Law Society NT

Lawyer or Senior Lawyer - Top End Women's Legal Service (TEWLS)

  • Darwin
  • Full-time
  • $85,120.36-$124,173.00 

Objective:

Under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer, the Lawyer will provide high quality, culturally appropriate and holistic legal assistance, including legal advice, casework and representation (litigation), and legal information and referral to women and non-binary people in the Greater Darwin region within TEWLS’ practice areas, with particular focus on clients
experiencing or at risk of experiencing DFSV.


The Lawyer will work within TEWLS’ specialist women’s services practice, and under the general direction of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer, will be expected to apply (and if required, acquire) a high level of expertise to provide legal services across a range of matters. Critically, the Lawyer will have the skills to sensitively take instructions from clients who have experienced and/or are experiencing DFSV, child sexual abuse and other forms of discrimination and abuse by way of trauma-informed best practice principles, and provide support, advice and referral options within a trauma-informed framework.


As part of TEWLS’ growing structure, the Lawyer will receive support and training to aid their development whilst working towards the service’s purpose of facilitating access to justice for women. Organisational and administrative responsibilities are also a component of this position.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

  1. Legal advice and casework
    • Providing high quality legal advice and casework to clients, including court representation at Northern Territory and Federal Courts, as required.
    • Developing and/or maintaining a strong level of technical competence in TEWLS’ core practice areas, including DFSV and Family Law.
    • Managing your file load under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer.
    • Sensitively taking instructions from clients who have experienced DFSV, child sexual abuse and/or other forms of discrimination and abuse, and provide support, advice and referral options within a trauma-informed framework.
  2. Community legal education and law reform
    • Planning and delivering CLE workshops and associated materials, as required.
    • Working within the TEWLS team, identifying, researching, and preparing law reform and lobbying submissions, as well as projects and funding applications, that contribute to TEWLS’ purpose and service priorities.
  3. Stakeholder engagement
    • Representing TEWLS in a variety of public forums to promote the work of the service, including network meetings and consultations.
    • Developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders to deliver outreach services to the community, with a focus on working in an integrated and collaborative manner.
  4. Organisational responsibilities
    • Accurately capturing all legal and non-legal service data through TEWLS’ internal data and file management systems.
    • Attending regular TEWLS staff and legal practitioner meetings and planning day sessions as required.
    • Participating in regular performance discussions and development reviews.
    • Undertaking ongoing professional development in accordance with legal professional regulations and in consultation with the TEWLS Principal Lawyer.
    • Providing some supervision to students and other volunteers as requested by the TEWLS Principal Lawyer.
    • Ensuring compliance with TEWLS’ policies and procedures.
    • Undertaking personal administrative duties within TEWLS as required.
    • Such other projects, activities and duties that may be determined in collaboration with the TEWLS Chief Executive Officer and Principal Lawyer.

Selection Criteria

Essential:

  1. An understanding of legal issues facing women in the Northern Territory, including barriers to justice, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women, and women experiencing DFSV.
  2. A commitment to promoting the interests of women.
  3. An understanding or capacity to develop an understanding and commitment to working in a trauma-informed framework.
  4. Resilience in working with clients who are experiencing or have experienced traumatic events.
  5. Ability to provide high quality legal advice and casework services, including court representation, as well as legal information in a relevant field.
  6. Ability to perform and interact as an efficient and productive team member and use initiative whilst under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer.
  7. High level verbal and written communication skills.
  8. Proven initiative and organisational abilities, including time management skills and the ability to prioritise in a pressured environment.
  9. Commitment to professional and personal development, and willingness to develop further professional skills relevant to the workplace.
  10. An understanding of DFSV through a gendered violence lens.
  11. Holder of a current open driver’s licence.
  12. Aptitude in using Microsoft computers and Microsoft Office programs (such as Word and Excel) necessary to complete required tasks, and a willingness to perform administrative duties, as required.
  13. Ability to provide and/or obtain a Northern Territory Ochre Card.

Desirable:

  1. Demonstrated experience in the practice of Family Law and/or DFSV and/or Child Protection, including litigation.
  2. Relevant experience in the development and delivery of community legal education.
  3. Relevant experience in law reform and lobbying.

Applications close 4 April 2025. 

For further information contact Rachael Hillier, Office Manager, at rhillier@tewls.org.au using the subject line ‘Lawyer Position’.