Coordinating Lawyer

Summary about this job

Detail information about job Coordinating Lawyer. Terms and conditions vacancy

• Promote access to justice for disadvantaged clients from diverse backgrounds.
• Deliver trauma informed legal services in a multi-disciplinary environment.
• Enjoy working in the vibrant community of Inala.

Designation: Coordinating Lawyer

Duration: Permanent

Hours of Work: 35 hours per week (negotiable)

Reporting to: Director

Wages:  Level 7 Transitional Pay Equity Order SCHCADS AWARD. Salary sacrificing is available.

South West Brisbane Community Legal Centre is a charitable incorporated association based in Inala, Queensland.

We are a Community Legal Centre, providing free legal services to members of our community, and we provide the Hub Neighbourhood Centre, a point of connection in the Inala community.

As a multi-disciplinary organisation we have a holistic approach to providing legal services and supporting our community.

OUR VISION

To be a force for social justice and community connection.

OUR MISSION

To promote a society where all people are valued & supported by providing access to justice, community connectedness & social inclusion.

OUR VALUES

We conduct business in a way that is:

Ethical: We are committed to ethical practice, accountability, and professionalism.

Respectful: We respect individuals for their diverse backgrounds, experiences, approaches and ideas.

Inclusive: We encourage, empower, and support community participation.

Collaborative: We work in partnership with people and other organisations to benefit the community.

Purpose of position: The Coordinating Lawyer is responsible for leading and supervising our team of lawyers to deliver quality legal advice and casework services to clients.

As a member of the Management Team, the Coordinating Lawyer contributes to the strategic management of the Centre.

Responsibilities:

Legal Practice Coordination

• Coordinate the legal practice including the provision of advice, information and casework to clients by staff and volunteer lawyers
• Provide expert guidance and assistance to lawyers and students in the provision of services to clients in a trauma informed manner
• As the nominated person for the legal practice, be responsible for the checking and signing off legal advice and advise the Responsible Person immediately of any risks or breaches
• Ensure effective file management procedures are operating and compliance with the NACLC Risk Management Guide
• Coordinate reporting on service delivery and funding body statistical benchmarks
• Make decisions and develop policies regarding whether matters fit within program guidelines
• Monitor and evaluate service need, service delivery, and resources, and formulate strategic proposals/reports to present to the Director, Management Team and Management Committee
• Develop partnerships with other agencies to maximize the impact of our legal practice.
• Research and present conference papers and publish articles in journals                                                                                                                     

Supervision and Team Leadership

• Induct, train and supervise staff in your team
  • Provide appropriate orientation for new lawyers, including providing additional direction and guidance, where necessary, for a period of time
  • Proactively coordinate the work distribution among team members
  • Assign duties to each employee, and explain how duties are to be done. Develop work plans with all staff lawyers, setting goals and assessing training needs.
  • Describe what level of performance will meet organisational expectations, and how that performance will be measured
• Performance feedback and reviews
  • Provide regular feedback to team members
  • Evaluate performance of each team member by following organisational policy and procedure
  • Deal with under-performance promptly by following organisational policy and procedure
• Induct, train and supervise volunteer lawyers and students

• Ensure team’s compliance and understanding of their responsibilities under organisational policies and procedures
• Foster a collegiate, supportive and productive team environment
  • Monitor staff morale and take action to facilitate a positive working environment
  • Foster teamwork and cooperative and collaborative behaviours
  • Identify and resolve conflict between staff
• Act as a role model for SWBCLC’s organisational culture.

Legal Advice and Casework Activities

• Provide legal information, expert advice, advocacy and referral to clients via appointments at outreach locations, on-site at the Centre and supervising volunteers
• Undertake casework activities in accordance with the casework guidelines
• Liaise with lawyers and barristers regarding clients and the provision of pro bono services, and liaise with legal representatives for other parties

Community Legal Education and Law Reform

• Undertake and/or coordinate law reform submission writing as required and ensure that the content of submissions is legally accurate and does not contain defamatory material
• Undertake and/or coordinate team members to undertake community legal education activities including making presentations, presenting community forums, developing materials and participating in other community education activities

Organisational Duties

• Provide a monthly written report to the Management Committee
• Attend Management Team meetings and staff meetings
• Assist to ensure the quality of website and social media content
• Participate in strategic planning and team building activities undertaken by the Centre
• Participate in professional clinical supervision – if necessary and in line with Centre’s policy
• Undertake other duties as directed from time to time by the Director.

Essential selection criteria:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of the law and legal processes, experience in providing legal services to vulnerable persons in a culturally competent manner and the ability to obtain an unsupervised practicing certificate in Queensland.
2. Demonstrated leadership skills and experience in managing, mentoring, training and supervising legal staff.
3. Demonstrated ability to cultivate and develop partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in the planning, development and delivery of a holistic service.
4. Demonstrated commitment to achieving social justice for disadvantaged clients from diverse backgrounds.

Apply for this job:

Please send:

1. your curriculum vitae

2. a cover letter addressing the essential selection criteria (above)

to [email protected] or via the SEEK website.

Applications not addressing the selection criteria will not be considered.

Closing date: 11th August 2018