Senior Civil Lawyer - Prison Legal Service Lead

• Full-time or part-time role (0.8 FTE) to 30 September 2027
• Fitzroy based, with travel to outreach and service locations
• $118,792 - $124,058 + super + salary packaging

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Senior Civil Lawyer – Prison Legal Service Lead, is a member of the Civil and Public Law team and provides legal advice and casework on civil and public law matters. The role is responsible for leading the legal service component of Fitzroy Legal Service’s Prison Legal Service – a statewide service upholding the rights of people in prison by providing safe and inclusive legal advice and casework, delivering community legal education and undertaking systemic advocacy. 

You will make a difference by:

• Providing culturally safe, inclusive, trauma-informed and client-centred advice and complex casework to people in prison.
• Identifying systemic issues affecting people in prisons and collaborate with the Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement Team to undertake policy, advocacy and law reform activities.

See attached position description for more information.

ABOUT YOU

To be successful in the role you will ideally have:

• An unrestricted Practising Certificate.
• At least four years’ PAE in civil and public law or other area(s) of law relevant to prison law.
• A demonstrated commitment to social justice, decolonisation, decarceration, anti-racism, intersectional feminism and the purpose, vision and values of FLS.

• Demonstrated ability to provide advice and conduct casework on complex civil and public law issues.
• An adaptable working style with the ability to navigate and contribute to the development of an evolving service.

If you meet some, but not all of the above, we encourage your application. We appreciate that people obtain skills and experience in a range of ways, and value people’s curiosity and openness to learning.

ABOUT FLS

Fitzroy Legal Service (FLS) is dedicated to assisting the most marginalised members of the community with legal information, advice and representation, as well as championing law reform and conducting public interest litigation.

Fitzroy Legal Service provides legal services for communities who are disproportionately impacted by law and policy, and those who face systemic barriers to accessing justice. We provide various multidisciplinary outreach programs reaching communities of colour, people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, LGBTIQA+ communities, people in prison and people who use drugs.

Our vision: A fairer Victorian community, where the legal and social systems support equality and justice for all.

Further information about FLS can be found on our website: fls.org.au.

WHAT WE OFFER

• 5 weeks annual leave, 17.5% leave loading plus paid leave over the Christmas shutdown period.
• Above-award salary and the ability to increase your take-home pay by accessing salary packaging benefits (use this link to see how much this benefit could mean to you).
• A range of leave options, including 16 weeks parental leave for primary carers, gender affirmation leave, cultural and ceremonial leave, the ability to swap public holidays as well as purchase additional leave.

next steps

For more information about this position, please contact Rashini Fernando, Managing Lawyer - Civil and Public Law via rfernando@fls.org.au.

To submit your application, please click ‘Apply Now’ by the closing date.

Fitzroy Legal Service is an inclusive employer and complies with the laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, family responsibilities, irrelevant criminal record and other protected attributes. We strongly encourage and welcome applications from members of diverse communities and people with relevant lived experience.

To be eligible to apply for this position you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, or hold a valid work permit or visa.

The successful candidate must undergo a National Police Check.

NOTE: Disclosure of a criminal record does not necessarily preclude employment with FLS, but if needed, we invite applicants to address this issue early in the application phase. Should a criminal record disclosure be advised by a candidate, FLS will endeavour to provide clarity over whether the conviction would preclude a candidate from being able to carry out the position duties.

A position description is attached.