team.
• Represent clients in complex legal matters and effectively communicate with and advocate for Aboriginal clients.
• Manage caseloads, maintain files, utilise systems and technology effectively, and ensure good time management and coordination.

About You

We’re looking for someone who brings:

• Have a current NSW practising certificate or eligible to apply for a NSW practising certificate.
• Extensive experience in representing clients in Care & Protection with in-depth knowledge of relevant laws and procedures.
• Experience in representation of children or eligibility to act for children in Care and Protection matters.
• Capacity to mentor and supervise solicitors, work autonomously and in a team environment, manage demanding workloads, and provide high-quality legal representation
• The ability and willingness to travel for work purposes (including valid drivers license)
• Cultural awareness and respect for Aboriginal communities.

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.

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] using the subject line: Senior Solicitor, Care & Protection / Family Law Practice enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.