• Location: Gadi/Sydney or East Coast location preferred
• Term: Fix-term until April 2026 (with possible extension)
• Full-time: 37.5 hours (Part time (0.8 FTE might be considered)
• Remuneration: SCHADS Level 3: FTE $81,000 + 11.5% super + 17.5% Annual Leave Loading
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are particularly encouraged to apply

Job title: Paralegal – National Intake Service, Early Legal Intervention Program (ELI)

Reporting to: National Intake Coordinator

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are particularly encouraged to apply

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.

The opportunity

EDO has a unique opportunity for a paralegal position supporting our legal teams nationally as part of our National Intake Service. Ideally suited to a law student in their final year or two of study, this position is a fantastic stepping stone to legal practice in environment and planning law.

The position will support our National Intake Service and legal teams to provide advice, information and referral services to members of the public right across Australia.

National intake is a critical function within the EDO and provides exposure to a diverse range of environment and planning law issues. The position will support the administration and provision of legal services to the community in response to inquiries, including data entry, taking and receiving phone calls from the public, responding to emails, and legal research tasks under the supervision of the National Intake Coordinator. The position may also include drafting of fact sheets and legal information, coordination of volunteers to support the National Intake Service and coordination of service delivery across the EDOs legal practices.

Candidate Profile

The Paralegal is responsible for supporting the National Intake Coordinator and Solicitors in delivering the work of EDO’s National Intake Service.

The Paralegal will support the National Intake Service to provide information, referrals and advice and will be responsible for the administration of the service including data entry, conflict checking and research tasks. The National Intake Service is managed by the National Intake Coordinator and is part of the Early Legal Intervention Program (ELI) which is overseen by the Managing Lawyer of ELI. The Paralegal reports directly to the National Intake Coordinator.

Key selection criteria

It is expected that you will work closely with, and support, the National Intake Coordinator in the carrying out of day-to-day duties of the position.

Essential requirements

• Have completed at least 3 years and be in the final two years of completion of an Australian law degree, or be a new graduate of a law degree

Desirable requirements

• Experience in environment and planning law, administrative law or related disciplines
• Have completed or are undertaking studies in environment and planning law and administrative law
• Experience in use of databases and file management
• Experience in customer service, in a community legal centre environment or similar (including as a volunteer)
• Experience working with diverse people and communities from a wide variety of backgrounds, including First Nations people and clients who speak English as a second or more language.

Core skills

• Ability to self-direct work; self-motivation and initiative
• Legal research and drafting skills
• Demonstrated organisational skills
• Demonstrated customer service skills, experience working with clients in a legal practice setting will be an advantage
• A collaborative and communicative approach, in a nationally distributed and online workplace

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, please see attached below or visit 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: Paralegal - National Intake Service enquiry via EthicalJobs.

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] using the subject line: Paralegal - National Intake Service enquiry via EthicalJobs.

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.