Senior Solicitor - Practice Lead - Policing

• Sydney based
• Permanent, full time with part time considered
• Supervision: Assistant or Principal Solicitor

Redfern Legal Centre

Redfern Legal Centre is a non-profit community legal centre that promotes social justice and creates change. We provide free legal advice, legal services and education to people experiencing disadvantage in New South Wales. We drive innovation and change through policy and law reform work to address inequalities in the legal system, policies and social practices that cause disadvantage.

We provide effective and integrated free legal services that are client focussed, collaborative, non-discriminatory and responsive to changing community needs - to our local community as well as state-wide. Our specialist legal services focus on tenancy, credit, debt and consumer law, financial abuse, employment law, international students, First Nations justice, police accountability, and provide outreach services including through our health justice partnership.

Position Overview

The Senior Solicitor, Practice Lead – Police Accountability and Generalist Practice, manages the policing and generalist practices, including supervision of junior solicitors, and provides advice, casework, education and law reform activities in policing to local residents and people experiencing disadvantage across NSW. The role involves significant stakeholder relationships and driving innovative advocacy and policy strategies and litigation to achieve change.

Position Responsibilities

1. Conduct, review and supervise advice and casework in policing and generalist law, including the preparation of complaints and appearances in minor criminal matters.
2. Supervise solicitors conducting advice and casework, community legal education and policy and advocacy work in the policing and generalist practices.
3. Supervise solicitor volunteers who provide advice to clients, including liaising with pro bono firms, providing induction and training and signing off on legal advices.
4. Prepare publications such as fact sheets and website material to assist clients to understand their rights.
5. Conduct training on police powers for community workers, support workers and client/target group(s).
6. Identify and drive systemic policy and law reform work to achieve change in relation to police accountability.
7. Develop and undertake test cases in relation to police accountability.
8. Contribute to Redfern Legal Centre through attendance at staff meetings, contribution to board and funding reports, assistance with intake including intake supervision shifts, and contribution to the effective implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

1. Qualified to practice as a solicitor in NSW, holds or is eligible to hold a current practicing certificate and at least 4 years post-admission experience in relevant areas of law.
2. Demonstrated ability to take initiative, accept responsibility, and work with limited supervision providing advice and conducting casework in relation to policing matters.
3. Capacity to supervise junior solicitors conducting policing and generalist legal work.
4. Demonstrated ability to conduct community legal education, policy and law reform work including identifying systemic issues and drafting policy and law reform submissions.
5. Demonstrated ability to communicate and negotiate effectively with clients and relevant government and community organisations.
6. Demonstrated ability to work with clients experiencing disadvantage and systemic barriers, particularly First Nations people.
7. Commitment to the objectives of Community Legal Centres.

Conditions

Salary and benefits: $127,841 to $144,878 p.a. (pro rata for part time) depending on qualifications and experience.

Superannuation and annual leave loading are paid in addition to this and salary packaging is available.

Redfern Legal Centre offers a 35-hour working week, time in lieu options and a paid end of year closure of two weeks (including public holidays) on top of four weeks annual leave. We prioritise staff wellbeing through external debrief supervision, a generous training and professional development budget and flexible working conditions.

Applications

Applications close: 9am, on the closing date.

Redfern Legal Centre is a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applications from First Nations applicants, people from diverse cultural backgrounds and people with disability.

Your application should be no more than six pages long and should include a cover letter, your resume and must include responses to the selection criteria included in the job description.

Inquiries should be directed to Alexis Goodstone on Alexis@rlc.org.au using the subject line: Senior Solicitor - Practice Lead - Policing enquiry via EthicalJobs.