Principal Solicitor - Sexual Violence Legal Service

The Organisation
  
The Women’s Legal Centre ACT is an innovative, specialist community legal centre providing crucial legal and social support services to women, trans and gender diverse people in Canberra and committed to our vision to keep women safe, strong and in control of their lives.
  
The Sexual Violence Legal Service is a nation leading service, delivered in partnership with Victim Support ACT. It delivers legal assistance to people subjected to violence within a multi-disciplinary service model, with a focus on people engaged in the criminal justice processes. Lawyers in the service work together with Victim Support Advocates to provide integrated and trauma-informed support to clients.

  
Benefits & Culture

• Attractive remuneration, generous salary packaging, 5 weeks paid leave
• Annual health and wellbeing allowance, paid cultural and reproductive health leave
• Genuine commitment to a flexible and respectful working environment
• Permanent role within a well-established, sector leading service
• New office with modern facilities, supportive of women, trans and gender diverse people and their children 

The Role
  
Working in close collaboration with the executive team to develop and deliver on strategy, you will lead and drive the Sexual Violence Legal Service (SVLS) and manage a multidisciplinary team to deliver groundbreaking legal advice and representation to people subjected to sexual violence.
  
You’ll champion the growth of the SVLS practice and along with your team deliver ongoing innovative and trauma-informed legal support services. Additionally, you will: 

• Supervise and mentor a small team of legal practitioners working collaboratively with victim support advocates
• Manage a caseload of matters including representation in ACT courts and facilitate the resolution of complex case matters
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders within the criminal justice institutions and frontline services agencies
• Lead law reform, public interest and advocacy work
• Represent the Centre in local and national law reform forums

Skills Required
  
You bring a creative blend of management and mentorship experience, together with deep legal practice knowledge and high-level technical skills relevant to criminal law. You have a vision for improving criminal justice with a focus on safety, respect, choice and empowerment for people subjected to sexual violence. You also have: 

• Eligibility to hold an ACT Unrestricted Practicing Certificate
• Experience in criminal law practice and demonstrated ability to deliver high quality complex legal advice and representation in relation to sexual assault matters
• Experience leading service delivery, supervising legal practitioners and overseeing complex casework
• High level stakeholder relationship skills including collaboration with partners and community advocates
• Strong systems thinking including the ability to analyse existing laws and policies and identify gaps and reforms to better protect people subjected to sexual violence
• Commitment to trauma-informed practice, reflection and self-care practices

The Centre highly values lived experience of intersectionality and welcomes applications from First Nations women, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds, and women of colour and women with other relevant lived experience.


If you want to use your legal and leadership skills to improve the experience and outcomes of people subjected to sexual violence in the criminal justice system, please submit your resume together with a cover letter responding to the skills required section above quoting 1343361 or call Debbie Jardine at NGO Recruitment on (02) 8243 0570. 

As there is no formal closing date for this role, if you are interested we would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

NGO Recruitment values equitable recruitment practices and is committed to representing candidates reflective of the diverse organisations and communities we work with. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds, ages, and identities, and are happy to adjust our recruitment process to support accessibility needs. If you are interested in this position and have most of the skills or experience we are looking for, please go ahead and apply.