Senior Solicitor V – Property transactions and advising

1 x Temporary Role (up to 12 months with a possibility with conversion to ongoing) based in the Sydney CBD*

Flexible working + annual leave 20 days + additional flex leave (up to 18 days per year)

An exciting opportunity to collaborate with a team of dedicated legal professionals. Benefit from mentorship, guidance, and opportunities that will help you grow and diversify your professional skills while acting for NSW Government clients.

Salary Classification/Grade: Senior Solicitor (Legal Officer Grade V)
Salary Range: $149,906 - $152,845 p.a. (excluding employer’s contribution to superannuation and annualised leave loading.)
Employment Status: Full time (35 hours per week) temporary (up to 12 months, with the possibility of conversion to ongoing)

*Location: Our primary place of work is the CSO Office located at 60-70 Elizabeth Street, Sydney. Please note we will be relocating to a new premises located at Parkline Place, 252 Pitt Street, Sydney in July 2026.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced solicitor with expertise in acting for clients across various conveyancing transactions and providing advice in relation to complex property and planning and environmental law issues.

This recruitment will be used to fill an immediate full-time vacancy and may create a talent pool.

As a Senior Solicitor (Legal Officer Grade V) in Property and Native Title Practice Group you will be responsible for acting for NSW Government clients in complex and bespoke conveyancing transactions, providing advice on property, conveyancing, environmental and planning law issues, and supervision of early-career and junior practitioners in property and conveyancing, including:

Coordinating arrangements and preparations for conveyancing transactions, including monitoring time (to meet strict service level requirements), conducting settlements on behalf of the State using e-conveyancing platforms, and managing post settlement actions.

Preparation and maintenance of precedents.

Client liaison concerning workflow and outcomes.

Costs control and monitoring.

Keeping up to date with developments in the law.

Training internal staff, including early-career practitioners.

The Property and Native Title Practice Group also advises and represents NSW Government agencies in:

property transactions and litigation,

all native title and Aboriginal land rights matters for the State,

matters involving Crown land, and

compulsory acquisitions and land valuation appeals.

The ideal candidate will have high level skills and experience enabling the provision of advice and representation in transactional matters. You have leadership skills enabling the supervision of junior solicitors and clerks in the practice group to ensure the provision of high-quality, cost-effective, client-focused legal and conveyancing services. The successful candidate will possess strong communication skills and be able to confidently collaborate with a diverse range of customers, colleagues, and senior management.

For more information about the role of a Legal Officer Grade V in the Crown Solicitor’s Office click here.

Essential Requirements:

Completion of a law degree from an accredited law school or completion of the Legal Practitioners Admission Board’s Diploma in Law Course

Admission or eligibility for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW.

Well-developed skills and experience which enable the provision of legal advice and representation in property, conveyancing, environmental and planning law matters.

Undertake Criminal Record Check and Working with Children Check.

How to apply:

For your application to be considered, you must submit your application online and include:

- A current resume.

- A cover letter (limited to 2 pages) outlining your interest and suitability for the role,

- Response to questions when prompted in the application portal.

The selection process may include a range of assessment techniques to assist hiring managers in determining your suitability for the role.

You can request adjustments throughout each step of the recruitment process. If you require any adjustments or alternative formats to participate in the process, please contact Margaret Ters, Talent Acquisition Partner on 0427 413 924 or email [email protected] to further discuss.

A recruitment pool may be created from this recruitment action for ongoing and temporary roles for this role or similar roles that may become available over the next 18 months.

Closing date: Sunday, 11 May 2025 (AEST 11:59 PM)

Recruitment enquires: Margaret Ters, Talent Acquisition Partner, [email protected]

Why work for CSO?

The CSO provides high-quality and cost-effective legal services to the NSW Government and its agencies. As a trusted legal advisor to the NSW Government, our principal role is to

advise and represent agencies so that they can deliver policies, programs and projects in a lawful, effective and efficient manner.

We act with integrity and professional independence, guided by the government sector's core values. We are focussed on providing excellent client service and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. We also provide our people with opportunities to learn, develop and adapt within an inclusive and supportive environment.

For more information about the CSO click here

Our commitment to flexible working:

The CSO has adopted a teams-based approach to flexible working. We recognise that everyone has different needs and preferences, and our flexible work culture allows you to adapt your work routine to suit you. We’re all about flexibility, productivity and driving good client outcomes.

We have generous leave provisions available for our employees that acknowledge individual preferences and responsibilities including:

Up to 20 days recreation leave and up to 18 days flex leave per annum

20 days purchased leave annually

Inclusive paid parental leave provisions of up to 16 weeks (14 weeks + 2 bonus weeks) which can be taken flexibly within the first 24 months to support the birth, adoption, altruistic surrogacy or permanent out-of-home care placement of a child

Study time of up to 4 hours per week

Extended Leave of up to 44 days after 10 years or up to 30.8 days after 7 years of service.

How we support health & wellbeing:

We offer an employee assistance program to support the wellbeing of employees in the workplace and in their personal lives, which also extends to family members

Coaching services are available for people leaders and executives to learn and implement best practices to manage their team’s wellbeing

We offer an annual Flu Vaccination program

We provide access to the Fitness Passport program, a discounted workplace health and fitness program available to staff and their families

CSO's commitment to diversity

At CSO, we believe a diverse and inclusive workforce contributes to the success of our organisation and we are committed to ensuring that our workforce reflects our diverse community.

We welcome and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, including people with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the LGBTQIA+ community, culturally and linguistically diverse people, veterans and other diverse communities.