Senior Police Lawyer

About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain experience working as a Senior Police Lawyer in the Specialist Legal & Litigation Division of Legal Services, Victoria Police. Our vision is to be a centre of prosecutorial and legal excellence, with people who are recognised as being fair, just and valued partners in the Victorian justice system.

Legal Services provides legal services and advice to support policing, courts, and the Victorian community. Legal Services is led by an Executive Director (who is also the organisation's General Counsel) and employs over 800 staff spread across four divisions – the Office of the Executive Director; the Specialist Legal and Litigation Division; the Courts & Prosecution Services Division; and the Legal Business Operations Division.

The Civil Litigation Unit within Legal Services currently has one (1) full-time ongoing Senior Police Lawyer position available.

The Civil Litigation Unit is responsible for the management and coordination of civil proceedings including litigation and coronial inquests directed at Victoria Police and individual members as a consequence of the performance of policing duties, as well as judicial review matters. Furthermore, the Civil Litigation Unit is also responsible for reviewing proposals for legislative reforms when it directly relates to our main functions.

As a Senior Police Lawyer, you will be required to work autonomously, and work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders. Further, you will need to have management skills to provide supervision to a small team of junior members. You will be required to have civil litigation experience to advise internally and be able to represent Victoria Police's interests to a variety of external stakeholders.

Victoria Police is a contemporary and agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements.

Your duties will include:

• Supervising and mentoring other Police Lawyer/s ensuring the effective management of their files.
• Case managing complex files on behalf of Victoria Police, including civil litigation, coronial and judicial review matters, including identifying and mitigating legal risks to Victoria Police.
• Liaising with and instructing law firms engaged on behalf of Victoria Police in litigation, inquests and other matters.
• Liaising with the law firms engaged on behalf of Victoria Police and members involved in litigation, inquests, and other matters, including providing advice and instructions in relation to these proceedings.
• Preparing and/or reviewing briefings and advice to senior management to inform their decision-making regarding litigation, inquests and other legal matters in which Victoria Police has an interest.
• Assisting with project management work, including the development, improvement and ongoing management of policies and procedures for the Unit and the Unit's engagement with external stakeholders.
• Reviewing draft legislation and providing legal advice.

As the successful applicant, you will have:

• Admission to practice as an Australian Lawyer and possess a current Australian practising certificate which authorises the holder to supervise legal practice by others (unrestricted), or is eligible to apply, and make application for, an unrestricted Australian practising certificate within 3 months of commencement.
• Highly developed conceptual, analytical, interpersonal, and written and oral communication skills.
• Proven ability to provide authoritative legal advice on complex and challenging legal and policy issues.
• Experience in, or strong understanding and knowledge of, civil litigation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coordinate and motivate as a senior member of the team.
• Knowledge of the Victoria Police operating environment and organisational structure would be advantageous.

Requirements and relevant information:

• One (1) x full-time, ongoing position available.
• The salary range for a VPS4 role is $100,894 p.a. to $114,476 p.a. (covering salary ranges VPSG4).  Although it is standard practice for selected candidates to commence at the base of the salary range, genuine consideration will be given to a commencement salary within the available range that is commensurate with the successful candidate's knowledge, skills and experiences. This will be subject to negotiations with the Hiring Manager in the course of the selection process and may include the provision of evidence of a higher income and/or supporting documentation (as required).
• This position is located at Victoria Police Centre, 311 Spencer Street, Docklands.
• The successful applicant will be required to undergo National Security Vetting, achieve and maintain a security classification as determined by the Department Head. To achieve this, applicants must be an Australian Citizen.
• The successful applicant will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening.
• As a member of the Legal Services Department you will be located, on selection, at a specific office within a Division for a particular advertised opportunity. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department.  This supports the Departments commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce and professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains.

Your application must include:

• Resume;
• Completed application form – the word document (2. Application form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement.
• Current Unrestricted Practicing Certificate.

Applications close midnight, Monday 21 September 2026.

Please Note: All applications will need to be submitted through one of the following platforms: Victorian Government careers website (careers.vic.gov.au) or seek.com.au. Applications will not be accepted via other platforms or email.

For further information, please contact: Acting Managing Principal Lawyer Nicholas Cox on (03) 8533 0667 or ************@police.vic.gov.au.

No recruitment agencies please.

We welcome applications from people with disability and aim to support an inclusive recruitment experience. If you require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirement/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process (including an alternate method of submission of the application), please contact VPS Recruitment via email **************@police.vic.gov.au or on (03) 8335 6***.

About Us:

Victoria Police has a dedicated workforce of more than 22,000 employees consisting of police, protective services officers, police custody officers, and public service staff. Each employee plays a vital role in providing the 24/7, 365 days a year emergency response and public safety capability the organisation delivers to its community. As a Victoria Police employee, you have a dedication and commitment to community safety. 

Victoria Police is committed to creating a workplace that is safe and inclusive of all our people.  We empower and expect our people, at all levels, to develop interpersonal connections and collaborate, use sound judgement, and create and innovate.

In alignment with the principle of self-determination, Victoria Police is dedicated to enhancing our collaboration with the Aboriginal community in Victoria as we build a culturally safe and inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We continue to engage and build relationships with local Aboriginal communities and work closely with them to enhance opportunities and services aimed at empowerment, equality, and equal participation across all areas of the organisation.

We value the diversity and differences of our employees, including their age, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation, abilities, and life experience. We celebrate these diverse experiences and perspectives as each person brings an informed and contemporary approach to our work which enhances the wellbeing of all. We aim to provide a safe place that is reflective of the community it serves, allowing everyone to bring their whole selves to work.”

If after reading this, you're not sure you tick every single criteria box, but have the passion to get behind our purpose, the determination to face a challenge and a willingness to grow and learn, we think you should click the apply button anyway. We're passionate about building a diverse and inclusive team, and love hearing from people like you.

Find out what it is like working as a Victorian Public Servant for Victoria Police:https://www.police.vic.gov.au/vps