About RAILS

The Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS) is a community legal centre based in South Brisbane. For over 40 years, RAILS has provided free legal assistance and education in immigration and refugee law to people in Queensland.

RAILS assists some of the most vulnerable people in our community, predominantly refugees, asylum seekers and people who have experienced family violence. RAILS strives to empower them and help them find and remain in safety.

RAILS is a member of Community Legal Centres Australia and is registered as a Charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for Profit Commission.

The Role

RAILS is recruiting one lawyer to be part of our education team. Depending on the applicant's experience they may be recruited as an Education Lawyer or as a Senior Education Lawyer.

The role plans and delivers legal education to culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people from refugee backgrounds, as well as to non-legal community workers and volunteers, to help build their capacities to effectively navigate the immigration system.

The role is also responsible for designing and coordinating RAILS’ monthly Continuing Professional Development webinars for solicitors and migration agents and works with the Legal Practice Director (Practice Management and Risk) to design and deliver training to RAILS staff and volunteers. Reporting to the Legal Practice Director (Practice Management and Risk) the Education Lawyer/Senior Education Lawyer will join an experienced and well-regarded team of legal educators.

The role may be combined with client work to create a full time position for the right applicant.

The successful applicant will carry out their duties in accordance with RAILS’ policy and funding guidelines. RAILS has flexible working arrangements for all staff but will require the successful applicant to work from our new South Brisbane office for a significant proportion of the working week.

This role is of fundamental importance to the delivery of excellent legal education by RAILS.

Position Descriptions are attached.

Remuneration and benefits

• Salary: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Industry Award Level 5 (Education Lawyer) or 6 (Senior Education Lawyer)
• Part-time role of 3 days per week
• Flexible working arrangements
• Generous leave entitlements (paid parental leave, cultural and special leave provisions; portable long service leave) including additional paid leave over end of year shut down
• Attractive no cost salary sacrifice options

• RAILS is committed to being a culturally safe and inclusive organisation and has policies in place to create and maintain appropriate work practices and a respectful work environment.

Successful applicants may be required to complete additional clearance checks.

About You

As an experienced legal educator, you will have a deep understanding of the legal education needs of culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people from refugee backgrounds, particularly in relation to immigration law. Your written and verbal communication skills will enable you to design and deliver resources that convey complex legal ideas in an accessible and impactful way.

Selection criteria

Mandatory pre-requisites for the role:

• Current Queensland unrestricted practicing certificate.
• Minimum 2 years (Education Lawyer) or 4 years (Senior Education Lawyer) post qualification experience in immigration and refugee law.
• Ability to work from RAILS office in South Brisbane and to travel throughout Greater Brisbane for community education and engagement.

Essential criteria:

• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability (Education Lawyer) or experience (Senior Education Lawyer) designing and delivering education programs to culturally and linguistically diverse communities and people from refugee backgrounds, including through verbal delivery and printed/online materials such as fact-sheets and kits.
• Education Lawyer: Demonstrated experience in collaboratively and productively engaging with other organisations and stakeholders that service culturally and linguistically diverse people from refugee backgrounds.
  Senior Education Lawyer: Demonstrated experience designing and delivering high quality training to lawyers and non-legal staff.
• Demonstrated experience in collaboratively and productively engaging with other organisations and stakeholders that service culturally and linguistically diverse people from refugee backgrounds.
• Demonstrated understanding of the CPD requirements of registered migration agents and solicitors and the CPD needs of the sector.
• Demonstrated ability to accurately analyse complex legal changes, including those touching on risk management and compliance, and to effectively communicate the results of that research to others.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and collaboratively with a team.

Desirable:

• Experience and skills in using Adobe Pro, large Word documents requiring tables of contents and cross-references, and/or Zoom Webinars.
• Senior Education Lawyer: Experience in the preparation of funding applications.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

RAILS is committed to being a culturally safe and inclusive organisation and has policies in place to create and maintain appropriate work practices and a respectful work environment. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and otherwise culturally and linguistically diverse people are encouraged to apply for this role.

Please let us know if you would like us to share our Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Policy with you before applying for this role by emailing [email protected] using the subject line: Education Lawyer / Senior Education Lawyer enquiry via EthicalJobs.

If you are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or otherwise culturally and linguistically diverse and would like to speak to us about the role requirements and your application before applying, please email [email protected].

This recruitment process is strictly confidential and information about your application will not be shared with anyone outside of the organisation.

For more information

The Position Descriptions for the role, based on experience, are attached.

If you have any questions about this role, please email [email protected].

A position description is attached.