about us

The Working Women’s Centre SA Inc is a not-for-profit organisation, charity and a community legal centre that provides a legal service to vulnerable working women and people.

The Centre has three arms of work:

• Legal Service – we provide legal advice and representation to vulnerable workers who contact the Centre with work issues through one-to-one clinic appointments. Clients may require ongoing advice and if so we also provide advice outside of these clinic appointments. We provide a representation service and have the capacity to represent a client through to the conclusion of a hearing.
• Advocacy – we conduct advocacy to resolve systemic issues that affect women and other vulnerable workers, such as sexual harassment and precarious work. Our advocacy program is informed by our legal and education service.
• Education – we provide fee-for-service and free training for workers and employers about workplace rights, sexual harassment, responding to disclosures of domestic violence and other topics.

The Centre was established in 1979 and has been advising, supporting and advocating for vulnerable women for 45 years. The Centre provides support, advice, information, and representation to women who face issues in their employment in both federal and state jurisdictions. The Centre is also concerned with the structural inequalities for women in the workplace, and conducts outreach, community.

Employment conditions are specified in the Working Women’s Centre SA Inc Enterprise Agreement 2021 however bargaining has commenced for a new agreement. We are currently in a 4 day week pilot and this condition is subject to EBA negotiations.

We have recently won funding from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to build capacity within the Centre. The Senior Lawyer will be responsible for litigating post conciliation/mediation, assisting the Principal with supervision. The Senior Lawyer is a member of the leadership team.

Funding

This position is funded by federal and state funding agreements.

Mission

The Senior Lawyer will work to identify and run strategically selected matters post conciliation and to the end of a hearing, in line with the Centre’s litigation strategy.

This position is designed to build the WWC’s in-house capacity to run matters post conciliation and create better outcomes for South Australian working women.

The Senior Lawyer supports the Principal Lawyer’s overall management of Legal Team.

The position description is attached.

Selection Criteria.

We recommend that you address each selection criteria in your cover letter and use the criteria as headings.

1. Litigation Experience:

The Senior Lawyer must be capable of holding an unrestricted practicing certificate with 5 or more years experience practicing with a practicing certificate in Australia.

• Demonstrated ability to represent clients and conduct advocacy in relevant commissions, tribunals, and courts.
• Proven experience drafting pleadings, submissions, witness statements, and other legal documents necessary for court proceedings.
• Successful track record of providing high-quality, strategic, and effective legal advice, advocacy, and casework.

3. Strategic Case Management:

• Experience in developing, reviewing, and promoting litigation strategies to ensure effective and trauma-informed casework.
• Ability to handle complex legal matters from post-conciliation through to hearings, ensuring alignment with the Centre’s litigation strategy.
• Capability to work with national WWCs to coordinate litigation strategies and share resources.

4. Leadership and Team Supervision:

• Experience in supervising and mentoring junior lawyers, ensuring compliance with professional obligations and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Ability to assist in the development and management of legal resources and precedents to support the Legal Team.
• Experience in providing internal casework and court advocacy professional development to enhance team skills and effectiveness.

5. Pro Bono and Partnership Building:

• Experience in facilitating and building pro bono and fee-for-service legal assistance and referral partnerships.
• Ability to contribute to funding, grant submissions, and proposals for the development of legal services.
• Strong network of professional relationships with community service providers and other stakeholders relevant to the Centre’s legal practice.

6. Commitment to Organisational Values and Advocacy

• Demonstrated commitment to applying a gender lens to legal work and sensitivity to gendered work issues.
• Experience in supporting and empowering women through industrial work and grassroots movements.
• Ability to contribute positively to the workplace culture, championing organisational values and promoting leadership excellence through integrity, accountability, and innovation.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We will launch our RAP later in the year and creating a culturally safe place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is an organisational and leadership priority. Cultural leave is a workplace right.

We encourage applications from people of colour.

We encourage applications from all cis and trans women, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable working on advocacy that focuses on the experiences of women.

We encourage applications from disabled applicants. Our new office will is wheelchair accessible and sensory needs will be taken into account.

We encourage LGBTIQ+ applicants.

We encourage applications from survivors of gender violence.

We know that sometimes the best people for the role may not fit the exact selection criteria.

A position description is attached here.