Paralegal

Why YOU are important to us and what impact will you have on the Legal Division and the departments’ goal.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s legal work is unique. You will have the opportunity to provide administrative and paralegal support to the Legal Division on matters that directly affect all Australians across areas as diverse as biosecurity, agricultural production, trade, food, wine, fisheries and forestry. A job with Legal Division is a chance to meaningfully apply your skills to practical outcomes in an environment and with colleagues that are focused on supporting you, your learning, and development. 

This recruitment activity will be used to fill two vacancies within the Practice Management Unit (PMU) and the Legislation Coordination Section and to establish a merit pool for future ongoing (permanent) or non-ongoing vacancies.

About the Practice Management Unit

The Practice Management Unit (PMU) provides support to the Chief Counsel, General Counsels, and the Legal Division’s large team of lawyers across all practice areas. The PMU develops and administers the systems to support a diverse, full service legal practice supporting the department. These systems include business and workforce planning, providing project management support for legal teams and managing billing and invoicing for external legal service providers. 

About the Legislation Coordination Section

The Legislation Coordination Section has a broad remit and delivers a number of essential services to the department. The team oversees the portfolio's legislation program, including legislative bidding processes, and supports the progression of Bills and legislative instruments. The team also manages legislative reporting and sunsetting obligations and works closely with key stakeholders across government to ensure legislative priorities are delivered effectively and in accordance with established processes.

This is where you play an important role.

As a Paralegal, you will support a range of legal, legislative and corporate functions within the Legal Division. You will assist with the administration of legislative processes, preparation of briefing and reporting materials, and coordination of legislative proposals and instruments, while providing administrative support across a range of legislative and executive government functions. In doing so, you will contribute to the effective delivery of the department's legal and legislative priorities.

Practice Management Unit

Key duties of the Paralegal within PMU, include but are not limited to:

• working closely with the Assistant Practice Managers, Practice Manager and other Paralegals within PMU to support the Chief Counsel, General Counsels, and Principal Legal Officers across the division to facilitate business efficiency

• supporting updates to internal guidance materials and procedural documentation used by the division

• assisting with monthly forecasting, budget management, and financial performance

• assisting with preparing reports and documents for the Executive and lawyers in the division

• tracking of legal expenditure and managing legal expenditure invoices and other expenses across the division

• assisting with outsourcing of legal matters and liaising with external legal providers

• assisting with monthly legal accruals for the department

• working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including the procurement and accounts receivable teams, as well as client areas across the department

• assisting with development and implementation of systems and processes across the legal branches

• assisting with developing and delivering internal training to staff in the division on legal division specific systems

• assisting with project work to support the legal branches and providing ad hoc administration support to lawyers, including preparing reports on legal work in the division

• assisting with on boarding of new staff, contractors and legal secondees

• assisting with all aspects of the Continuing Legal Education in-house training program

• triaging a legal help desk

• legal research and ad hoc paralegal tasks to support the work of the legal branches. 

Legislation Coordination Section

 Key duties of the Paralegal within Legislation Coordination Section, include but are not limited to:

• working closely with the Executive Council Liaison Officer and Legislation Liaison Officer to provide a range of administrative and legislation specific process support

• under supervision, responding to queries and providing information on issues relating to legislation processes in a timely and efficient manner

• maintaining accurate records and reporting systems to support legislative coordination activities

• assisting with the preparation, lodgement and tracking of legislative instruments and associated documentation

• assisting with coordinating information and documentation to support legislative reporting and compliance activities

• building and maintaining productive working relationships with stakeholders across the department and broader Australian Government.

Please note that the merit pool established through this selection process, which is valid for a period of eighteen months from the date the vacancy was advertised in the Public Service Gazette, may also be used to fill future ongoing vacancies in the branch where the duties are of a similar nature.

Who we are looking for

Knowledge and experience 

Our ideal candidate will have:

• previous experience working in a legal practice environment

• experience providing administrative support

• familiarity with managing and tracking legal expenditure

• an understanding of Commonwealth legal procurement processes

• competency using and navigating legal matter management systems

• experience in using Microsoft products including excel, powerpoint and visio and teams

• experience, exposure or knowledge of legislative processes and demonstrated comfort and / or interest in reading and understanding legislation

• previous experience in a similar role is desirable but not essential.