Company description:

Legal Aid

Job description:

• $154,403 - $157,430pa (plus superannuation and leave loading)
• Ongoing Full-time
• Lismore Office (hybrid work arrangements available, up to 4 days on site as needed)

About us

Legal Aid NSW delivers accessible legal services across criminal, family and civil law. We provide advice, court representation, and family dispute resolution through 28 offices and phone-based support, helping people navigate the legal system with confidence and fairness.

Join our dedicated team at the Lismore Legal Aid office, where you'll make a meaningful impact supporting vulnerable communities in the Northern Rivers region. Lismore offers a relaxed lifestyle surrounded by rainforests, national parks, and beautiful beaches, with a strong sense of community and affordable living. Our office provides a supportive and collaborative environment, ideal for professionals seeking rewarding work in family law, care and protection, and other areas of social justice. It's a great opportunity to combine purpose-driven legal practice with a balanced regional lifestyle.

About the role

Promote effective communication between family law staff in metropolitan and regional offices, Associate Directors (if relevant), and family law executive to achieve Legal Aid NSW service delivery goals.

Advise on and co-ordinate the effective planning and management of the resources of Legal Aid NSW across the allocated regional area, to meet client needs and deliver quality and consistent services in accordance with the organisation's policies and standards.

About you

You are an experienced family law solicitor with a proven ability to manage a busy and complex family law practice while leading and supervising other family law solicitors. You bring a strong commitment to delivering high-quality legal services and have the confidence to engage effectively with external stakeholders. Your leadership style is collaborative and supportive, with a genuine enthusiasm for mentoring and developing staff. As the leader of the Family Law Team in the Northern Rivers, you will coordinate resources to meet client needs and uphold service standards. You thrive in a dynamic, integrated office environment and value cross-practice collaboration, working closely with other Senior Solicitors and Managers in the Lismore office. Motivated and community-focused, you are driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact and are committed to continuous learning and professional growth. Your adaptability, professionalism, and team-oriented mindset will make you a valued contributor to our organisation.

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN LEGAL AID NSW!

We are committed to diversity and inclusion

We are committed to creating a culturally safe and genuinely inclusive organisation and workplace for everyone who works and interacts with us. We strive to be a place where people from diverse backgrounds want to work, where voices and cultures are valued and where people feel valued, welcomed, respected and heard.

We want a workforce that reflects our clients, so we can deliver a service that meets the needs of the community. We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds — including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, the LGBTQI+ community, culturally diverse people and other diverse communities.

We acknowledge, support and accommodate the diverse access needs of people with visible and invisible disabilities.

For application support (including accessing information or require the application in an alternate format) or recruitment adjustments please contact the Talent Acquisition Team at [email protected] or 02 9134 9347.

To learn more about Recruitment and Workplace Adjustments please visit Adjustments for individual needs | I Work for NSW.

Other benefits of working with us

• You will have access to training, development and mentoring opportunities.
• We are an accredited Flex Ready and Carers and Employers certified employer and are recognised as leaders in flexible work. Most of our staff work flexibly — for example, from home some of the time or in a way that helps them balance family and work life
• Find out more at Working at Legal Aid NSW

The essential requirements for this role

You must:

• be admitted or be eligible for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW
• be able to provide a current NSW Practising Certificate before you start work with us
• be willing to do a Criminal Record Check and Working with Children Check
• hold Australian or NZ citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency (for ongoing vacancies)
• have a valid Driver Licence and/or capacity to travel regularly, and to regional and remote areas

The Family Law Division have several roles where it is a statutory obligation for staff to hold a valid Working with Children Check. You will be required to provide your Working with Children Check details prior to commencement in any role requiring the check.

How to apply

You must submit your application online. Applications received late or by email, will not be accepted. Please make sure your application is complete, and that you have answered all questions before submitting.

Your application must include:

• your resume (no more than 5 pages)
• cover letter (no more than 2 pages). In your cover letter, please respond to the following 2 targeted questions:

• Target Question 1: Outline your experience in conducting a complex family law and care and protection litigation practice
  
  
• Target Question 2: What do you perceive to be the challenges of managing a regional family law practice or team? How do your skills and experience enable you to meet those challenges?

Clearly label your responses to each Target Question - for example, by using headings such as Target Question 1 and Target Question 2. Cover Letters that do not clearly label responses may be considered as not having addressed the Target Questions.

We may use this recruitment to create a talent pool for similar ongoing or temporary vacancies we have over the next 18 months.

Do you need help to apply?

If you have questions about the role, you can reach out to Rachael Thomas, Solicitor In Charge, Crime, on (02) 6620 7126 or email [email protected]

If you are an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are thinking about applying, you can contact Legal Aid NSW Aboriginal Services Branch to arrange a confidential conversation about any questions you may have.

The Role Description sets out the responsibilities and Focus Capabilities of the role.

The focus capabilities and key accountabilities in the role description indicate what is expected at that level. Being familiar with these will help you understand what the panel will be looking for in the successful candidate.

Applying for a role is a great NSW Government resource for helping you prepare your application.

Closing Date: Tuesday 4 November 2025 at 11.59pm