CLE Lawyer / Project Officer - Darwin

Top End Women's Legal Service Inc

• Full time (38 hours per week), 12-month fixed-term contract
• $88,757.76 - $92,775.80

 

About TEWLS

The Top End Women’s Legal Service (‘TEWLS’) is a not-for-profit, specialist women’s legal service focused on the advancement of women’s rights. We provide integrated, holistic, trauma-informed, and culturally secure free legal and support services to women, and persons identifying as women, living in the Top End of the Northern Territory (primarily, the Greater Darwin region). We are an accredited community legal centre and a member of Women’s Legal Services Australia.

TEWLS provides legal and support services in the areas of family, migration and civil law, with specific expertise held in respect of domestic, family and sexual violence (‘DFSV’). As a specialist DFSV legal service, our multidisciplinary team provides legal advice, casework and representation (litigation), legal information and referral, and wraparound support services to our clients, with expertise in assisting clients with intersectional vulnerabilities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, migrant women, women experiencing DFSV, women with a disability, and women experiencing financial disadvantage. Our client-centred practice model maintains a significant DFSV and family law legal practice, as well as migration law and an extensive civil law practice including in areas of tenancy and public housing, discrimination, sexual harassment, consumer law, complaints, child protection, and employment law.

TEWLS also provides community legal education (‘CLE’) and input on law and policy development to build government and community capacity to work towards deeper legal and cultural change to redress power imbalances and address violence and gender inequality.

In 2023, TEWLS will deliver a one-off project to enhance outreach legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, with focus on the creation of plain English CLE materials and resources, as well as the delivery of CLE in collaboration with the TEWLS legal and support practices to enhance community engagement and understandings of legal issues.

 

 

Key responsibilities

1. Drafting and producing plain English CLE materials, including updating and expanding existing TEWLS materials, with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
2. Planning and delivering CLE workshops and associated materials
3. Providing high quality legal advice and casework to clients, including court representation at Northern Territory and Federal Courts, as required.
4. Developing and/or maintaining a strong level of technical competence in the service’s core practice areas, including DFSV and family law.
5. Managing your file load under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer.
6. 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.
7. Representing TEWLS in a variety of public forums to promote the work of the service, including community and/or network meetings and consultations.
8. 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.
9. Accurately capturing all legal and non-legal service data through TEWLS’ internal data and file management systems.
10. Attending regular TEWLS staff and legal practitioner meetings and planning day sessions as required.
11. Participating in regular performance discussions and development reviews.
12. Undertaking ongoing professional development in accordance with legal professional regulations and in consultation with the TEWLS Principal Lawyer, as applicable.
13. Ensuring compliance with TEWLS’ policies and procedures.
14. Undertaking personal administrative duties within TEWLS as required.
15. Such other projects, activities and duties that may be determined in collaboration with the TEWLS Chief Executive Officer and Principal Lawyer.

 

Click here to download the job description

 

Applicants for this position must address the selection criteria, found within the position description (attached or contact – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 

Applications for the position will close Sunday 11 June 2023.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Caitlin Weatherby-Fell, Chief Executive Officer by phone on (08) 8982 3000 or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. using the subject line: [CLE Lawyer / Project Officer enquiry via Law Society].