Company and Tax Law Solicitor - Financial Abuse Service NSW

• Sydney based 
• Permanent, full time with part time considered 
• Supervision: Supervising 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 

Redfern Legal Centre’s Financial Abuse Service (FAS) is a statewide service that provides trauma informed legal, social work and financial counselling assistance to victim survivors who have experienced financial abuse from an intimate partner. The integrated service includes credit and debt law solicitors, a financial counsellor, family law solicitors, a company and tax law solicitor, social workers and a collaboration with another CLC for immigration law services. This specialist, cross-jurisdictional, and integrated approach provides holistic support to our clients, increasing their safety and wellbeing and leading to financial independence and empowerment.  

This position will provide legal assistance to victim survivors of financial abuse in the areas of business, company and tax law and work collaboratively with social workers, a financial counsellor and other specialist lawyers (family law, credit and debt law and immigration law) in an integrated model. 

This role will allow a solicitor to develop specialist skills in company law and tax law as they intersect with financial abuse, an emerging issue with significant opportunities to contribute to the development of systemic advocacy, policy and law reform. The solicitor will advise and assist victim-survivors who have been coerced or pressured to become company directors, or otherwise exposed to company or tax liabilities. 

Position Responsibilities 

1. Provide trauma informed advice, representation and referrals in  company, tax and business law, according to the centre’s eligibility criteria, including applications to the ATO and ASIC, in relation to business lending, and appearances in Courts and Tribunals. 
2. Work collaboratively with other professionals (internal and external) to deliver holistic socio-legal outcomes for clients. 
3. Identify and undertake test cases. 
4. Coordinate and supervise volunteer solicitors and students.  
5. Identify systemic legal and policy issues and contribute to policy and law reform. 
6. Provide community legal education with an emphasis on areas of frequent inquiry, perceived need and recent innovation.  
7. Work with community, government, industry and media organisations and attend stakeholder and sector events and meetings. 
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 and eligible to hold a current practicing certificate with at least two years relevant post admission experience.  
2. Demonstrated ability to provide accurate, practical and accessible legal advice, and to develop skills in a new or specialised area of practice quickly with supervision, mentoring and training.  
3. Strong understanding of trauma-informed and client-centred practice, including the ability to work respectfully and effectively with victim-survivors of family and domestic violence and people experiencing financial abuse. 
4. Sound judgement, ability to manage competing priorities, and willingness to seek guidance and escalate risk appropriately. 
5. Experience working with First Nations clients and/or culturally and linguistically diverse clients, and a commitment to culturally safe practice. 
6. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex information in a practical, accurate and accessible way to clients in stressful and emotionally charged situations, and to engage professionally with interpreters, government, creditors, regulators and other support services.  

Desirable  

1. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.  
2. Experience in a relevant area of law, such as company law, tax law, insolvency, credit, debt, consumer law. 
3. Experience working in a community legal centre, or another legal assistance service. 
4. Experience supervising casework of staff and/or volunteers.  
5. Experience conducting law reform, policy work, campaigns or strategic litigation. 

Conditions 

Salary and benefits: $117,002 to 138,863 (pro rata for part time) depending on qualifications and experience.  

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

Redfern Legal Centre is a flexible workplace that supports wellbeing. We offer 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. 

As a Public Benevolent Institution, Redfern Legal Centre is able to offer staff generous salary packaging options. The tax savings for a staff member choosing to take full advantage of the salary packaging option mean that their take home salary may be increased by up to $6,000 per annum. 

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 detailed above. Only applications that include a cover letter, resume and responses to the selection criteria will be considered.  

Inquiries should be directed to Catherine Hewett on catherine@rlc.org.au using the subject line: Company and Tax Law Solicitor - Financial Abuse Service NSW enquiry via EthicalJobs.