• Salary Offering: $100K - 115K depending on experience plus 11.5% Superannuation

Additional Benefits:

• 17.5% Leave Loading
• 5 extra days leave on top of 20 days annual leave
• Only required to work 35 hours per week, any extra hours worked will be calculated as your Time In Lieu (TOIL) – which you may use as additional leave hours
• Access to company vehicles for any work-related trips
• Salary packaging of up to $15,900+ per FBT available via Maxxia

Locations hiring for:

• Morwell - Commercial Road, Morwell
• Shepparton - Maude Street, Shepparton
• Bendigo - Hargreaves Street, Bendigo

This role is full-time fixed term until 30 June 2025(aligned with the funding cycle)

This position may require regional and very occasional interstate travel.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE:

The Regional Practice Lead will have 4+ years of practical experience in Family law and act as a lead advocate for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people interacting with the civil justice system across region. This position will:

• Provide high quality legal services in Family Law matters, including duty lawyer services, representation, advice and information to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria.
• Engage with Aboriginal community stakeholders to identify key community legal education (CLE) needs relevant to the regional and local context.
• Link with, and oversee the development of, partnerships and referral and support pathways within the Mildura region to assist VALS clients with access to other legal assistance and services relevant to them. This includes oversight of Aboriginal client service officers (CSOs) and administrative support based at one of our Regional Offices.

The role holder will have the endorsement or is eligible to become a Panel Certifier on Victorian Legal Aid (VLA) Family Law Panel.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA:

• Admitted or eligible for admission as a legal practitioner in Victoria and in the High Court of Australia (with an unrestricted practicing certificate)
• Demonstrated ability to act as an advocate, deliver information, advice, casework and outreach services, and undertake negotiation and dispute resolution on behalf of VALS clients in Family Violence, Intervention Orders and, to a lesser extent, Family Law and Child Protection matters.
• Knowledge of, and 4+ years of practical experience in relevant Family Violence, Intervention Orders, Family Law and Child Protection law and procedure.
• Skills and experience to manage, supervise and develop solicitors, paralegals and CSO’s
• Sound interpersonal skills and the capacity to communicate effectively with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and more broadly with multidisciplinary colleagues and VALS partners
• A commitment to and understanding of VALS and the legal issues faced by members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Victoria;
• Competency in the use of MS Office Software (particularly MS Word, Excel, E-mail) and the capacity to quickly acquire competency in the use of VALS’ client management system.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

On offer of this position, you must provide:

• Copy of your current Employee Working with Children Card.
• You will be required to complete a current Criminal History Police Check.
• Up to date vaccination certificate or valid medical exemption
• Proof of rights to work in Australia, i.e., a copy of an Australian Passport, Birth Certificate, or Immigration VISA documentation
• Current valid Victorian Driver’s Licence
• Copies of any certificates or degrees relevant to this role

Please note:

We do not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. No (search) fee will be paid in the event we hire a candidate whose resume is submitted by an employment agency to any of our employees without a valid written recruitment agreement. Such resumes shall be deemed the sole property of VALS.