Job opportunity: Managing Lawyer - Crime

Inner Melbourne Community Legal (IMCL) is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides free legal assistance to low-income people in the inner Melbourne area. Our mission is to create a fairer, more equal community through advocacy and law reform, education, casework and strategic litigation.

We provide access to justice to the most marginalised members of our community including individuals experiencing homelessness, family violence, mental illness, disability, racialised and/or over-policing, substance dependency and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

We operate across two offices in North Melbourne and Kensington, and deliver multiple integrated outreach services in partnership with other health, education and community organisations in the local area.

Some of IMCL’s signature programs include the Police Accountability Project, Health Justice Partnerships and the Specialist Social Housing Program.

IMCL is on the Victorian Legal Aid Panel for family law, summary crime, family violence and youth justice.

Working at IMCL

IMCL is committed to promoting a diverse, inclusive and values-driven workplace.

We offer flexible working arrangements and generous salary packaging provisions. IMCL is party to a new MEA agreement.

We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and experience to apply, including people with lived experience in the areas we practice in. We strongly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTIQ+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse and refugee backgrounds, women, and people with a disability to apply.

Role purpose

The Managing Lawyer – Criminal Law (MLC) leads IMCL’s impactful criminal law practice and is responsible for the provision of high-quality, best practice legal services to our community.

The team supports clients referred through our community partnerships, with a focus on people who live in public and social housing, people who are subject to racialised and/or over-policing, young people and individuals impacted by mental health and substance dependency issues.

This work is closely aligned with IMCL’s strategic focus on police accountability and assistance for people who have been unfairly targeted, charged, or mistreated in their interactions with police.

IMCL represents clients in summary and indictable matters at courts around metropolitan Melbourne with diversions, pleas, contested matters, advocacy in therapeutic courts (such as ARC) and occasional custody and remand matters, and appeals. Additionally, IMCL is on the Victorian Legal Aid Summary and Youth Justice Panel and co-chairs the CLC Summary Crime Working Group.

The MLC role provides an exciting opportunity to drive the strategic development of the criminal practice at IMCL including in the specialist areas of police accountability.

The role comprises the following key elements:

1. Provides direct legal services to clients without supervision.
2. Manages a team including supervising legal work, staff development and performance, human resources support and staff adherence with IMCL’s legal assistance guidelines, policies and procedures.
3. Lead the practice in the key area of criminal law with a focus on matters arising from IMCL’s Strategic Impact Priorities and work collaboratively with the Director of Legal Practice (DLP) and other Managing Lawyers to oversee the legal practice and service delivery.
4. Develop and strengthen existing partnerships and projects in collaboration with other staff, the Director of Engagement and Projects (DEP), external partner organisations, Victorian Legal Aid, pro bono partners and other Community Legal Centres.
5. Identify policy and advocacy opportunities and work collaboratively with the Director of Advocacy and Policy (DAP) to advocate for positive legal and social change.

Works with

IMCL leadership team, lawyers, non-legal staff, volunteers, and partner organisations.

Position key responsibilities

Legal Service Provision

• Provide high quality legal advice and casework to clients in criminal law and manage a minimal caseload without supervision.
• Support intake paralegals and other staff concerning the intake of new matters and/or the strategic direction of ongoing matters.
• As needed, support and attend a small number of internal clinics and/or outreaches including the criminal law clinic, police accountability clinic, Flagstaff Crisis Accommodation, Ozanam House, family violence duty lawyering, and Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Team Supervision, Development and Management

• Determine the legal accuracy of advice and make tactical decisions for casework.
• Supervise legal work of volunteers, intake paralegals, lawyers and senior lawyers including regular file reviews of the team.
• Provide people and culture support to the team including:
- Ensure direct reports have sustainable workloads and actively monitor capacity.
- Ensure direct reports meet deliverables and strategic outcomes and associated partnerships or projects.
- Work with direct reports to set workplace goals and engage in training and development through regular check-ins and Work and Development Plans.
- Contract management and human resources including approving timesheets, leave, etc.
- Monitoring staff compliance with IMCL policies, professional standards and obligations.
• Oversee CLE for lawyers and volunteers relating to criminal law.Legal practice leadership
• Be a Responsible Person under the CLC Risk Management Guide with authority to:
   - Management of the legal practice or other practice groups in the absence of the DLP, as needed.
   - Make strategic and ethical decisions regarding the disclosure of confidential information, and application of any legal practice policies to manage the legal and ethical obligations of individual lawyers and the legal practice as a whole.
   - Approve the content of legal professional presentations, community legal education materials and publications for legal accuracy and legal risk prior to publication.
   - Review and contribute to the content of criminal law advocacy and law reform submissions for legal accuracy and/or legal risk prior to publication and distribution.
• Support the DLP in the management of the legal practice and other Managing Lawyers in identifying and addressing legal practice management issues.
• Identify and manage challenging situations involving clients at-risk (or other challenging behaviours), and/or assist other staff dealing with challenging situations as primary support.
• Manage service complaints, conflicts, incidents and practice risk issues and document responses accordingly. Assist with the preparation of incident reports, and insurance notifications, where appropriate.

Stakeholder engagement and program oversight

• Assist with establishing, maintaining and strengthening relationships with stakeholders under the criminal law portfolio.
• Provide technical and strategic input into the development of partnerships and projects in criminal law.
• Participate in external forums on behalf of IMCL, as required.
• Undertake professional development relevant to areas of practice, management and supervision and staff development.
• Prepare and deliver professional development sessions for key partners.

Policy, advocacy and strategy

• Identify, collaborate and participate in CLE, law reform projects and advocacy as required and in collaboration with the DAP.
• Oversee the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the Organisational Work Plan insofar as it relates to the criminal law portfolio.

Selection Criteria

Key Selection Criteria (1-8)

1. Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to the values of IMCL.
2. Experience in providing high quality, client-focused and responsive criminal law and family violence legal services.
3. Experience in monitoring service delivery, developing diverse service delivery methods, and evaluating outcomes.
4. Experience in providing formal legal practice supervision and professional development in line with ethical and legal professional standards and organisational risk.
5. Leading the development and presentation of professional legal education and/or community legal education to diverse audiences.
6. Ability to positively collaborate and foster cooperation with both internal and external stakeholders in a multi-disciplinary setting.
7. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of clients, stakeholders, and colleagues.
8. Excellent organisational skills and ability to work under pressure, operate independently and coordinate with others.

Mandatory Qualifications

9. Minimum three years of practice experience in criminal law and court advocacy.
10. Hold or be eligible to hold a Principal Practising Certificate in Victoria.
11. Hold a current employee Working with Childrens Check

Desirable knowledge and skills

12. Experience in policy, law reform and community legal education.
13. LIV Accredited Criminal Law Specialisation.
14. Understanding of the guidelines applicable to the community legal sector and/or legal aid.
15. Experience working with clients who are from diverse and/or marginalised communities.

How to apply

To be eligible to apply for this position you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, or hold a valid work permit or visa.

Candidates are requested to apply via the button below with:

1. A covering letter outlining your interest in applying for the role and the addressing the key selection criteria (no more than 3 pages); and
2. A resume which includes details of education, work and volunteer experience.

For further information, please contact Marlene Dixon (Director of Legal Practice) at marlene.dixon@imcl.org.au

To submit your application, click the Apply Here button below. Applications close at 5pm on 22 May.

Position Description ›

Inner Melbourne Community Legal acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which we work, the Boon wurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin nation. We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded and pay our respects to their cultures and Elders past and present. This always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

Everyone is welcome at Inner Melbourne Community Legal, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality.