Job description 

This role is offered on a part-time or full-time basis, between 20-35 hours per week for 12 months, with the possibility of extension.

The role may be filled by one or more lawyers, and may include elements of project work, community legal education and training. See further ‘About the role’ below.

Location

This position is based in our Kurilpa (South Brisbane) office to support our Magandjin-based team and our work across Greater Brisbane and the South-East Queensland region. We are open to applicants from regional Queensland subject and welcome discussions of travel, logistical and supervision arrangements.

Remuneration and Benefits

• Level 5-7 Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award, depending on experience.
• Annual Salary $97,000-$120,000 (pro rata) per annum excluding super and salary packaging options
• Staff are eligible to salary sacrifice a portion of their base salary (up to $15,900 per annum) 
• Four weeks of annual leave per year plus leave loading, as well as additional paid leave during the Christmas closure 
• We offer flexible working arrangements with the ability to work from home on agreed days, balancing the needs of staff and the organisation 
• Access to internal and external supervision and mentorship, including choice of mentors to meet individuals’ specific cultural needs.
• For staff located outside of South-East Queensland: paid travel to Magandjin (Brisbane) for training, team-building, stakeholder networking and professional development

An opportunity to work for a unique and vital service

The LGBTI Legal Service is a statewide specialist community legal service established by and for the LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy community in Queensland.

Recognising the significant gaps in culturally safe and inclusive services for LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy people, we use a ‘no wrong door’ approach to supporting community members seeking help. We aim to break down barriers to accessing legal and other support services, brokering solutions and referral pathways for LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy people in Queensland (and around Australia) no matter what problems they present with.

We provide information, referrals, advice and (limited) representation across a wide range of legal problems, with the majority of problems falling under the areas of discrimination, employment, family law, domestic violence and criminal law.

About the role

This role will support our team to provide holistic and specialised legal help to LGBTIQA+ Sistergirl and Brotherboy clients and communities in one or more of our core areas of practice:

• Family Law and Domestic Violence
• Employment and Discrimination Law
• Criminal Law

The role may also include elements of project work, community legal education and training to improve service accessibility and system responsiveness for clients and community who come into contact with the law. Please refer to our other advertised positions or contact us to find out more about our project work and legal assistance sector reform work.

Some key duties

• Provide high quality, timely and holistic legal advice and casework services to the LGBTIQA+ community in one or more of the Service’s core areas of practice.  
• Identify legal issues relevant to the LGBTIQA+ community and develop strategic law reform and community legal education projects in response.  
• Work collaboratively with other organisations, volunteers, pro bono partners, community groups and service providers to provide support and advocacy for the LGBTIQA+ community.  

Some essential requirements

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both written and oral), including the ability to communicate sensitively and appropriately with a wide range of stakeholders and intersectionally marginalised clients.  
• Sound knowledge and understanding of legal and social issues affecting LGBTIQA+ people, and gaps and barriers in legal service and justice systems, or ability to rapidly acquire relevant knowledge.
• Demonstrated ability to provide high quality, timely, holistic and appropriate legal information, advice, casework services and representation in family/DV law, employment/discrimination law and/or criminal law.

For more information please refer to the Position Description attached.

Applicants for the Lawyer position must have completed their period of supervised legal practice and hold an unrestricted practicing certificate. Applicants for the Senior Lawyer position are expected to have at least 5 years’ post-admission experience, including at least two years in one of our core areas of practice: Family Law, Employment/Discrimination Law or Criminal Law.

Why LGBTI Legal Service?

The LGBTI Legal Service is the first specialist community legal centre of its kind and is the only LGBTIQA+ community-controlled legal service in Australia. LGBTI Legal Service is the only law firm or legal service in Australia to have achieved Rainbow Tick accreditation. The Rainbow Tick recognises the service’s commitment to safe and inclusive practices and service delivery for the LGBTIQA+ community.

Last year we assisted more than 500 people to access legal help and connected with over 5000 people at community events across Queensland from the Gold Coast to Gimuy. We are a small but growing team, supported by recent investments in our core legal services and project work, and the recent recognition of LGBTIQA+ people as a priority cohort in legal assistance funding and service provision.

Learn more about us: www.lgbtilegalservice.org.au and by downloading our recent Annual Report Annual Reports - LGBTI Legal Service

Our commitment to an inclusive workplace

LGBTI Legal Service is committed to providing an inclusive and affirming workplace where staff can bring their whole selves to work and feel that they belong. We value the skills and perspectives of our diverse team, seek to identify early opportunities for support and invest in the learning and development of the team through internal and external supervision and mentorship and peer-to-peer learning.

As a small organisation, we are on a journey to embed our team’s commitment to disability inclusion, anti-racism, and First Nations cultural safety and solidarity throughout our policies, systems and communications, and progressing this work will be a key focus in 2025.

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, including but not limited to people of diverse genders, bodies, sexualities and kinship relationships; people with innate variations in sex characteristics; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, including queer First Nations people, Brotherboys and Sistergirls; people from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds; neurodivergent people and people with disability; sex workers, and people living with HIV.

Both the South Brisbane and Rockhampton offices are accessible for people who use mobility devices, and we welcome enquiries about accessibility features and accommodations that can be made.

We have a range of strategies to meet the needs of different people in our hiring processes and welcome suggestions on how to tailor these for you.

Enquiries

We welcome questions about the role and the application process.

Please contact Jo Sampford ([email protected] using the subject line: Lawyer / Senior Lawyer enquiry via EthicalJobs | 0404 454 798).