Principal Solicitor

Advocacy & Campaigns Stream

The Advocacy & Campaigns team seeks to bring about lasting social, legal and policy change in regard to asylum seekers. The team advocates for people seeking asylum to be treated fairly and humanely with their rights respected under international human rights law.

Human Rights Law Program

The Human Rights Law Program (HRLP) is an accredited community legal centre auspiced within the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. The HRLP provides free, expert legal advice and representation to people seeking asylum at all stages of the refugee determination process.

The HRLP does not receive any federal government funding and works with other programs at the ASRC to provide holistic services to thousands of people seeking asylum each year. The team is comprised of 14 lawyers, 2 legal support staff and a large team of volunteers/pro bono partners. The HRLP also engages in community legal education, law reform, sector capacity building and advocacy.

Principal Solicitor

The Principal Solicitor has responsibility for the conduct and supervision of the ASRC’s legal practice. The Principal Solicitor provides direction and leadership to the centre’s legal casework, community legal education and law reform activities with the overall strategic aim of ensuring people seeking asylum have access to justice.

Reporting to, and working closely with, the Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, the Principal Solicitor will have a key role in policy, advocacy and campaign initiatives. In addition, high-level stakeholder engagement with decision-making bodies and the broader refugee/legal sector will be required to advance the strategic aims of the program. The Principal Solicitor will also oversee key pro bono partnerships and projects as well as contribute to funding opportunities and grant applications/acquittals.

The role is accountable for compliance with professional and ethical standards, and managing risk within the practice. The Principal Solicitor is directly responsible for supervising the Senior Solicitors, and ultimately for management of all staff and volunteers within the program.

The Principal Solicitor may be expected to supervise one of the ASRC’s legal clinics where required, and maintain a small file load of complex, sensitive and/or strategic matters.

The rapidly changing external environment means that the Principal Solicitor is required to be flexible and able to play a significant role in planning and leading the ASRC’s response to the legal and policy context. This role provides a unique opportunity to provide strategic direction to the provision of high quality legal services to people seeking asylum at a time of critical legal need.

Key Responsibilities

1. Program management and leadership

• Develop internal strategy, including planning service delivery and implementing annual program work plan in line with strategic objectives and external scoping
• Review guidelines, protocols and procedures required for matters relating to the legal practice
• Manage program budget and grant acquittals
• Monitor and evaluate program services, prepare reports to management and Board where required
• Inform and advise the Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, and the Management Team (where relevant), of key legal developments and challenges
• Liaise with other ASRC programs regarding service delivery, eligibility and referrals

2. Compliance and risk

• Ensure the Human Rights Law Program complies with all legal and professional obligations set out in the NACLC Risk Management Guide and relevant laws
• Oversee NACLC accreditation, insurance, delegations and audits
• Provide high-level advice to other ASRC programs regarding privacy, confidentiality and risk issues affecting ASRC clients
• Representation on ASRC’s Risk Management Leadership Council and as required, Risk Committee

3. Supervision of service delivery

• Together with Senior Solicitors, supervise all legal/migration work carried out in the program, including file reviews, intake meetings and complex case meetings
• Oversee community legal education activities, including identifying priorities and trends
• Act as ‘solicitor on record’ in complex and/sensitive matters where required

4. Human resources

• Oversee all aspects of staff management in the program, including recruitment, ongoing support, professional development and performance management
• Work collaboratively with the Volunteer Coordinator, oversee management of volunteers within the program, including recruitment, training, planning and evaluating volunteer requirements to meet strategic objectives

5. Stakeholder engagement

• Manage relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders, including pro bono firms, funding partners, not for profit organisations, other community legal centres and peak legal/professional bodies
• High-level liaison with Department of Immigration and Border Protection, tribunals and courts

6. Law reform, policy and advocacy

• Attend meetings, consultations and roundtables as required, including involvement with professional/peak bodies
• Contribute to law reform, written policy submissions and inquiries
• Plan and conduct high impact strategic litigation involving important points of law or affecting groups of people
• Review media releases/fundraising/advocacy material containing legal content, and act as a spokesperson on legal matters as required
• Actively participate in Advocacy Stream meetings, including co-ordination of targeted data and case studies for use in advocacy and campaigns

Accountability

The Principal Solicitor is accountable to the Director of Advocacy and Campaigns for the fulfillment of requirements outlined in this job description. As is the case with all staff (paid and unpaid), ultimate accountability is to the ASRC CEO and Board.

Hours of work

This role is full time, 5 days per week. Some out of hours work will be required.

Location

This role is located at our centre in Nicholson St, Footscray.

Key Selection Criteria

Essential:

• Solicitor with current legal practising certificate and migration agent registration (or eligible to obtain registration)
• Minimum 5 years’ post-admission experience, with sound technical experience in refugee law and practice
• Exceptional time management skills and demonstrated ability to prioritise tasks in an under-resourced environment
• Experience in program and project management, preferably in a legal environment
• Demonstrated capacity to lead a team, with experience managing staff and volunteers
• Demonstrated competence in advocacy before administrative decision makers and/or courts
• Experience in working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Current driver’s license and willingness to travel to detention centres as required

Desirable:

• Experience as a Principal Solicitor or Senior Solicitor in a community legal centre
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of human rights and social justice

Salary & Conditions

This is a full-time position at Level 7 under the SCHCADS Award.  It will be an initial 12-month contract (with extension subject to satisfactory work performance). The salary package is approximately equivalent to $95,000 per annum, to be negotiated depending on skills and experience.

Other benefits include:

• Additional Meals and Entertainment Salary Packaging
• 1 Rostered Day Off every month
• 4 weeks’ annual leave with 17.5% leave loading per annum
• 2 additional weeks’ paid leave at Christmas (at times determined by the ASRC)
• 22 days’ personal leave per annum
• 10 days’ compassionate leave
• 12 weeks’ paid parental leave after 12 months service
• Professional development
• Free lunch daily
• Car and bicycle parking available

All forms of employment with ASRC, paid or voluntary are subject to continued compliance with our Child Safety and Reporting Policy. All or any breaches to this policy may result in disciplinary action being taken and/or the cessation of the employment contract or volunteer agreements.

All offers of employment are subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Check and provision of a valid Working with Children Check prior to commencement.