About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain experience working as a Supervising Lawyer in the Courts & Prosecution Services Division of the Victoria Police's Legal Services (LS). Our vision is to be a centre of prosecutorial and legal excellence, with people who are recognised as being fair, just and valued partners in the Victorian justice system.

Victoria Police's LS provides legal services and advice to support policing, courts, and the Victorian community. LS is led by an Executive Director (who is also the organisation's General Counsel) and employs over 800 staff spread across four divisions – the Office of the Executive Director; the Specialist Legal and Litigation Division; the Courts & Prosecution Services Division; and the Legal Business Operations Division.

The Youth Law Group sits within the Specialist Prosecutions Branch, providing strategic leadership, subject matter expertise, support and training to a statewide network of prosecutors who are responsible for service delivery to the Children's Court of Victoria. Additionally, the Youth Law Group represents the Courts and Prosecution Services Division organisationally and externally in managing myriad issues that arise in the youth justice space.

The Youth Law Group has direct line management of the Youth Law Unit – a small, specialist team of prosecutors that undertakes case-management of and provides advice on some of the most serious criminal prosecutions in the State, in addition to supporting the function of the Youth Law Group.

• Mission: Provide a fair and effective prosecution service to the community of Victoria by adopting a therapeutic approach and upholding the principles of justice.
• Vision: Achieve positive outcomes for young people, victims and the community by fostering a commitment to collaboration, specialisation and the provision of service excellence.

We are looking for a self-motivated legal practitioner with criminal law experience to join our high-performing team.

As a Supervising Lawyer within the Youth Law Unit, you will prepare and appear as an advocate in complex, sensitive and high-profile/public-interest matters at the various Children's Court locations across Victoria and other jurisdictions as required. You will be responsible for driving positive strategic change, supporting excellence in service delivery and building capability and professional development. You will also support the Youth Law Group through advice on matters of policy development, law reform and implementation as required.

As the successful applicant, you will be an experienced advocate with a background in criminal law. You will have a high-degree of emotional intelligence, excellent organisational skills and be able to work collaboratively in a tight-knit team. In carrying out your role, you will promote a positive workplace culture, will drive performance excellence and use your initiative to improve processes and practices.

Victoria Police is a contemporary and agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements.

Your duties will include:

• Preparation of and appearances in complex and high-profile/public-interest prosecutions.
• Provision of advice and recommendations in relation to a broad range of youth justice-related issues.
• Provision of legal supervision, mentoring and professional development to lawyers and support staff as required.
• Engagement with internal and external stakeholders to foster collaboration and achieve positive outcomes for young people, victims and the community.
• Proactively identifying and driving process and governance improvements to ensure operational efficiency, including capitalising on the use of innovation and technology.
• Provision of general support to the Managing Principal Lawyer of the Youth Law Group.

As the successful applicant, you will have:

• Admission to practice as an Australian Lawyer (unrestricted Practising Certificate).
• A current and valid Drivers' Licence.

Requirements and relevant information:

• One (1) x full-time, ongoing position available.
• The salary range for a VPS5 role is $116,413 to $140,849 (covering salary ranges VPSG5.1 and VPSG5.2).  Although it is standard practice for selected candidates to commence at the base of the salary range, genuine consideration will be given to a commencement salary within the available range that is commensurate with the successful candidate's knowledge, skills and experiences. This will be subject to negotiations with the Hiring Manager in the course of the selection process and may include the provision of evidence of a higher income and/or supporting documentation (as required).
• This position is located at Prosecutions Branch Headquarters, 456 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
• Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa.
• The successful applicant will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening.
• As a member of the Legal Services Department you will be located, on selection, at a specific office within a Division for a particular advertised opportunity. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department.  This supports the Departments commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce and professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains.

Your application must include:

• Resume
• Completed application form – the word document (2. Application form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement.
• Current Practicing Certificate

Applications close midnight, Monday 6 July 2026.

Please Note: All applications will need to be submitted through one of the following platforms: Victorian Government careers website (Careers.vic) or Seek. Applications will not be accepted via other platforms or email.

For further information, please contact: Nicholas La Mattina on (03) 8533 1028 or Nicholas.LaMattina@police.vic.gov.au.

No recruitment agencies.

We welcome applications from people with disability and aim to support an inclusive recruitment experience. If you require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirement/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process (including an alternate method of submission of the application), please contact VPS Recruitment via email VPSRECRUITMENT@police.vic.gov.au or on (03) 8335 6004.

About Us:

Victoria Police has a dedicated workforce of more than 22,000 employees consisting of police, protective services officers, police custody officers, and public service staff. Each employee plays a vital role in providing the 24/7, 365 days a year emergency response and public safety capability the organisation delivers to its community. As a Victoria Police employee, you have a dedication and commitment to community safety. 

Victoria Police is committed to creating a workplace that is safe and inclusive of all our people.  We empower and expect our people, at all levels, to develop interpersonal connections and collaborate, use sound judgement, and create and innovate.

In alignment with the principle of self-determination, Victoria Police is dedicated to enhancing our collaboration with the Aboriginal community in Victoria as we build a culturally safe and inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We continue to engage and build relationships with local Aboriginal communities and work closely with them to enhance opportunities and services aimed at empowerment, equality, and equal participation across all areas of the organisation.

We value the diversity and differences of our employees, including their age, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation, abilities, and life experience. We celebrate these diverse experiences and perspectives as each person brings an informed and contemporary approach to our work which enhances the wellbeing of all. We aim to provide a safe place that is reflective of the community it serves, allowing everyone to bring their whole selves to work.”

If after reading this, you're not sure you tick every single criteria box, but have the passion to get behind our purpose, the determination to face a challenge and a willingness to grow and learn, we think you should click the apply button anyway. We're passionate about building a diverse and inclusive team, and love hearing from people like you.

Find out what it is like working as a Victorian Public Servant for Victoria Police: https://www.police.vic.gov.au/vps