• Location: Anywhere within Australia or the Torres Strait Islands
• Term: ongoing
• Job Type: Full-time (Part-time (0.8 FTE) might be considered)
• Remuneration: SCHADS Level 4 to SCHADS Level 5: $88,300 - $100,175 + 11.5% super + 17.5% Annual Leave Loading
• Mandatory Requirements: This is an Identified Position – it is an occupation requirement that this position be filled by an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person.
• Travel will be required to fulfil this role.

Job title: Outreach Solicitor, Country and Cultural Heritage Practice

Reporting to: Deputy Director, Country and Cultural Heritage Practice

Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is the largest environmental legal centre in the Australia Pacific, dedicated to protecting our climate, communities and shared environment by providing access to justice, running ground-breaking litigation and leading law reform advocacy.

As the region’s legal experts in our field, we aim to be a brave, unified, and focused team, committed to inclusion and excellence in all that we do. We strive to be a diverse and inclusive workplace supporting a highly skilled, engaged, and effective team, where everyone can feel that they belong.

Since time immemorial, First Nations and Indigenous peoples have been taking care of their Countries in Australia and the Pasifik. These deep understandings, knowledges and experiences are critical to maintaining the health and vitality of Australia and the Pasifik’s unique wildlife and ecosystems. EDO respects these great knowledges, and strongly believes that EDO cannot achieve a world where nature thrives without working alongside First Nations and Indigenous peoples.

EDO is constantly building itself to be as safe as it can for First Nations peoples and aims to become an employer of choice for First Nations peoples. EDO has established Indigenous leadership at the Executive level, which is guiding EDO to better work alongside First Nations peoples to protect their Countries and waters in Australia and the Torres Strait Islands, and centre understanding of and respect for First Nations perspectives in our work. EDO has also built the governance and policy infrastructure within EDO to sustain, whilst continuously improving, culturally safe work practices for all team members, but specifically First Nations team members. This structure includes a First Nations Strategic Advisory Committee, made up of six First Nations community members from across Australia and the Torres Strait Islands who provide strategic guidance to EDO.

EDO understands that First Nations professionals can bring both their professional skills, as well as their lived experiences as First Nations peoples to their work, which can provide better services to First Nations clients. EDO is very excited to reach the maturity to continue to safely offer identified positions within EDO, to align with EDO’s strategic plan and to better reflect a large portion of EDO’s client base.

The opportunity:

This is a unique opportunity for a passionate and experienced First Nations Outreach Solicitor to join the EDO’s First Nations program to build and maintain reciprocal relationships with First Nations communities and their representative organisations seeking to protect their cultural heritage.

We are looking for a talented lawyer with demonstrated legal education and environmental law or outreach experience. You will practise culturally safe legal engagement, education and legal reform on cultural heritage issues facing First Nations peoples.

You will have the opportunity to build relationships and learn from a broad range of community members, as well as solicitors and other professionals across the EDO who work on a range of issues in pursuit of environmental justice – climate change, pollution, mining, gas, cultural heritage, biodiversity and human rights.

Travel for outreach purposes, including to remote locations, will be necessary.

Candidate Profile:

You are a First Nations lawyer with legal outreach, environmental law, cultural heritage law or legal education experience looking for an opportunity to use your professional skillset and lived experiences to work with the largest public interest environmental law centre in the region.

You will have a valid practising certificate, or the ability to obtain one, and PAE working as a lawyer with demonstrated First Nations community engagement and environmental law experience. This position represents an opportunity to deliver legal information and legal education about cultural heritage laws in a culturally safe manner on Country within First Nations communities.

You want to work at the intersect of climate justice, human rights, the rights of First Nations and the environment and want an opportunity to make an impact for peoples and nature. If you would thrive in a position where you have the ability to think creatively about delivering legal information in a legally pluralistic country, enjoy working with First Nations communities, and prioritise culturally safe practices – you are strongly encouraged to apply.

Key selection criteria:

Essential requirements

• A practicing certificate or entitlement to one
• A minimum of 2 years PAE desired
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: legal outreach, legal education, administrative law, environmental law and/or cultural heritage law.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to make sound judgements and decisions based on consideration of different views
• Demonstrated ability to work productively and to deadlines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills suited to a range of audiences

Substantive experience

• Understanding of cultural heritage legislation and issues in multiple states, territories and at the Commonwealth level.
• Experience in creating legal education materials for First Nations and/or bi-lingual communities.
• Understanding of mechanisms First Nations communities can apply at the international level, including the United Nations.
• Capacity to undertake law reform or policy.
• Demonstrated experience working with First Nations people or diverse communities and individuals highly desirable

Core skills

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to confidently exercise sound judgement and make decisions in high-pressure scenarios, based on consideration of different views
• Demonstrated ability to work productively autonomously, within a collaborative team environment, and to deadlines
• Excellent oral and written communication skills suited to a range of audiences
• Good file management and delegation skills

Personal qualities and cultural competency

• A champion of the EDO values
• Strong initiative and self-motivation
• Commitment to the protection of the environment and related human rights
• A strong sense of ethics and understanding of professional obligations
• Demonstrated awareness of, and sensitivity to, the needs and concerns of First Nations peoples and peoples from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations in both the delivery of our work and our internal culture
• Thrive in a collaborative team-based environment

Our Culture and Benefits:   

• We care deeply about creating a workplace where our team members feel valued, respected, and empowered. We are committed to providing equal opportunity regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or life stage. 
• The chance to be part of the largest environmental legal practice in the Australia-Pacific 
• A very flexible and family-friendly workplace 
• Flexibility to work from home
• 8 weeks paid parental leave, regardless of gender or carer status
• 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave per year
• 3 days paid cultural leave per year
• Extra leave over the Christmas period
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Ongoing professional development opportunities 
• EDO proudly has a JEDI (Justice, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion) Committee and a Mental Health Ambassador Committee, and a First Nations Program developed with the aid of indigenous-led consultancies.
• Three Affinity groups for the following: Disability, Global Majority* and LGBTQIA+

*Global Majority is a collective term that first and foremost speaks to and encourages those so-called, to think of themselves as belonging to the majority on planet earth. It refers to people who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or, have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’.

Our Values

Commitment – We are committed to a united organisation, to each other, to collaboration, to justice, to our communities and to creating a world where nature thrives.

Diversity – We are respectful of, and welcome, diversity of staff, volunteers, offices, environmental regions, communities, stakeholders.

Integrity – We work effectively, efficiently, strategically, professionally, and ethically; “justice is in our nature”.

Vision – We lead change and environmental empowerment using innovation, creativity, and courage.

How to Apply

• Click 'Apply now' below
• To review the position description see attached below, or please click this link here. 

If you have queries in regard to this advert, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] using the subject line: Outreach Solicitor - Country & Cultural Heritage Practice (First Nations Program) - Flexible Location enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Closing Date: Applications will be assessed as they are received, and competitive candidates will be contacted. Interviews to be held in the week of 20 January 2025.

Applications must include a CV and a letter that clearly addresses each of the selection criteria above.

The Key Selection Criteria show the minimum essential requirements of the position. The desirable criteria outline additional attributes which would enable the successful candidate to perform the role more effectively; they are not essential but may be used to distinguish between applicants during the shortlisting process.

Please note: Your application may be considered for future roles at the EDO within the next 12 months without additional advertising. Please notify us in your application if you would not like to be considered for similar roles beyond this recruitment.

If you have any accessibility needs for the recruitment or interviewing process, please let us know in your application or by emailing [email protected]. 

Vaccination Requirements

EDO is not issuing a vaccination mandate. EDO staff have the option to share vaccination details within the EDO HRIS system, EDO will maintain this record of vaccination status of EDO employees, however if staff do not wish to disclose this information, it will not be enforced.

Working with clients face-to-face:

• EDO works with diverse peoples and groups across the Australian and Pacific communities, including people who are considered a high-risk group in terms of COVID-19.
• In order to ensure the safety of all EDO employees and the people we work with and around, staff visiting overburdened communities are required to take a COVID-19 test three (3) days prior and on the day of travel to the overburdened community.

Other Information

All offers of employment may be subject to satisfactory background checks including a National Police Check, disclosure of previous or current disciplinary action, referee checks, proof of eligibility to work in Australia and qualification checks.