Sydney, NEW South Wales Legal Aid NSW
ABOUT LEGAL AID NSW
Legal Aid NSW is the largest legal aid agency in Australia, comprising of a Central Sydney office and 27 regional offices in metropolitan and regional centres across NSW and a number of specialist services and advice clinics. Working at Legal Aid NSW provides the opportunity to support people with disabilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, women and children, Indigenous people and people with mental illness who may experience difficulties when enforcing and defending their rights.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities (CLSAC) is a specialist team within the Civil Law Division that delivers targeted and holistic legal services by phone and outreach to identified disadvantaged Aboriginal communities and correctional centres across NSW. The CLSAC service to prisons includes the Aboriginal Women Leaving Custody service which is aimed at addressing legal barriers to housing faced by Aboriginal women in prison.
CLSAC is a multi-disciplinary team that aims to provide high quality advice and casework services to Aboriginal people that deliver better outcomes for people’s everyday lives. It works with Aboriginal communities and community workers to increase their capacity to deal with civil law problems as they arise and to work in partnership with other legal and non-legal services.
ABOUT THE ROLE
A Grade I-III Legal Officer in the Civil Law Division will:
• Provide a high quality advice, minor assistance and casework services in areas such as stolen generations, consumer, mental health, human rights, employment, housing, immigration, social security, and/or coronial inquests, or other areas of civil law
• Deliver efficient and effective targeted legal services to disadvantaged Aboriginal clients
• Comply with the Legal Aid Commission Act, policies and practice management standards and undertake all related administrative and case management activities
ABOUT YOU
The successful applicant will be a lawyer who has experience working with Aboriginal clients and communities and has a passion for addressing the social justice issues facing communities across NSW.
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
• Admission or eligibility for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW
• Ability to provide a valid Practising Certificate upon commencement
• Willingness to undertake a Criminal Record Check and/or Working with Children Check
• Current driver's licence
• Thorough understanding and knowledge of working in Aboriginal communities
• Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to commencement
HOW TO APPLY
Applications MUST be submitted online through www.iworkfor.nsw.gov.au to be considered. No late applications will be accepted.
Applicants should read the Role Description and consider the Focus Capabilities and Key Accountabilities when preparing their resume and cover letter.
Applicants are requested to attach:
• current resume / curriculum vitae (CV) (maximum 5 pages)
• cover letter (maximum 2 pages) responding to the following two questions:
1. What is your experience and knowledge of issues that impact on access to justice for Aboriginal people and Communities?
2. The Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities delivers collaborative place-based outreach legal services to Aboriginal communities across NSW. What knowledge and experience do you have that makes you suitable for this work?
The selection process will include a range of comparative assessment techniques to assist in determining capability and suitability for the role.
This recruitment will be used to fill any current vacancies and may be used to create a Talent Pool for similar future temporary or ongoing vacancies that may arise over the next 18 months.
To ensure recruitment at Legal Aid NSW continues without interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual methods may be used for interviews and assessments. This may include interviews conducted by video, telephone interviewing, Microsoft Teams meetings and online assessments.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Please Note: This vacancy is an identified Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander recruitment under Part 5, clause 26 of the Government Sector Employment (General) Rules 2014. In the pre-screening questions you will need to provide information on how you satisfy the Aboriginality criteria. Legal Aid NSW considers that being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a genuine occupational qualification under s 14 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).
Applicants for this role must satisfy the Aboriginality criteria. Aboriginality is defined by decent through parentage, identification as being Aboriginal and being accepted in the community as such.
For Aboriginal specific information regarding working at Legal Aid NSW, our Aboriginal Staff network, career development opportunities and support systems please email: aboriginalservices@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.
Legal Aid NSW welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds, including people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the LGBTI community, culturally diverse people and other diverse communities.
Legal Aid NSW provides dignified access to accommodate the diverse needs of our community. We acknowledge and support the access needs of people with visible and invisible disabilities, as such all of our offices are accessible.
If you require a reasonable adjustment in order to participate in the recruitment process, or you are looking for general information about our reasonable adjustment process, please contact our team via email, and advise your preferred method of communication: erecruitment@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.
FURTHER INFORMATION
• Temporary Opportunity in Lismore (35hpw) until 3 October 2022
• Enquiries: Merinda Dutton on (02) 6620 7143 or merinda.dutton@legalaid.nsw.gov.au
• Applying for a Role
• Working at Legal Aid NSW
• Package up to $130K
• Jobs Board Ref No. 00008PZM
• Closing Date: Monday, 14 February 2022 [11:59pm]
Source: Uniting News