Organisation : First Step Legal
Location : Melbourne (St Kilda )
Work type : Full-time
Sector : Domestic / Family Violence, Drug, Alcohol & Addiction, Law, Justice & Human Rights, Mental Health
Salary type : Annual Package
About the organisation
First Step Legal (FSL) started over 10 years ago as a Health Justice Partnership (HJP) within First Step, a not for profit mental health and addiction clinic in St Kilda. FSL is a unique Community Legal Centre providing pro bono legal advice, casework and representation to among the most marginalised in the community. In recent years FSL’s services have expanded significantly to incorporate health justice partnerships with four organisations: the First Step mental health and addiction clinic; Windana’s residential drug treatment program; Alfred Health’s community mental health outpatient clinic; and Star Health’s Family Violence Program.
FSL is NAS-accredited and a member of the Federation of Community Legal Centres. FSL only receives referrals from our HJP partners.
FSL prioritises its casework focus on clients who are genuinely engaged or wanting to be engaged in treatment, recovery and therapeutic interventions that will support their ongoing wellbeing.
FSL practices predominantly in relation to criminal law and family violence (both victims and perpetrators), as well as conducting casework in family law, infringements and victims of crime. Many of our clients have a number of different legal matters. Limited assistance – including discrete advice or a supported referral may be provided in some areas of law, e.g. tenancy, debt. Secondary consultations with clinicians at our four HJPs may include referrals for clients with other legal matters.
FSL currently comprises a small close-knit team of the Director (Tania Wolff is currently LIV President), a Principal Lawyer (Crime/FV), a Practice Manager, Criminal-Generalist Lawyer, Family/FV Lawyer, a Legal Case manager, a Legal Administrator, an embedded Social Worker and several volunteer paralegals and lawyers.
About the role
This role of a Criminal/Family Violence Lawyer will enable FSL to directly support perpetrators of family violence to understand and effectively deal with legal issues in a way that allows them to rebuild and restore their lives. The incumbent will:
– Participate in the design, testing and delivery of the new module attached to the Star Health MBC program;
– Deliver (with associated legal team and paralegal support) excellent criminal/family violence/family law legal services to perpetrators of family violence under an HJP model, embedded within, and integrated across, all our partner organisations – First Step, Windana Therapeutic Community, Alfred Health and Star Health; and
– Support the development of HJP understanding of family violence to ensure perpetrator legal work is integrated, collaborative and responsive.
All FSL’s services to perpetrators of family violence will be subject to our academically rigorous two-year outcome evaluation conducted in partnership with the University of Melbourne.
How to apply
Applications not allowed for this job listing.
Please quote in application: Criminal Lawyer/ Family Violence Lawyer via Pro Bono Australia.
Sector: #DomesticFamily_Violence, #Drug_Alcohol_and_Addiction, #Law_Justice_and_Human_Rights, #Mental_Health
