Lawyer - Family Law and Family Violence Program

The Organisation

WEstjustice are a leading community legal centre providing free services to vulnerable and disadvantaged people. From our offices in Footscray, Werribee and Sunshine and through our outreach services we provide advice on a broad range of issues including employment, discrimination, consumer disputes, tenancy, credit and debt, family disputes, family violence, criminal law and more.

WEstjustice believe in a just and fair society where the law and its processes do not discriminate against vulnerable people. We provide free legal education, undertake law reform activities and work in partnership with their local communities to deliver projects that improve access to justice.

WEstjustice’s purpose is to service the legal needs in the West in a way that addresses the systemic nature of disadvantage.

Benefits and Culture

• Advocating for clients who really need help during very challenging times in their life
• Be part of that client’s journey to safety, recovery and stability including helping families who have experienced family violence.
• Passionate, professional, supportive and dedicated team producing high quality outcomes for women and their children.
• Flexible work practices (hybrid – mix of onsite and work from home)
• Contribution to important social justice community legal work, varied client base and engagement with community stakeholders
• Focus on career development through access to professional development and community engagement.

• Professional growth and development with access to mentoring and supervision from experienced leaders in the team
• Flexible working conditions including hybrid work arrangements

• Full or part time work
• Up to 5 hours study leave per week
• Competitive salary with generous salary packaging
• Based in the Footscray office with Court and Outreach work at other sites in the Western Suburbs

About the role

Our legal practice is growing, so we are looking for qualified lawyers (salary commensurate with experience) to join our well-regarded Family Violence and Family Law Program. Positions will commence for a period of 12 months with permanent employment being offered subject to continued funding and growth of our practice. Part time candidates also encouraged to apply.

We recognise that family and gender-based violence are serious community concerns that disproportionately affect women, gender diverse people and children. Our vision is for our clients to feel safe and secure. We do this by representing clients in family violence intervention order proceedings, family law (parenting, property division disputes and divorce), criminal proceedings where they have been misidentified as the primary perpetrator and providing early intervention legal advice to clients being investigated by the Child Protection.

If successful, you will join a high performing supportive team delivering legal services in family law, family violence, criminal law and child protection with an early intervention focus. As we are s29A panel certifiers, we also undertake legally aided casework by applying for grants of legal assistance for clients who qualify under VLA’s family law, family violence, criminal and child protection guidelines. 

This role is primarily based at our Footscray office however we are planning to move our office to Sunshine in 2024. You may also be required to undertake outreach legal services at our key health justice partner sites in the Western suburbs, and also represent our clients in intervention order proceedings in the Sunshine and Werribee Magistrates Court on a rostered basis. From time to time, you may also be required to work from our Werribee office and/or partner organisation sites, depending on Program needs.

Skills required:

The person we are seeking will have:

• Minimum two years post admission experience (Lawyer)
• Minimum of four years post admission experience (Senior Lawyer)
• Demonstrated legal experience in any of our key legal areas:
  • Family law (highly desirable)
  • Family violence (highly desirable)
  • Child protection (highly desirable)
  • Criminal law (desirable)
• Duty lawyer experience (highly desirable)
• Dedicated interest and commitment to social justice legal practice and improving outcomes for clients who face life barriers in accessing justice.
• Excellent time management and file management skills.
• Advocacy and litigation experience or the demonstrated ability to develop these skills.

The successful applicant will require a current Working with Children’s Check and a National Police Check or be prepared to apply for both. Applicants must possess the right to work in Australia.

Salary range $85,000 - $110,000 (commensurate with experience) with additional financial benefits of 17.5% leave loading, generous salary packaging of up to $15,900 for general living expenses, accommodation and meal packaging plus statutory employer funded superannuation paid on top of the base salary.

For enquires, call Cleona Feuerring, Legal Director, Family Violence and Family Law Program, on 03 9749 7720 for a confidential discussion.

Please send your resume together with a concise cover letter demonstrating your skills and experience via this portal or by emailing it to recruitment @westjustice.org.au.

We look forward to receiving your application before midnight on Thursday 21 December 2023. Applications will be reviewed and shortlisted for interview in January 2024.

For a copy of the Senior Lawyer position description, please click here.

For a copy of the Lawyer position description, please click here.

Senior Policy Officer – Policy and Innovation Program

The Organisation

WEstjustice is a leading community legal centre providing free services to vulnerable and disadvantaged people. From our offices in Footscray, Werribee and Sunshine and through our outreach services we provide advice, representation and education on a broad range of issues including employment, discrimination, consumer disputes, tenancy, credit and debt, family disputes, family violence, criminal law, infringements, children’s law and more.

WEstjustice believe in a just and fair society where the law and its processes do not discriminate against vulnerable people. We provide free legal education, undertake law reform activities and work in partnership with their local communities to deliver projects that improve access to justice.

Our purpose is to service the legal needs in the West in a way that addresses the systemic nature of disadvantage

WEstjustice is committed to building a diverse workforce. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people living with a disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, mature age workers and LGBTIQ-identifying people.

Benefits and Culture

• Competitive salary with salary packaging
• Up to 5 hours study leave per week (pro rata)
• Flexible working conditions
• Passionate, professional and dedicated team
• Focus on career development
• Sunshine-based location
• Part time or full time option
• 12-month fixed term contract

The Role

The Senior Policy Officer is responsible for coordinating and actively contribute to the organisation’s policy, advocacy and systematic impact work, under general direction from the Director of Policy and Innovation.

This includes campaigning, policy, advocacy and law reform work in relation to a wide range of legal and life issues affecting people who live or work in Melbourne’s Western suburbs. These include, for example, advocating for legislative changes to prevent migrant worker exploitation, working with business and government to develop new policies to respond to family violence victim-survivors, identifying and campaigning for changes to regulatory responses to housing and consumer issues and working to address the over-representation of marginalised young people in the criminal legal system.

You will be a part of a small team providing support and assisting to develop, maintain, monitor and evaluate innovative programs that seek to address the paradigm of disadvantage and unmet legal need through client centred services, programs and reform agendas. You will also build and maintain relationships with a range of stakeholders including community and project partners, government contacts and current and potential funders.

Skills Required

You may have an unstricted practising certificate with substantial experience in working in relevant areas of legal practice. Your background may be in working in social service organisations, community legal services, government or potentially from the corporate sector.

You will also have:

• Demonstrated experience, as a subject matter expert and the ability to coordinate WEstjustice’s systemic impact work.
• Demonstrated ability to work strategically and collaboratively to build strong stakeholder relationships and partnerships across sectors, to assist our clients.
• Ability to coordinate and supervise the work of pro bono lawyers, volunteers and students.
• Strong commitment to social justice, community education and engagement, including a demonstrated understanding of the social context of law and the issues faced by vulnerable and/or disadvantaged communities.
• Highly developed ability to listen to, engage with, and assist vulnerable and/or disadvantaged clients.
• Excellent organisation, communication and administrative skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to WEstjustice’s Vision, Purpose, Strategic Plan and Impact Areas.

Please apply by 16 December 2023 by sending your resume together with a cover letter responding to the each of the key selection criteria in the Position Description to recruitment@westjustice.org.au

Alternatively, please call Caitlin Carauna, Director of Policy and Innovation, on 03 9749 7720 for a confidential discussion.

For a copy of the Position Description, please click here. 

Lawyer – Restoring Financial Safety Project

The Organisation

WEstjustice are a leading community legal centre providing free services to vulnerable and disadvantaged people. From their offices in Footscray, Werribee and Sunshine and through their outreach services they provide advice on a broad range of issues including employment, discrimination, consumer disputes, tenancy, credit and debt, family disputes, family violence, criminal law and more.

We believe in a just and fair society where the law and its processes do not discriminate against people or cause them vulnerability. They provide free legal education, undertake law reform activities and work in partnership with their local communities to deliver projects that improve access to justice.

WEstjustice’s purpose is to service the legal needs in the West in a way that addresses the systemic nature of disadvantage.

Benefits and Culture

• Competitive salary with salary packaging
• Up to 5 hours study leave per week
• Flexible working conditions
• Based in Werribee with outreach work at other sites
• Passionate, professional and dedicated team
• Focus on career development

The Role

WEstjustice is seeking to employ a full time Lawyer on a 12 month, fixed term contract (with potential for a longer-term contract depending on availability of funding) to join our growing Economic Justice team.

Working with a multidisciplinary team, you will provide legal advice, assistance and advocacy to victims of economic abuse through an integrated service model at family violence support agencies, and which may include consumer, debt, tenancy, fines, victims of crime assistance, and other generalist civil matters.

The person we are seeking will be admitted to practice and have the proven ability to engage with and provide holistic legal assistance to at risk and/or disadvantaged clients.

The Lawyer will be primarily based at our Werribee office but will be required to work at our other offices and/or clinic sites, as need arises.

Remuneration

Salary range – $84,507.00per annum - $101,055.00per annum (depending on experience), plus employer funded superannuation in accordance with Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 (Cth). In addition, generous salary packaging is available (including access to Accommodation and Meal Entertainment packaging).

For more information about WEstjustice, please visit our website (www.westjustice.org.au)

Please apply by 17 December, 5pm, by sending your resume together with a cover letter responding to the key selection criteria in the Position Description to  joe@westjustice.org.au. Alternatively, please call Joseph Nunweek, Legal Director, Economic Justice on 03 9749 7720 for a confidential discussion.

Late applications will not be considered. 

The successful applicant will require a current Working with Children’s Check and a Police Check or be prepared to apply for both. Applicants must possess the right to work in Australia.

WEstjustice is committed to building a diverse workforce. We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people living with a disability, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, mature age workers and LGBTIQ-identifying people. 

Please Note: This position involves out-reach at a partner site/sites which hold an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) exemption. This exemption permits that only women workers may work onsite with women and child clients and extends to onsite partners such as Westjustice.

For a copy of the Position Description, please click here.

Please contact us on (03) 9749 7720 if you wish to make a donation to WEstjustice.

Donations over $2.00 are tax deductable.

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Unfortunately, WEstjustice does not currently have any vacancies.

WEstjustice relies heavily on the work of legal and non-legal volunteers. Volunteer roles include:

• Policy volunteers (at capacity)
• Administrative volunteers (at capacity)
• Paralegal volunteers (at capacity)
• Solicitor volunteers (at capacity)

Skills we require of all of our volunteers include:

• Excellent communication skills
• High attention to detail
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently
• Reliability and punctuality

We ask that volunteers give us a minimum commitment of twelve months.

Demand for volunteer positions may vary.

If there is a position available and you are a suitable candidate, we will contact you. 

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WEstjustice has partnered with Victoria University to offer internships to law students of Victoria University. Our Victoria University internship program offers law students practical experience in working with vulnerable clients with complex needs. Contact WEstjustice on (03) 9749 7720 or admin@westjustice.org.au.

"I am extremely grateful for the knowledge and experience I have gained at WEstjustice Sunshine. I am not only interning alongside fellow VU classmates but we are supervised by lawyers who are passionate about giving youth a voice in the legal system." Clinton, Intern, Sunshine Youth Office, appearing at Melbourne Magistrates Court.

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