Lead Principal Solicitor

As an employer of choice, the Western Australia Police Force has a number of benefits to offer that can enrich your employment experience.

In addition to your agreed salary and employer superannuation contributions, the WA Police Force offers stability, growth and learning opportunities, work-life balance opportunities, flexible leave options, salary packaging and a fit for life program.

This is a pool recruitment process (Ref This pool will run for a period of twelve (12) months and may be used to fill ongoing fixed term contracts, secondments, acting/relieving and permanent opportunities (full and part-time).

Currently, there is one full-time 12 month temporary secondment/contract available for immediate filling.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Legal Services Division is searching for dynamic and experienced lawyers to join our team. The team provides support across the WA Police Force in relation to, and advising on, criminal law, the criminal investigation statutory frameworks, complex regulatory frameworks and general public liability.

The Team is diffused between three Perth CBD workplaces and any successful applicant will show an ability to work in, and lead, a team at diverse locations with different skills and experiences. The Division also has a number of junior solicitors who will rely on this position to guide them in developing their legal, practice management and client engagement skills.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong communication skills with experience in, or aptitude for, engaging with officers at different levels of seniority across the breadth of the WA Police Force to bring clarity to the law within the operational environment.

The ideal candidate will have a solid background in public liability law or criminal law, with expertise in drafting advice, managing litigation or complex prosecutions, and providing strategic advice to clients. In particular, we are seeking lawyers with specialist skills in any of the following areas:

• Public Liability and General Law –applicants should be able to demonstrate their experience with public liability and general litigation, including in managing complex matters of public interest, leading teams of junior lawyers and advising on highly complicated legal and factual matters.
• Complicated Regulatory Frameworks – applicants should be able to demonstrate their knowledge and experience, including as Counsel if relevant, in significant and complicated regulatory frameworks requiring the analysis of complex factual and legal circumstances and leading junior lawyers to develop their skills in this area.
• Criminal Law – applicants should be able to demonstrate their experience advising on criminal law, and associated statutory frameworks, including as a specialist advisor or, if relevant, Counsel and leading junior lawyers to develop their skills in this area.

The decision on how many offers of employment will be made, at what levels and when, will be determined by business needs.

Please ensure you review the attached Job Description Form (JDF) for further information about the requirements of these positions. This information will assist you with the preparation of your application.

About Us

The WA Police Force has over 10,000 employees located across the largest policing jurisdiction in the world, with 200 police facilities in 15 policing districts across the State. Our priorities are our people, our partnerships and our performance. We are committed to enforcing the law, preventing crime and managing and coordinating emergencies.

The WA Police Force's values of Duty, Teamwork, Integrity and Care are an integral part of how we do business. Alignment with our values should be incorporated within your application.

The Legal Services Division is a growing team of solicitors within the WA Police Force who are relied upon to provide high level legal counsel and advice in a dynamic environment of urgent and competing police priorities. The Legal Services Division provides a one of a kind experience for solicitors, as it advises across the breadth of the WA Police Force, including by providing on the ground assistance with major criminal investigations, complex and sensitive prosecutions and assisting the Commissioner and his Executive Team to deliver high priority projects. Our team sees itself as becoming a workplace of choice for solicitors at all levels as they support the WA Police Force to enforce the law, prevent crime and manage and coordinate emergencies.

The WA Police Force is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages Aboriginal Australians, young people, people of diverse sexualities and genders, people with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and women to apply for positions within our agency. The WA Police Force also promotes and supports flexible, family friendly work practices.

We believe all our people are leaders irrespective of their role. We consider this as critical to our success and, to support this, we have adopted Leadership Expectations which provide a common understanding of the mindsets and expected behaviours required of all our employees and the public sector.

To access information about this position please click on the APPLY button which will redirect you to the full Jobs WA advertisement.

For further job related information please contact Lynsey Warbey on telephone number

Closing date: Friday, 19 September 2025 at 4:00 pm WST. Please note: Emailed, late or pro-forma applications will not be accepted.