Legal Advisor for Trauma-Informed Services

About the Role

The Senior Lawyer will provide high-quality legal services to clients in a culturally safe and appropriate manner within a trauma-informed and multi-disciplinary framework.

This role delivers frontline legal services and casework assistance and reports directly to the Managing Lawyer in the relevant office and assists that role in providing support, mentoring, and professional supervision to other lawyers in the legal team.

The role works collaboratively as a member of the national legal team and within Knowmore's multi-disciplinary model, working alongside other teams delivering intake, social work, and cultural support services to clients.

At times, the role will also work with other partner services to support clients.

The role will advise clients who are survivors of child sexual abuse about redress and compensation options, including redress claims under the National Redress Scheme, and acting for clients making such claims.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality advice and representation to clients in relation to the legal issues arising from their experience of sexual abuse, including in relation to their redress options, undertaking a significant caseload, and working with clients with complex needs.
• Support the Managing Lawyer to lead Knowmore's service delivery to clients in a local office and to work cooperatively with Knowmore's other teams to ensure clients' legal and related needs are identified and actioned in an effective and consistent way and all timelines are met.
• Contribute as a professional member of a national legal practice; ensuring compliance by self and supervised legal staff with professional and corporate responsibilities, including the rules and requirements of relevant legal profession legislation and the Community Legal Centre Risk Management Guide.
• Assist the Managing Lawyer in conducting regular file reviews and monitoring and contributing to the development and continuous improvement of service delivery standards, policies, and precedents.
• Ensure all relevant service data is recorded.
• Support the development of effective working relationships and referral arrangements with other service providers.
• Undertake legal research and drafting to support Knowmore's contributions to law reform and policy and procedural initiatives relating to its client group, including through the identification of issues arising from practice.
• Assist in the preparation and delivery of community legal education and other engagement activities and materials, working cooperatively and collaboratively with non-legal service providers and other staff and external partners to raise awareness and provide information about Knowmore's services and common issues facing the client group.
• Assist in the day-to-day supervision and coordination of the activities of volunteers and pro bono providers.
• Proactively manage own self-care and workload and model a commitment to self-care and resilience.

Knowmore's Approach

Our Lawyers work closely with our Social Workers and Counsellors, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Advisers, and Financial Counsellors to ensure our clients' needs are met.

You can confidently focus on providing trauma-informed legal services knowing that these other teams are providing additional support and advice.

Our work is underpinned by our values of respect, teamwork, courage, integrity, and innovation.

What We Offer

• We know that in working with people who have experienced trauma, it is essential that our workplaces and employment conditions are also trauma-informed.
• Our workplaces provide time-out spaces for our people to take a break and recharge.
• Annual locality bonus for Darwin-based staff
• 5 weeks of annual leave, with 17.5% leave loading
• Paid office shutdown from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day (not deducted from annual leave)
• Above-industry personal and cultural leave entitlements
• Flexible working arrangements available after probation, including hybrid work (2 days WFH per week, pro-rated for part-time)
• Access to paid external supervision, in addition to regular internal supervision
• Generous professional development support, including:
  • A professional development budget equivalent to 2% of your salary
  • Access to core training programs
• Competitive salary, with not-for-profit salary packaging options, including general expenses, meals, and entertainment, parking, and novated leases
• 12% superannuation on base salary, including an additional 0.5% above the standard guaranteed rate

Our Staff Say About Us