Job opportunity: Managing Lawyer - Youth

Inner Melbourne Community Legal (IMCL) is a community legal centre committed to improving access to justice and achieving meaningful, lasting outcomes for people experiencing disadvantage and legal need across inner Melbourne.

Based at our offices in North Melbourne and Kensington, IMCL provides accessible, high-quality legal services, community legal education, advocacy and support to individuals and communities who may otherwise experience significant barriers to accessing justice.

Our work is grounded in a strong commitment to human rights and social change. We are driven by our organisational values, Integrity, Courage, Radicalism, Community and Care. We recognise that legal problems rarely occur in isolation and often intersect with issues such as housing insecurity, financial hardship, family and relationship breakdown, mental health, family violence, discrimination and contact with police and the criminal justice system.

IMCL takes a holistic and client-centred approach to legal practice. We work collaboratively with clients, community organisations, government agencies and other legal and social services to address immediate legal needs while also identifying opportunities for early intervention, prevention and systemic change.

Our legal practice has a particular focus on community interactions with police, criminal law, housing/tenancy law, family violence and family law, reflecting areas of significant legal need within the communities we serve. Alongside individual casework and representation delivered at court and outreach locations, IMCL contributes to community legal education, law reform, policy advocacy and other initiatives designed to address the underlying causes of disadvantage and improve access to justice.

We are committed to developing innovative, responsive and high-quality legal services that reflect the needs of our community and to creating a workplace where staff can make a genuine and lasting contribution to social justice.

The role

Inner Melbourne Community Legal is seeking an experienced and values-driven Managing Lawyer to provide strategic and practice leadership for lawyers working in our Youth stream. The successful candidate will have expertise working with young people to resolve their commonly experienced legal issues, including criminal law, family violence, fines and housing/tenancy.

Based across our North Melbourne and Kensington offices, the Managing Lawyer will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality, accessible and client-centred legal services to young people experiencing disadvantage.

The successful applicant will provide legal supervision and professional leadership to the legal team, support the development of high-quality practice standards, and work collaboratively across IMCL and the community legal sector to respond to emerging legal and community needs.

Reporting to the Director of Legal Practice, the Managing Lawyer - Youth will:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for IMCL's dedicated youth practice, with expertise in criminal law and tenancy law highly desirable
• Lead and support the delivery of high-quality legal advice, casework, advocacy and representation, including complex and sensitive matters.
• Provide professional supervision, mentoring and support to lawyers and other legal staff, fostering a high-performing and supportive team.
• Ensure appropriate legal practice management, quality assurance, risk management and compliance across the relevant practice areas.
• Identify opportunities to improve and expand services in response to emerging community needs, with a particular focus on early intervention, prevention and access to justice.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with courts, government agencies, community organisations, referral partners and other legal services.
• Lead and contribute to community legal education, law reform, systemic advocacy and strategic projects that address the underlying causes of legal disadvantage.
• Support the development of funding applications, grants, partnerships and other opportunities that strengthen and expand IMCL's services.
• Contribute to organisational strategy, service planning, evaluation and continuous improvement.
• Work collaboratively with IMCL's leadership team and other program areas to ensure an integrated and holistic response to client and community needs.
• Promote a trauma-informed, culturally safe, inclusive and client-centred approach to legal service delivery.
• Support the development of innovative approaches to legal practice that improve outcomes for young people, people experiencing housing insecurity and people involved with the criminal justice system.

Benefits & culture

At Inner Melbourne Community Legal, we believe that supporting our people is essential to delivering high-quality legal services and achieving meaningful outcomes for our clients and communities.

We offer:

• Ongoing, full-time position.
• Salary ($130,000-$135,000 per annum) paid at 4.5% above the SCHADS Award, recognising the skills, expertise and commitment of our staff.
• Five weeks of annual leave, providing greater opportunity to rest, recharge and maintain wellbeing.
• Additional paid leave over the Christmas to New Year period.
• Generous salary packaging.
• Flexible working arrangements that support work-life balance and sustainable working practices.
• A strong commitment to staff wellbeing, professional development and ongoing learning.
• A collaborative and supportive workplace where staff are encouraged to contribute ideas and develop innovative approaches to service delivery.
• The opportunity to work across our North Melbourne and Kensington offices, with flexibility to work from other locations where required.
• IMCL is committed to creating a workplace that is inclusive, respectful, collaborative and supportive. We value diversity of experience and perspective and recognise that strong teams are built through trust, professional respect and a shared commitment to social justice.

We encourage staff to bring their expertise, initiative and ideas to their work and to contribute to the ongoing development of our services and organisation.

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.

Next steps

Please apply via the "Apply Now" button below.

Please direct all enquiries to Marlene Dixon, Director of Legal Practice at marlene.dixon@imlc.org.au using the subject line: Managing Lawyer - Youth enquiry via EthicalJobs.

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.