• Lead a community legal practice supporting women, trans & gender diverse people
• Suits legal practitioners with leadership, process & risk management experience
• Flexible workplace, Min 4 days p/wk
• Canberra based, Relocation assistance

The Organisation

The Women’s Legal Centre ACT (WLC) is an innovative, specialist community legal centre providing crucial legal and social support services to women in Canberra to keep them safe and in control of their lives. WLC is committed to influencing change and building capability within government and the wider community to improve women’s lives and advance gender equality.

The Centre’s primary practice areas are Family Law, Employment, Discrimination and Sexual Harassment, Migration and the Sexual Violence Legal Service. The Centre includes the Mulleun Mura Access to Justice Program, which is a specialist program for First Nations women, led by First Nations women.

WLC provides legal services within a feminist model and is a leader in trauma informed lawyering in the ACT. The Centre delivers holistic and wrap around services to clients, with a significant proportion delivered through deep partnerships with health and community services

Benefits & Culture

• Attractive remuneration, generous salary packaging, 5 weeks paid leave
• Annual health and wellbeing allowance, paid cultural and reproductive health leave
• Genuine commitment to a flexible and respectful working environment
• Permanent role within a well-established, sector leading service
• Brand new office with modern facilities, supportive of women, trans and gender diverse people and their children

The Role

As a member of the executive leadership team and in close collaboration with the CEO, you will lead the direction, management and supervision of WLC’s legal practice, ensuring it is aligned with the Centre’s strategic direction. This includes building organisational capability, developing robust processes and consistent policies across practice areas, and managing risk, compliance and the Centre’s reputation within the community sector and legal profession.

You’ll champion the delivery and ongoing development of innovative and trauma-informed legal services and support Principal Solicitors to provide leadership and technical direction to their teams.

Additionally, you will:

• Ensure high-quality legal services across the Centre, including providing technical advice
• Drive and coordinate the Centre’s law reform agenda
• Act as a spokesperson and represent the Centre in media and community forums
• Build new relationships and networks within the ACT legal profession and drive pro bono partnerships.

Skills Required

You bring a blend of strategic leadership, management and mentorship experience, together with deep legal practice knowledge and high-level technical skills, ideally relevant to family, civil, migration or criminal law. Your background may be community legal, justice leadership or you have relevant experience from working in a law firm or private practice, and you have a demonstrated commitment to social justice issues for women.

With an unwavering focus on risk management, expert legal practice and continuous improvement, you have:

• Eligibility to hold an ACT Unrestricted Practicing Certificate
• Experience managing legal practitioners and overseeing complex casework
• Genuine interest in developing the leadership capability of senior team members
• High level partnership development, community and stakeholder relationship skills
• Commitment to trauma-informed practice and collaboration with other agencies to improve client services and outcomes

Please note being a woman is a genuine occupational qualification under s34 of the Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT).

If you want to use your legal and leadership skills to support women at risk of violence, discrimination and systemic disadvantage, please click Apply Now to submit your application or call Debbie Jardine at NGO Recruitment on (02) 82430570.

As there is no formal closing date for this role, if you are interested we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
NGO Recruitment values equitable recruitment practices and is committed to representing candidates reflective of the diverse organisations and communities we work with.

We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds, ages, and identities, and are happy to adjust our recruitment process to support accessibility needs. If you are interested in this position and have most of the skills or experience we are looking for, please go ahead and apply.