Description

• Work in Court Services Victoria’s Office of General Counsel, providing administrative services and facilities necessary to support the Victorian courts and tribunal
• Draft agreements and other legal documents, respond to Freedom of Information requests, assist in litigation matters and provide general legal advice
• VPS4, Melbourne CBD hybrid, full-time ongoing with a path to advancement through mentorship and collaborative team mentality

About us:

Court Services Victoria provides corporate services and facilities to support the performance of the judicial, quasi-judicial and administrative functions of Victoria’s courts and tribunal, as well as enabling the Judicial College of Victoria and Judicial Commission of Victoria to perform their functions. 

Collectively, Victoria’s Supreme, County, Magistrates’, Children’s, and Coroners courts, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), the Judicial College of Victoria, the Judicial Commission of Victoria, and Court Services Victoria (CSV) are referred to as the ‘Courts Group’. 

Our people enable the Courts Group to deliver on individual and connected  strategic priorities.

The Office of General Counsel comprises the following functions: legal and governance, risk audit and insurance services, records management, integrity and compliance, and the Board Secretariat. The Office of General Counsel provides expert advice and services to CSV across these functions on a wide range of matters.

The Legal and Governance team within the Office of General Counsel at CSV is an in-house lawyer team providing expert legal, compliance and governance advice on a wide range of issues across CSV.

About the role:

Offered on a full-time ongoing basis with flexible working arrangements in Melbourne CBD, the Lawyer position reports directly to the Manager, Legal and Governance, and is responsible for drafting agreements and other legal documents, responding to Freedom of Information requests, assisting with litigation matters and providing general and varied legal advice as required.

Key accountabilities include:

• Providing legal advice across CSV and to the Victorian courts and VCAT on a range of legal, compliance and governance matters.
• Assisting with CSV’s compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 1982 and with responding to privacy enquiries and complaints. 
• Assisting with litigation matters as required. 
• Drafting briefings that provide a sound basis for decision making.
• Supporting the Manager and Senior Lawyers in the team in drafting and applying policies and maintaining registers in relation to CSV’s governance and compliance matters.
• Conducting legal research and analysis

Other information

CSV is the employer of staff across the Courts Group. CSV has a firm commitment through its Koori Employment Plan to increase participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our workforce.

We value the unique backgrounds, experiences, and contributions that each person brings to our community and encourage and celebrate diversity. Those from the LGBTQIA+ community, women, people of all ages, with disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and those who are neurodiverse, are encouraged to apply.

We aim to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process or require an alternative format to any of the application material, please don’t hesitate to email the contact person listed in the advertisement.

CSV aims to fill vacancies as quickly as possible. This means that we will close advert as soon as we have found the right candidate, and this may be before the published closing date. We would therefore advise interested applicants to apply as early as possible.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Laws or equivalent legal qualification from a recognised tertiary institution
• Victorian practising certificate (or eligibility to acquire a practising certificate)
• Demonstrated experience in one or more of administrative law; contracts; statutory interpretation; litigation and dispute resolution; freedom of information, property/construction.
• Knowledge of government legal practice and public sector governance, policy-making and/or decision-making processes is desirable, though not essential.