Paralegal | Commercial, Property & Corporate Disputes

McCarthy Legal & Advisory is a growing boutique legal practice built on deep commercial law experience — spanning commercial disputes, property, finance, and corporate/M&A matters, with a strong focus on dispute resolution work across each of these areas. We act for individuals, directors, and small businesses navigating everything from contested property boundaries and construction disputes to shareholder exits, finance guarantee disputes, and consumer law claims.

We're a modern, technology-forward practice — using platforms like Smokeball and AI-assisted drafting tools to work efficiently, without ever compromising on the quality or care that goes into every piece of client work. Every output is reviewed and approved by our Principal before it goes anywhere near a client.

We're looking for a Paralegal to join us 2-3 days per week from our West Footscray office. This is a genuinely varied role — you'll get exposure to real matters across commercial disputes, property, corporate, and consumer law, working directly alongside a solicitor with significant experience across general commercial, finance, and M&A law.

Day to day, you'll be:

• Taking instructions and helping progress matters through Smokeball

• Preparing draft correspondence, letters of demand, and other documents (with the support of AI drafting tools, all outputs reviewed before they go out)

• Managing file administration, diary/deadline tracking, and general practice support

• Liaising with clients, opposing solicitors, and other parties under supervision

• Getting hands-on exposure to how matters are actually run and resolved — from strategy through to settlement

We're less focused on you having the "perfect" background, and more interested in finding someone who wants to grow with the practice. You might be:

• A law student or currently undertaking (or about to undertake) Practical Legal Training, working towards admission

• An experienced paralegal looking to cement a good work-life balance (perhaps due to family commitments)

• Someone with some paralegal or legal administration experience looking for broader exposure

• Organised, a clear communicator, and comfortable taking initiative within a small team

Experience with Smokeball or similar practice management software is a plus but not essential. Comfort working with (or willingness to learn) AI-assisted drafting tools as part of a modern legal workflow will help you thrive here.

This isn't a role where you'll be one of many paralegals doing the same narrow task. You'll work closely and directly with the Principal, who has significant experience building and running businesses, managing teams, and genuinely enjoys mentoring — particularly in helping people develop their skills in a legal industry that's changing fast with AI. If you're looking to build real capability on your way to qualified legal practice, and want a solicitor invested in your development rather than just your output, we'd love to hear from you.

We're building a small, high-trust team and are looking for someone we can have a strong, lasting professional relationship with as the practice grows.

Location: West Footscray (private office room in a broader, new co-working building)

Hours: 2-3 days per week (flexible days to be discussed) Start: ASAP

To apply, please submit your resume along with a short cover note telling us a bit about where you're at in your studies/career and what you're hoping to get out of this role.