Law Clerk

Division: LRLS Law Reform & Legal Services
- Location: Parramatta, NSW, AU, 2150
- Req ID: 76812

**2025 - 2026 Summer Clerkship**

**Policy, Reform and Legislation**
- **Casual Employee - Full-Time (8 weeks) Part-time option available.**:

- **Principally from workplace in Parramatta**with flexible working arrangements available**:

- **Clerk Grade 1/2, Salary - $41.60 per hour ($75,728 - $82,329 pro rata)**

**Your role**

Policy, Reform and Legislation is responsible for ensuring that the legal and policy framework of the Department of the Communities and Justice is aligned with the government's current priorities. This role includes ensuring quality legal policy advice is provided to Ministers, formulating changes to the law, and implementing Ministers’ legislative programs, within the communities and justice sector.

A Summer Clerkship with Policy, Reform and Legislation provides a unique opportunity to be involved in formulating government policy, law reform and Parliamentary practice. You will have hands-on involvement in a range of projects from civil to criminal law policy and legislation development.

**What you’ll do**

A Summer Clerkship with the Policy, Reform and Legislation Branch is suited to students who enjoy working in a fast paced and dynamic workplace, have excelled in a variety of academic and non-academic fields, and are interested in pursuing a career in government or public policy.

Some of the tasks you may be expected to complete include preparing briefing notes for the Attorney General and other ministers, liaising with stakeholders, conducting in-depth analysis on proposed Bills or policy reform, writing speeches, attending meetings and conducting research.
- Applicants will be given the opportunity to express a preference as to rotation through the following teams:
**Law Enforcement and Crime Team**:

- LEC works on criminal law policy largely in the area of domestic violence, sexual assault and vulnerable witnesses. Recent reforms the team was responsible for is the coercive control reforms and the sexual consent reforms.

**Criminal Justice System Team**:

- CJS focuses on longer-term systemic reform within the criminal justice system. The team looks after all things relating to diversion out of the system, bail, sentencing and parole. It is also responsible for specific projects relating to Closing the Gap, digital reform in courts, children and young people, and mental health and cognitive impairment.

**Civil Justice, Vulnerable Communities, and Inclusion Team**:

- CJVCI undertake research, draft legal policy advice and develop legislative and non-legislative projects relating to the civil justice system, including discrimination and guardianship law and provide support for the legislative program for the Attorney General

**Courts, Access to Justice and Regulatory Team**:

- The team works on a wide variety of policy and reform areas including courts and tribunals, criminal and civil procedures, specialist jurisdictions (e.g., the Walama List, Drug Court and coronial jurisdiction), privacy and new technologies, how the legal profession is regulated and strategy and funding around the legal assistance sector.

**What we’re looking for**
- A strong academic record
- Well-developed legal research and writing skills
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, and
- A demonstrated interest in law reform and policy development
- Download the role description and frequently asked questions.

**What We Offer**
- We offer a variety of benefits, including:

- A challenging and rewarding career
- Flexible, autonomous work environment
- Competitive pay and conditions
- Training and development opportunities to build and maintain capabilities
- Health & Wellbeing and Employee Assistance Programs.
- Want more information? Visit our website to see more information on Working for us.

**We do work that really matters**
- Working for the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) provides lots of opportunities to make a real difference. We collaborate with other agencies and community partners, to improve lives and realise the potential of children, adults, families and communities. We're focused on breaking, rather than managing, disadvantage. It’s work that really matters.

**Are you ready to join us?**
- Click apply, attach an up-to-date résumé (maximum 5 pages) and a cover letter (maximum 3 pages) addressing the 2 targeted questions below with a brief outline on how you meet the requirements of the role:

- Policy officers often need to research complex legal or policy concepts. How would you approach researching a complex concept, and communicating your findings to a colleague?
- Describe a time when you had to balance competing priorities. What would you do as a clerk if two senior policy officers allocated you multiple tasks of high priority?

**Applications close**: Sunday, 24 August 2025 at 11:59 pm AEST**.

**Got a question?**
- Visit Recruitment adjustments on the DCJ we