First Step Legal Case Manager

42 Carlisle St, St Kilda, Vic. 3182
Phone (03) 9537 3177
Fax (03) 9537 0133
The First Step Program Ltd
ABN 51 093 661 995

***
**Posi&on Descrip&on**
**Posi&on details**

**The Organisa&on**
**First Step Legal** (FSL) started over 10 years ago as a Health Jus8ce Partnership (HJP) within First Step, a
not-for-profit mental health and addic8on clinic in St Kilda. FSL is a unique Community Legal Centre
providing pro bono legal advice, casework and representa8on to among the most marginalised in the
community. In recent years FSL’s services have expanded significantly to incorporate health jus8ce
partnerships with four organisa8ons: the First Step mental health and addic8on clinic; Windana’s
residen8al drug treatment program; Alfred Health’s community mental health outpa8ent clinic; and Star
Health’s Family Violence Program.

FSL is NAS-accredited and a member of the Federa8on of Community Legal Centres. FSL only receives
referrals from our HJP partners.

FSL priori8ses its casework focus on clients who are genuinely engaged or wan8ng to be engaged in
treatment, recovery and therapeu8c interven8ons that will support their ongoing wellbeing.

FSL prac8ces predominantly in rela8on to criminal law and family violence (both vic8ms and
perpetrators), as well as conduc8ng casework in family law, infringements and vic8ms of crime. Many of

**Posi0on Title: Legal Case Manager**

**Purpose **You will work within a cohesive high-performing Health Jus8ce
Partnership team, using your excellent legal and administra8ve skills
at First Step Legal (FSL) to support a dedicated, professional team of
lawyers, staff and students providing quality and compassionate
service delivery to vulnerable and marginalised individuals.

**Classifica0on: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award**
2010 (SCHADS Award) Level 3.4

**Reports to**:Principal Lawyer (see Org Chart)

**Loca0on**:St Kilda + outreach loca8ons (WFH arrangement as per any COVID19
requirements or by agreement)

**Employment Status: 1-year fixed term contract**

**Hours**:0.6-0.8 FTE (22.5-30 hrs per/week)

**Proba0onary period**:6-month proba8onary period applies

our clients have a number of different legal maders. Limited assistance - including discrete advice or a
supported referral may be provided in some areas of law, e.g. tenancy, debt. Secondary consulta8ons
with clinicians at our four HJPs may include referrals for clients with other legal maders.

FSL currently comprises a small close-knit team of the Director (Tania Wolff is currently LIV President), a
Principal Lawyer (Crime/FV), a Prac8ce Manager, Criminal-Generalist Lawyer, Family/FV Lawyer, a Legal
Case manager, a Legal Administrator, an embedded Social Worker and several volunteer paralegals and
lawyers.

The Vision
FSL’s vision is to increase _Access to Jus*ce_ for clients struggling with mental health and addic8on issues to
enable them to access supports to rebuild and improve their lives and by achieving legal and court
outcomes suppor8ve of their con8nued recovery and rehabilita8on in the community. FSL also works to
champion HJPs and therapeu8c, compassionate legal prac8ce via law reform and advocacy opportuni8es.

FSL aims to embody a methodology of prac8ce which values:

- Delivering excellence in the provision of our legal services to clients within a framework of

compassionate legal prac8ce
- Ensuring clients are well-informed about the process and conduct of their legal maders
- Assis8ng clients who are genuinely engaged or wan8ng to be engaged in treatment, recovery and
- therapeu8c interven8ons that will support their ongoing wellbeing
- Giving clients agency in decisions regarding their treatment that best support them and their needs
- Working hard to achieve legal resolu8ons that will support ongoing recovery and rehabilita8on.

**Funding Sources**
FSL receives funding from a variety of sources including philanthropic, corporate, government and quasi
- government sources. This includes Commonwealth Community Legal Services Program (CSLP) funding,
new 2-year NLAP Funding (Responding to Perpetrators of Family Violence), Victorian DOJ funding,
Victorian Legal Services Board (VLSB) (Melbourne University HJP outcome evalua8on) funding.

**The Role in Context**
The **Legal Case Manager** is a pivotal role to support the smooth running of FSL, working closely with all
FSL Lawyers to directly support FSL’s **Case Work** clients as outlined in the Key Responsibili8es. Given the
unusual prac8ce of FSL as a health jus8ce partnership and the important place on therapeu8c
engagement, the role encompasses significant client support and liaison, regular client conferences with
the client and with clinical and support staff to monitor progress. The role reports to the Principal Lawyer
(with a ‘doded line’ report to the** Prac0ce Manager**)**.**

The role sits in tandem with the **Legal Administrator, **who focuses on ini8al triage systems as the key FSL
point of cont