Principal Solicitor

About the role
- Lead a medium-sized legal practice supporting women to be safe
- Leaders in trauma informed lawyering in the ACT
- Flexible workplace | Min 4 days p/wk | Canberra based | Relocation assistance

The Organisation

The Women’s Legal Service ACT (WLC) is an innovative, specialist community legal centre providing crucial legal and social support services to women in Canberra. WLC is committed to influencing change and building capability within government and the wider community to improve women’s lives and advance gender equality.

The Centre’s primary practice areas are family, employment and discrimination, and migration law. WLC also offers a specialist program for First Nations women, Mulleun Mura. The Centre delivers a significant proportion of legal services through deep partnerships with health and community services.

Benefits & Culture
- Established service with long-term, secure funding
- Attractive remuneration, generous salary packaging, 5 weeks paid leave
- Feminist workplace and culture, flexible working arrangements
- Passionate, professional and highly dedicated team
- Respectful, values driven environment

The Role

In close collaboration with the CEO, you will lead the direction, management and supervision of WLC’s legal practice, ensuring it is aligned with the Centre’s strategic direction. This includes building organisational capability and managing risk, compliance and the Centre’s reputation within the community sector and legal profession.

You’ll champion the delivery and ongoing development of innovative and trauma-informed legal services and mentor, develop and support Heads of Practice to provide leadership and direction to their teams. Additionally you will:

- Develop and drive pro bono partnerships to support access and outcomes for clients
- Drive and coordinate the Centre’s law reform agenda
- Ensure high-quality legal services across the Centre, including providing technical advice
- Act as a spokesperson and represent the Centre in media and community forums
- Undertake and oversee some complex casework including representation in ACT and Commonwealth Courts and Tribunals

Skills Required

You bring a blend of strategic leadership, management and mentorship experience, together with deep legal practice knowledge and high level technical skills, ideally relevant to family, immigration or employment law. Your background may be community legal, justice leadership or you have relevant experience from working in a law firm or private practice, and you have a demonstrated commitment to social justice issues for women.

With an unwavering focus on risk management, creative and expert legal practice and continuous improvement you also have:

- Eligibility to hold an ACT Unrestricted Practicing Certificate
- Experience supervising legal practitioners and overseeing complex casework
- Interest in coaching, mentoring and developing the leadership capability of senior team members
- High level partnership development, community and stakeholder relations skills
- Commitment to trauma-informed practice and collaboration with other agencies to improve client services and outcomes
- Please note being a woman is a genuine occupational qualification under s34 of the Discrimination Act 1991 (ACT)._
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If you want to use your legal and leadership skills to support women at risk of violence, discrimination and systemic disadvantage, please send your resume together with a cover letter responding to the skills required section above quoting reference #1031421. Alternatively, please call Gemma Schade on 03 8080 8978 for a confidential discussion.
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PBA1

Profession: #Advocacy, #Legal, #Management

Sector: #Families, #Law_Justice_and_Human_Rights, #Women