Focus Areas

Includes any combination of Victim Services, Employment, Civil (including credit and debt, consumer issues and Motor Vehicle Accident-property damage) or Family Law

• Permanent, full time hours (35hpw)
• Bankstown office location
• Community Legal Centre incorporating domestic and family violence services.
• Salary range: Level 6.1 above award wage
• Flexible work conditions, salary packaging to increase take-home pay, 5 weeks annual leave (pro rata) plus leave loading, additional leave at Christmas.

Are you seeking an exciting new challenge in 2024? Are you a passionate and driven lawyer with a strong interest in social justice? If so, we have the perfect position for you. You will join an amazing team of dedicated professionals committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals facing legal challenges.

About Justice Support Centre

Justice Support Centre is a Not-for-Profit organisation committed to providing timely, effective, and high-quality legal services to the community. We focus on delivering legal support through telephone advice, face-to-face consultations, legal representation, community legal education, and participation in law reform activities.

About the role

The purpose of the position is to provide clients with timely, effective, and high-quality legal advice, information, and referrals. Provide legal assistance and representation to our clients, and conduct legal seminars and training, and provide guidance to the community and community workers. Also to participate in the Centre's law reform activities and projects.

Nature and Scope of Position

Legal Work

Provide high quality legal advice, information and casework to clients by:

• Providing timely, high quality, accessible and effective telephone and face to face legal information and referral to clients in accordance with JSC’s policies and procedures
• Providing timely, high quality, accessible and effective telephone and face to face legal advice to clients in accordance with JSC’s policies and procedures
• Providing timely, high quality and effective casework, advocacy and representation to clients in accordance with JSC’s policies and procedures
• Planning, developing and delivering community legal education to the community and community workers on legal issues and developments and responding to identified training needs
• Monitoring legal, procedural and media developments and providing briefings and updates to relevant JSC staff
• Developing, reviewing and maintaining plain language legal information resources for the community, community workers and other avenues of delivery JSC may employ from time to time.

Focus Areas of Law

JSC is a Generalist Legal Centre and as such provides advice and casework services across broad cross-section of areas of law. This position is required to effectively contribute to and participate in such a generalist environment, however the emphasis of this position will be in the two Focus Areas to the extent determined from time to time by the Principal Solicitor by:

• Strategically assisting and supporting the Principal Solicitor and Assistant Principal Solicitor with the development, coordination and monitoring of the Centre’s legal practice, programs and initiatives in the Focus Areas
• Facilitate community engagement, consultation and education initiatives with respect to Focus Areas
• Represent JSC at and participate in relevant Focus Area networks
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders relevant to the Focus Areas
• Keep up to date with legislation, practice and procedure and developments relevant to your position requirements from time to time
• Facilitate local responses to policy and social issues affecting the community and the community sector in the Catchment Area through appropriate mechanisms (e.g. discussion papers, information sessions) as required by the Principal Solicitor
• Development and implementation of innovative strategies to meet the information needs of the community and community services in the Catchment Area
• Work collaboratively with other team members by sharing skills, resources, projects, and ideas

Essential Criteria

• Current NSW Law Society practising certificate or eligible to obtain same prior to commencement of employment
• Demonstrated 4 years+ solid years PAE experience in one Focus Areas of Law and an interest in developing experience in a second Focus Area of Law
• Demonstrated advanced litigation and related court advocacy experience in at least one Focus Area of Law
• Demonstrated ability to deliver timely, effective, high quality casework, advocacy and representation to clients of various socio-economic backgrounds
• Demonstrated ability to efficiently deliver, effective, high quality telephone legal information and advice to clients in plain language in a busy phone advice context
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver plain language legal based education & information workshops
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Very good computer literacy, in particular word processing and the efficient preparation of your own correspondence and file management
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to social justice issues and those experiencing economic, social and cultural disadvantage and lack of access to legal services
• Current driver licence and availability of own motor vehicle for work use, duly registered and with property damage insurance as outlined in the Contract of Employment

Preferred Criteria

• Demonstrated significant experience (including representation and advocacy) in a second Focus Area of Law.

What's on offer