• Sydney based
• Permanent, full time or part time considered.
• Supervision: Supervising Solicitor, Financial Abuse Service

Redfern Legal Centre

Redfern Legal Centre is a non-profit community legal centre that promotes social justice and creates change. We provide free legal advice, legal services and education to people experiencing disadvantage in New South Wales. We drive innovation and change through policy and law reform work to address inequalities in the legal system, policies and social practices that cause disadvantage.

We provide effective and integrated free legal services that are client focussed, collaborative, non-discriminatory and responsive to changing community needs - to our local community as well as state-wide. Our specialist legal services focus on tenancy, credit, debt and consumer law, financial abuse, employment law, international students, First Nations justice, police accountability, and provide outreach services including through our health justice partnership.

Position Overview

This role will work in Redfern Legal Centre’s Financial Abuse Service NSW to provide legal assistance to victim survivors of financial abuse in family law, with a focus on property settlement, spousal maintenance and child support.

This position will work collaboratively with social workers, financial counsellors and other specialist lawyers (consumer credit, corporations law, tax law and immigration law) in an integrated model to assist people across New South Wales by telephone, teleconferencing, email and in person. Our specialist, cross-jurisdictional, and integrated approach provides holistic legal and non-legal support to our clients, increasing their safety and wellbeing and leading to financial independence and empowerment.

This role has ongoing opportunities to contribute to the development of systemic advocacy, policy and law reform to both address the causes of financial and economic abuse and improve outcomes for victim survivors.

Position Responsibilities

• Provide trauma informed advice, representation and referrals in family law, according to the centre’s eligibility criteria. Representation includes support to self-represented litigants who are unable to obtain legal representation elsewhere and representation for people seeking resolution outside of court.
• Identify and undertake strategic litigation with pro bono support. Coordinate and supervise volunteer solicitors and students.
• Identify systemic legal and policy issues and contribute to policy and law reform.
• Provide community legal education with an emphasis on areas of frequent inquiry, perceived need and recent innovation.
• Work with community, government, professional and media organisations on relevant issues including through attendance at stakeholder events and sector meetings.
• Contribute to Redfern Legal Centre through attendance at staff meetings, contribution to board and funding reports, assistance with intake including intake supervision shifts, and contribution to the effective implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

1. Qualified to practice as a solicitor in NSW and eligible to hold a current practicing certificate with at least two years relevant post admission experience.
2. Demonstrated experience providing legal advice and representation in complex family law property settlement cases, child support and spousal maintenance.
3. Demonstrated understanding of the family law issues faced by people experiencing financial abuse, and the intersection with other areas of law, including company law, tax law, immigration law, and credit, debt and consumer law.
4. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex information in a practical, accurate and accessible way to clients in stressful and emotionally charged situations, and to engage professionally with interpreters, government and other support services.

Desirable

1. At least five years post admission experience and/or recognition as an Accredited Specialist in Family Law.
2. Experience working with First Nations clients and/or culturally and linguistically diverse clients, and a commitment to culturally safe practice.
3. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.
4. Experience supervising casework of staff and/or volunteers.
5. Experience conducting law reform, policy work, campaigns, community legal education or strategic litigation.

Conditions

Salary and benefits: $107,920.02 - $128,084.03 p.a. (pro rata for part time) depending on qualifications and experience.

Superannuation and annual leave loading are paid in addition and salary packaging is available.

In addition to being a flexible workplace, Redfern Legal Centre offers a 35-hour working week, time in lieu options and a paid end of year closure of two weeks (including public holidays) on top of four weeks annual leave.

As a Public Benevolent Institution, Redfern Legal Centre offers staff generous salary packaging options.

Applications

Applications close: 9 am on the closing date.

Your application should be no more than six pages long, and must include:

• a cover letter,
• your resume; and
• must include a statement addressing the essential Knowledge Skills and Experience Criteria in the position description.

Please apply via the link in the job advertisement, ensuring that all documents are provided or consolidated into one document.
Redfern Legal Centre welcomes applications from First Nations people, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with disability.

Redfern Legal Centre is a diverse, culturally safe and inclusive workplace that offers flexible conditions and supports wellbeing.
Staff at Redfern Legal Centre must be vaccinated for Covid-19.  

Enquiries should be directed to Catherine Hewett, Chief Operations Officer: [email protected] using the subject line: Family Law Solicitor - Financial Abuse Service NSW enquiry via EthicalJobs.