Join a small but mighty team in a supportive non-profit, helping artists and creatives across Australia!

POSITION: Principal Solicitor, Sydney (office) based

RESPONSIBLE TO: CEO

SALARY: $115,000 (pro rata) per annum (+ salary packaging + superannuation)

LOCATION: Sydney

WORK ARRANGEMENT: Minimum PT equivalent 3 days per week up to full-time, office-based.

STATUS: Part-time

ROLES MANAGED:

• Junior Lawyers

• Law students/interns

• Secondee lawyers

• Paralegals

• Volunteers

KEY RELATIONSHIPS: Clients, CEO, Remote Principal Solicitor – Policy, Funding & Legal Advisory, external law firms, community legal centres and other community stakeholders

Main purpose of role

The Sydney-based Principal Solicitor (Senior Lawyer) is responsible for providing high-quality legal advice and supervising and supporting the delivery of excellent legal services to the organisation’s clients. Reporting to the CEO, this role plays a key part in supervising external legal advice programs, referrals to law firms, and managing triage services. The role will also support the mentoring, training, and management of junior legal staff, volunteers, and paralegals. Additionally, they may contribute to the delivery of private and public education sessions and assist in policy reform initiatives as required. Applicants please note that Arts Law lawyers do not provide representation to clients in the courts; these requests are referred to partner firms.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Legal Advice & Referral Services

• Provide direct legal advice to clients across various legal areas relevant to the organisation’s mission, including but not limited to the areas of copyright and Intellectual Property (IP).

• Supervise the external legal advice program, ensuring smooth coordination of referrals to partner law firms, legal centres and other legal services.

• Assist with managing and delivering all legal service work, ensuring adherence to best practice and client-focused outcomes.

• Handle the triage and referral service, assessing client needs and ensuring they are referred to the most appropriate legal support.

2. Supervision & Team Support

• Assist the CEO in supervising and supporting the daily activities of other lawyers, volunteers, secondees, and paralegals.

• Mentor and train junior lawyers and legal support staff, ensuring continuous professional development within the team.

• Assist in quality assurance processes, ensuring legal advice and case management are aligned with organisational standards.

3. Delegated Duties

• Undertake specific duties and responsibilities as delegated by the CEO, including complex case management and oversight of key projects.

• Support the implementation of legal procedures and operational improvements as directed.

4. Triage & Intake Management

• Lead the triage and intake processes, ensuring clients are properly assessed and referred in a timely and effective manner.

• Assist in developing efficient systems and practices for managing the intake and referral of legal matters.

5. Education & Training Delivery

• Contribute to the development and delivery of legal education sessions for both internal staff and external stakeholders, focusing on areas of legal significance to the organisation’s clients.

• Provide training and guidance to the legal team and other staff members on legal developments, case law, and other relevant topics.

• Travel interstate occasionally as required to facilitate workshops, seminars, and training events for clients and other legal service providers.

6. Policy Reform

• Contribute to policy reform efforts in collaboration with the CEO and Remote Principal Solicitor as required, providing insights from legal practice to support advocacy and reform initiatives or supervising other lawyers or legal staff to do so

• Assist with the preparation of policy submissions and participate in law reform discussions as needed.

Key Objectives – how success will be measured?

• Total throughput of client matters addressed by the organisation

• Response time and quality of matter resolutions

• Client survey results

• Contribution to education and policy initiatives

SELECTION CRITERIA

Skills and Experience

• Admitted legal practitioner who holds an unrestricted Practising Certificate (PC) or holds or is eligible to hold a Principal Practising Certificate in New South Wales, with 7+ years post-admission experience, preferably in community law, not-for-profit or legal aid settings.

• 5+ years’ experience with copyright or Intellectual Property matters.

• Strong experience in providing legal advice, case management, and overseeing legal service delivery.

• Experience in supervising or mentoring junior legal staff, volunteers, and paralegals.

• Demonstrated ability to manage legal referral services, including liaising with external law firms and legal networks.

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to handle multiple matters and responsibilities concurrently.

• Desirable: experience in coaching, tutoring or leading workshops (in any setting).

• Desirable: experience in engagement with First Nations clients and matters.

Personal Attributes

• A commitment to delivering high-quality legal services to underrepresented communities, particularly in the arts and creative sectors.

• Excellent communication and digital skills, with the ability to mentor and guide others.

• Strong leadership and organisational abilities, with a focus on teamwork and collaboration.

• Willingness to contribute to legal education programs and policy reform initiatives