Senior Solicitor (Insurance)

Summary about this job

Detail information about job Senior Solicitor (Insurance). Terms and conditions vacancy

Are you a qualified legal practitioner with specialist expertise in insurance law? Use your skills and knowledge to represent consumers and to further Consumer Action's mission of advancing fairness in the marketplace, particularly for the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

our vision: a just marketplace where people have power and business plays fair

our purpose: to make life easier for people experiencing vulnerability and disadvantage in Australia

Consumer Action Law Centre is keen to appoint an insurance law specialist to this one year, fixed term parental leave replacement role.This is a great opportunity for an experienced practitioner with 5-7 years’ PAE in insurance law.Reporting to the Director of Legal Practice, you'll be part of our legal team providing telephone advice to callers, undertaking strategic casework and litigation, identifying systemic issues and developing and delivering training about insurance law to community workers.

ABOUT CONSUMER ACTION LAW CENTRE

Consumer Action Law Centre is an independent, not-for-profit consumer organisation based in Melbourne. We work to advance fairness in consumer markets, particularly for people who are disadvantaged and vulnerable, through financial counselling, legal advice and representation, and policy work and campaigns. Delivering legal and financial counselling assistance services to Victorian consumers, we have a national reach through our deep expertise in consumer law and policy and direct knowledge of the consumer experience of modern markets.

What does this role involve?

You'll be required to:

• Conduct legal casework files and act as a source of specialist advice for other members of the legal team;

• Provide telephone and email advice to members of the public who call our legal advice line, to financial counsellors, and to other community workers concerning insurance law matters.

• Identify systemic problems for consumers, and contribute to policy and campaign activities relating to insurance law;

• Develop and implement dispute resolution strategies that will likely result in a benefit to a significant number of disadvantaged and vulnerable consumers;

• Take part in planning and presenting community education, training and outreach services to community workers and others,

About you

• You hold, or are eligible to obtain, a current unrestricted practising certificate in the State of Victoria;
• You have significant specialist expertise in insurance law, gained through work as an in-house counsel, as a member of legal teams working with insurers, or as part of a specialist commercial litigation team dealing with insurance matters;
• Your commitment to advancing the public interest and social justice can be seen from your work and/or volunteer experience to date;
• You have a proven ability to formulate and implement dispute resolution strategies in complex cases;
• You enjoy applying your outstanding legal research and technical legal analysis skills;
• You're interested in identifying systemic issues and have a proven ability to identify policy and advocacy opportunities based on casework experience, together with an understanding of the relationship between client advocacy and systemic advocacy;
• You're flexible, enthusiastic, and open to the challenges of work in a community legal centre;
• You know a little, or a lot, about consumer law, and you're keen to learn more.

This is a one year fixed-term full-time role located at our offices in Melbourne CBD.   The salary offered will be between $83,000 – $94,000 per annum, depending on experience, plus superannuation. Consumer Action Law Centre offers fringe benefit salary packaging to employees, so depending on individual financial circumstances the value of the salary may be equivalent to $5,000 - $7,500 higher.

Interested?  Tell us about yourself!

If you'd like to apply, send your CV together with a cover letter outlining your responses to the following:

1) How have you shown a commitment to advancing the public interest and social justice in your work and/or outside work activities?

2) Describe a time where you've worked on a complex insurance law matter: what strategy(ies) did you apply and what was the outcome?

3) Have you ever worked with disadvantaged, low-income, culturally and linguistically diverse client groups? If so, how did you ensure your communication was effective, and what factors did you consider to ensure your advice and advocacy was appropriate and meaningful/effective for the individual concerned?  If not, what do you anticipate would be your biggest challenge in working with these groups?

Send your application to:

Human Resources Manager

Consumer Action Law Centre

[email protected]

Applications close Friday 10 August 2018