Practice Manager, Family Violence

**Introduction**:
Position Objective

The Practice Manager, Family Violence will work in consultation with the Centre's Executive team to lead and manage the Centre's family violence practice, including the Specialist Family Violence Court Program, Legal Services in the Orange Door Pilot, Glen Eira Mums Project and the CLCFVA general family violence program.

The Practice Manager, Family Violence will manage the Centre's family violence team, including lawyers and paralegals to deliver high
- quality legal services on behalf of the Centre and its client base.

The Practice Manager, Family Violence, role will incorporate some family violence legal services including information, intake & triage, advice, minor assistance, casework, court representation and referral services.

Organisational Context
Peninsula Community Legal Centre (PCLC) is one of 49 community legal centres in Victoria. It operates across six local government area in the south east of Melbourne - Cardinia, Casey, Frankston, Glen Eira, Kingston and Mornington Peninsula. PCLC is headquartered in Frankston and has branch offices in Bentleigh, Cranbourne, Frankston North and Rosebud.

PCLC works to empower and support disadvantaged community members of the South Eastern and Westernport region to use the law and legal system to protect and advance their rights and broaden their awareness of their responsibilities. PCLC offers general legal advice and casework services, specialist family law, tenancy, family violence, rooming house and social work programs, and is active in community legal education and law reform work.

PCLC Vision & Values
Vision
Delivering justice for our community - Promoting and protecting human rights and equality before the law

Values
- Fairness
- Empowerment
- Accessibility
- Respect
- Integrity
- Independence
- Quality

Mission

**PCLC will**:

- Empower and support disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our community to address their legal needs
- Engage and build an ever strengthening and capable legal practice
- Foster and maintain a network of support for the vulnerable and disadvantaged within our community
- Support families in the provision of services that champion child welfare and safety in the eyes of the law
- Deliver a legal service that builds our community toward building one free from violence

Objectives
- Deliver high quality and holistic community legal services, ensuring equity, fairness and justice for all
- Actively engage in systemic advocacy, to promote and enhance human rights and ensure access to justice
- Proactively develop the organisation and its employees to effectively respond to changing community needs
- Innovatively and responsively address increasingly complex legal and social issues impacting upon our community
- Demonstrate leadership within our community and the legal assistance sector

**Description**:
Position Duties

Work collaboratively with the leadership team, and other Practice Managers, to deliver high quality leadership to the operation and continuous improvement of the legal practice to ensure the implementation of the PCLC strategic and operational plans.
Lead a diverse team of family violence legal professionals by effectively managing performance and development with strength, presence and a commitment to a team approach to organisational management.
Continually review and determine the legal needs of PCLC to ensure the provision of a high quality responsive family violence legal service.
Ensure that all legal work within the practice is conducted within the requirements of the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2004 and the relevant Rules, PCLC's professional indemnity insurance and the PCLC's policies and procedures.
Work closely and collaboratively with PCLC's volunteers, including supervision of files, legal volunteer coordination and communications.
Deliver high quality legal advice and casework, advocacy and representation services.
Provide family violence duty lawyer and representation services in accordance with the PCLC's Advice and Casework Guidelines.
Take a leadership role in the PCLC's legal policy development, law reform and community education work.
Proactively build and manage high quality stakeholder relationships with all sectors of the local community, judiciary, legal professionals and associations, government authorities, and all other relevant external agencies.
Work in collaboration with the CEO to manage the funding and data requirements.

**Skills and Experiences**:
Key Selection Criteria

Possess, or is eligible to possess, a current Principal practicing certificate including High Court registration with five years post admission practice.
Demonstrated track record in, or capacity of the management and delivery of a range of legal services and projects.
A proven track record of excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to use those skills to influence and negotiate with people across all levels