Salary Offering: VALS LC Level 1.1 - 1.3 $97 ,992 - $102 ,319 plus 11.5% Superannuation.

Applications Closes on 18th May 2025.

Additional Benefits:

17.5% Leave Loading

5 extra days leave on top of 20 days annual leave

Only required to work 35 hours per week, any extra hours worked will be calculated as your Time In Lieu (TOIL) – which you may use as additional leave hours

Access to company vehicles for any work-related trips

Salary packaging is available via Maxxia

Office Locations: High Street, Preston

Full-time with option to extend based on funding and performance.

This position may require regional and very occasional interstate travel.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE:

Senior Criminal Lawyers are to provide high quality legal services, including duty lawyer services, representation, advice and information in criminal law matters to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Victoria. You will be operating as part of an integrated and diverse team that includes junior lawyers, senior lawyers, administration staff and client service officers.

Responsibilities

Appear as a senior advocate in various courts including the Children’s Court, Magistrates Court, County Court and Koori Courts in order to represent clients of VALS in criminal matters.

Deliver a quality legal service by conducting casework in criminal law matters, including serious indictable matters, for members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

You will be required to travel across Victoria to deliver services to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Sometimes this travel will occur outside of usual business hours and on weekends. Use of a VALS vehicle is available for this travel and a driver’s licence is required.

Participate in the on call after hours roster (“Night phone”) and provide emergency advice to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community in Victoria.

Appear for clients at remand court. At times this will require duty lawyer shifts on a rotating seven-day (including evenings, weekends and public holidays) roster.

Supervise and mentor staff working in the area of criminal law and contribute to the organisation in professional legal education and training.

Ability to act in the Managing Lawyer or Principal Managing Lawyer position in a higher duties capacity if required.

Participate in community legal education projects, law reform and other VALS projects as required.

Participate in regular team meetings.

Contribute to the collaborative relationship between Victoria Legal Aid and other community organizations with whom VALS interacts.

Keep up to date with relevant legal developments and procedures by attending professional legal education programs and maintain an understanding of issues impacting the justice system and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

As directed, undertake other duties which are incidental and peripheral to the main tasks, provided that such duties are reasonably within the employee’s skills, competence and training.

Personal accountability

Compliance with all VALS values, code of conduct, policies and procedures and relevant government legislation and standards where relevant.

Demonstrate a commitment to the principles of social justice and aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their background, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion.

Ensure appropriate use of resources.

Actively participate in initiatives to maintain, build upon and promote a positive and collaborative workplace.

Take reasonable care for your own health & safety, and health and safety of others (to extent required)

Maintain own self-care and wellbeing with support of line management.

Promptly respond to and report health and safety hazards, incidents and near misses to management.

Attend mandatory training sessions (ie. equal employment opportunity, health and safety, cultural safety) and mandatory training specific to position.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

On offer of this position, you must provide:

Copy of your current Employee Working with Children Card.

You will be required to complete a current Criminal History Police Check.

Up to date vaccination certificate or valid medical exemption

Proof of rights to work in Australia, i.e., a copy of an Australian Passport, Birth Certificate, or Immigration VISA documentation

Current valid Victorian Driver’s Licence

Copies of any certificates or degrees relevant to this role

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply for this opportunity, please provide:

A covering letter outlining who you are and why you are suited to this position.

A statement addressing each of the key selection criteria – applications submitted without a statement addressing the key selection criteria will not be accepted. Please note the key selection criteria is found within the position description.

Your resume detailing your education and professional experience and two referees.

Please submit your application to [email protected] using the subject line: Senior Lawyer - Criminal Law

We do not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. No (search) fee will be paid in the event we hire a candidate whose resume is submitted by an employment agency to any of our employees without a valid written recruitment agreement. Such resumes shall be deemed the sole property of VALS.

To learn more about us, head to https://www.vals.org.au/about-vals/

For more details about our other roles, check our careers website: https://www.vals.org.au/careers/