Senior Solicitor / Practice Lead – Health Justice Partnership

• Status: Permanent full-time role with part-time arrangements may be considered.
• Hours: 35 hours per week
• Location: Liverpool, Bankstown and Fairfield, with hybrid work across ACDL’s office and SWSLHD sites
• Salary: $145,000 – $160,000 pro rata for part time, plus 12% superannuation, salary packaging, an additional three weeks’ paid ex gratia leave over the Christmas / New Year period, and access to flex/TIL leave.
• Reports to: Principal Solicitor

Australian Centre for Disability Law

The Australian Centre for Disability Law is a specialist community legal centre that promotes and protects the rights of people with disability and their associates. We provide free legal advice, legal services, community legal education and law reform advocacy to people experiencing disadvantage because of their disability.

ACDL’s Health Justice Partnership (HJP) within South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD), works with community mental health services to identify legal issues early, provide practical legal help and improve outcomes for people whose legal problems affect their health, safety and wellbeing.

Position overview

The Senior Solicitor, Practice Lead – Health Justice Partnership both manages and supervises staff within ACDL’s HJP legal practice across Liverpool and Bankstown and other locations in the South-Western Sydney Local Health district. The role involves the provision of legal advice and services to clients, legal practice leadership, supervising solicitors, oversees advice and casework within the practice, and is responsible for the quality, governance and professional accountability of legal services delivered through the practice.

This is a senior leadership role suitable for an experienced community lawyer who can take initiative, accept responsibility and work with limited supervision. The role also involves building and maintaining significant stakeholder relationships with health and legal partners, strengthening referral pathways, supporting multidisciplinary practice and acting as the nominated person to approve and sign off legal services delivered throughout the HJP practice.

Position responsibilities

1. Maintain a caseload of clients from time to time, and both manage and supervise the HJP legal practice across Liverpool, Bankstown and other sites as required.
2. Conduct, review and supervise legal advice, casework, referrals and representation in relevant areas of civil law affecting people experiencing mental health concerns.
3. Supervise solicitors delivering advice, casework, community legal education, secondary consultation and stakeholder engagement through the HJP practice.
4. Act as the nominated person responsible for approving and signing off legal services delivered through the HJP practice, including advice, casework and other legal assistance requiring senior authorisation.
5. Provide practice leadership on file management, legal risk, ethical issues, professional judgement, quality assurance and escalation of complex or sensitive matters.
6. Build and maintain strong working relationships with SWSLHD staff, community legal centres, legal assistance services, pro bono partners and other referral agencies.
7. Oversee outreach service delivery, appointment systems, referral pathways and consistent client access across HJP locations.
8. Deliver training, secondary consultations and practical legal information to health staff, community workers and partner organisations.
9. Prepare or contribute to resources, reports, evaluation material, policy work, law reform and community legal education relevant to the HJP.
10. Contribute to ACDL’s organisational planning, staff meetings, funding reports, compliance obligations and continuous improvement of legal practice systems.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential:

1. Qualified to practise as a solicitor in NSW, holding or eligible to hold a current NSW unrestricted practising certificate, with at least 5 years post-admission experience in relevant civil or community legal practice.
2. Demonstrated capacity to manage and supervise a legal practice or legal team, including solicitors conducting advice, casework, outreach, community legal education and stakeholder work.
3. Ability to take responsibility for practice standards, legal risk, file review, professional supervision, quality assurance and sign-off of legal services.
4. Strong experience in areas of law affecting people experiencing mental health conditions, such as fines, credit and debt, tenancy, guardianship, family and domestic violence, employment, discrimination or minor criminal law.
5. Demonstrated ability to take initiative, accept responsibility and work with limited supervision in a senior legal practice role.
6. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to work effectively with health professionals, community organisations, legal services and people experiencing disadvantage.
7. Commitment to social justice, disability rights, trauma-informed practice, cultural safety and client-centred legal assistance.
8. Strong file management, reporting, evaluation and compliance skills, including the ability to contribute to funding reports and service improvement.

Desirable

• Experience in a community legal centre, HJP, mental health setting or multidisciplinary service environment.
• Experience managing outreach services, place-based legal services or legal partnerships across more than one location.
• Experience with Section 14 applications, civil litigation, mediation, conciliation or tribunal advocacy or criminal law
• Understanding of trauma-informed, recovery-oriented and culturally safe practice.
• Current driver licence.

Why work with ACDL?

This is an opportunity to lead a specialist legal program that provides practical legal help to people experiencing mental health concerns and disadvantage across South Western Sydney.

You will supervise committed solicitors, shape place-based legal service delivery across the SWSLHD, and contribute to systemic advocacy, law reform and service innovation in a supportive community legal centre environment.

Pre-employment checks

The successful applicant will be required to complete relevant pre-employment checks, including a criminal record check, Working with Children Check and NSW Health contingent worker requirements.

How to apply

Please submit your CV and a concise cover letter addressing the essential knowledge, skills and experience via the "Apply Now" button.

For enquiries, contact Mark Patrick on 0491 232 970 or via email: jobs@disabilitylaw.org.au using the subject line: Senior Solicitor / Practice Lead – Health Justice Partnership enquiry via EthicalJobs.

People with disability and their associates, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with lived experience of the issues affecting our clients are strongly encouraged to apply.

Suitable candidates may be interviewed as applications are received.

This position description is intended to describe the key responsibilities of the role. Duties may vary from time to time to meet organisational, funding and service delivery requirements.