We are seeking new members to join our Consumer Panel, including a new Chair. 

The Panel is a group of experts that provides the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner (VLSB+C) with rich and nuanced consumer perspectives on our activities and the legal profession more broadly. We are looking for people with diverse expertise and experience in the following areas:

• Consumer advocacy and policy.  
• Dispute resolution and regulatory insight.  
• Research, analysis, and social science expertise.  
• Community sector work, particularly with vulnerable consumers or people with lived experience.  
• Experience responding and addressing issues related to consumer vulnerability and disadvantage.  

We are committed to inclusion, diversity and accessibility, and are looking to ensure diversity among the composition of the Panel. We therefore encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, people with disability, women and gender diverse people, culturally diverse and LGBTIQ+ people to apply for our roles.

Can you tell me more about the Consumer Panel? 

Our Consumer Panel is one way in which the VLSB+C works to gain a better understanding of what our community needs and expects from the legal profession and from us as the regulator of the Victorian legal profession.

Established in March 2020, and the first of its kind in Australia, the Consumer Panel is a group of diverse experts who inform our work through their wealth of knowledge in the areas consumer research, advocacy, policy and regulation.   

The vision of the Panel is to foster legal services that are responsive to all consumer needs.  

Its mission is: Putting consumers at the centre of legal services and improving outcomes for them by:  

• Finding out what consumers think, expect and need 
• Bringing the consumer voice and experience to the VLSB+C and 
• Helping VLSBC protect vulnerable consumers.   

The key activities of the Panel are: 

• To help the VLSB+C to understand fully, and take account of, the interests of consumers in policy development, complaint-handling and regulatory approaches.
• To help the VLSB+C identify and analyse consumer harms and risks to good consumer outcomes.
• To provide input and feedback on the VLSB+C’s corporate and other organisational plans and key projects to ensure the consumer perspective is considered.
• To contribute to the VLSB+C research agenda and gather other intelligence and evidence to understand the consumer experience of legal services, and then translate findings into recommendations that promote the consumer interests;
• To help the VLSB+C develop its approach to consumer engagement and communications.
• To respond to relevant consultations as appropriate.
• To maintain an overview of developments in legal services, and related developments affecting consumers in other markets, in order to best deliver on the activities listed above. 

In undertaking its work, the Consumer Panel has particular regard to the interests of consumers who may be in a position of vulnerability when using legal services. 

And what do the Consumer Panel Chair and Members do?

Chair of the Consumer Panel  

The Chair:  

• Provides leadership and strategic direction to the Consumer Panel, ensuring it delivers on its vision and mission. 
• Chairs and with support from the Panel Secretariat, facilitates meetings (5–6 per year) by preparing agendas, guiding discussions, and ensuring all voices are heard. 
• Coordinates the formulation and articulation of the Panel’s recommendations to the VLSB+C. 
• Act as the primary liaison between the Panel and the VLSB+C, advocating for the consumer perspective in legal services, including providing expert advice to the Board and Commissioner through attending key meetings from time to time. 
• Ensures the Panel’s activities align with the organisation’s goals by actively monitoring progress on agreed priorities. 
• Delivers an annual report summarising the Panel’s contributions and outcomes to VLSB+C leadership. 
• Oversees the onboarding and integration of new panel members.  

Consumer Panel Members

Panel members are expected to:  

• Participate actively in Panel meetings (5–6 per year), providing feedback on research, reports, and organisational plans. 
• Contribute to the development of the VLSB+C’s policy and regulatory initiatives by offering informed consumer-centric insights. 
• Identify and analyse consumer harms and risks, particularly those affecting vulnerable groups, and recommend actions to mitigate these risks. 
• Assist in the design and execution of consumer-focused research, ensuring methodologies and findings accurately reflect consumer experiences. 
• Review and provide critical feedback on communication strategies to improve consumer engagement and accessibility. 
• Monitor developments in legal services and other markets, identifying emerging trends that could impact consumer outcomes. 
• Collaborate effectively with other Panel members, sharing diverse perspectives and ensuring recommendations are evidence-based and balanced.  

This is getting interesting. What type of person, skills and expertise are you looking for? 

Panel members will be selected based on a range of suitable skills and experience, including:  

Experience

We are seeking experience from applicants in one or more of the following areas: 

• Consumer advocacy and policy. 
• Community sector work, particularly working with consumers experiencing disadvantage and/or responding to systemic issues relating to disadvantage.
• Familiarity with and experience in the legal sector. 
• Advocacy or service delivery for small businesses, charities, or not-for-profit organisations. 
• Customer service, complaint handling, dispute resolution, or service delivery to consumers. 
• Conducting research, analysis, or policy development in academic, government, or regulatory settings. 
• Other relevant experience and expertise applicable to the Panel's responsibilities.  

Commitment to diversity and inclusion

At the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner (VLSB+C), we are committed to inclusion, diversity and accessibility. We thereforeencourage Panel applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people, people with disability, women and gender diverse people, culturally diverse and LGBTIQ+ people. 

I’m now really interested! I want to know more! 

Before you apply, you must request a copy of the application form. 

If you would like to request a copy of the application form or have any questions about the Panel or these roles, please contact AgataWierzbowski (Principal Adviser, Consumer Strategy) on 0431 975 770 or at [email protected] using the subject line: Consumer Panel Chair / Consumer Panel Members enquiry via EthicalJobs.

We can’t wait to hear from you! 

About the VLSB+C

The VLSB+C is the regulator of the Victorian legal profession. We license lawyers and oversee service standards and conduct. This includes handling complaints about lawyers, investigating poor conduct and overseeing management of trust accounts. We are also the stewards of the public purpose and fidelity funds and administer these to support legal regulation and access to justice in Victoria. 

We are a modern best practice regulator, using data and insights to help identify where our actions can have the greatest impact on ensuring ethical and professional legal practice by Victorian lawyers. We are passionate about maintaining and protecting the rule of law by ensuring the integrity of the legal profession.