About the role:

This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain valuable experience working as a Senior Lawyer with the Legal Services Department at Victoria Police. 

The Youth Law Unit is a state-wide network of prosecutors who primarily conduct prosecutions in the Children's Court of Victoria and provide support and advice regarding the prosecution and policing of children and young people. The Youth Law Unit sits within the Courts & Prosecution Services Division of the Legal Services Department of Victoria Police.

The Children's Court fosters a therapeutic and rehabilitative focus, where all stakeholders collaborate to achieve positive outcomes for young people and their families. Victoria Police is seeking to continue supporting the growing cohort of Police Lawyers with enthusiastic, skilled, and dedicated leaders to support the delivery of prosecution services across this jurisdiction.

This is a multifaceted and dynamic role that offers an opportunity to be exposed to serious indictable criminal matters and other complex areas of law and policy in a leadership capacity. As a Senior Lawyer, you will play a leading role in the induction, training, mentoring and supervision of Police Lawyers & Legal Support staff in court advocacy and the prosecution of matters listed in the Children's Court jurisdiction. In carrying out your role, you will promote a positive workplace culture, performance excellence and will lead by example.

As the successful applicant, you will be an experienced criminal lawyer with a demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities effectively. You will be a people-focused leader and someone who has excellent emotional intelligence and the ability to contribute to organisational strategy.

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

Your duties will include:

• Day-to-day support of police lawyers within your designated work area.
• Preparing, conducting, and appearing as a solicitor advocate on behalf of Victoria Police in the Magistrates' and Children's Courts as directed.
• Provision of legal advice in areas of skill and knowledge, including the drafting of court submissions.
• Working with internal and external stakeholders across agencies to ensure cooperative and proactive approaches to addressing community harm.
• Establishing and maintaining productive working relationships with legal representatives and court staff.
• Providing support and assistance to the Managing Principal Lawyer and Supervising Lawyers in the management of more complex cases, projects and policy reform.

As the successful applicant, you will:

• Be admitted to practice as an Australian Lawyer.
• Have an Australian Practising Certificate or be immediately eligible to apply for one.
• Have the ability to work in a team and in a developing and emerging work environment.
• Have a high level of resilience and emotional intelligence.
• High-level understanding and experience as a court advocate.
• Have sound knowledge and understanding of the Victorian criminal justice system and a commitment to keeping abreast of changing trends, policies and legislation.
• Experience in coaching, mentoring and developing junior lawyers.
• A current and valid Victorian Driver Licence.

Requirements and relevant information:

• One (1) x full-time, ongoing position available.
• The salary range for a VPS4 role is $91,418 to $103,725. 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).
• As a member of the Courts and Prosecution Services Division of the Legal Services Department you will be located, on selection, at a specific office for a particular advertised opportunity. The primary location for this position is the Youth Law Unit, 456 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department. This promotes professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains, and supports the Department's commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce.
• This position may require you to work outside normal hours.
• 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.

Your application must include:

• A Cover letter (no more than 1 page)
• Resume
• Completed application form – the word document (2. VPS Application Form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement.
• A copy of your current Australian Practising Certificate

Applications close midnight, Sunday 15 October 2023.

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

Current Victorian Government employees must apply via Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE). 

For further information, please contact: Jessica McCartney, A/Managing Principal Lawyer, Youth Law Group via email jessica.mccartney@police.vic.gov.au. No recruitment agencies please.

If you have a disability/medical condition and require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirements/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process, please contact VPS Recruitment via email VPSRECRUITMENT@police.vic.gov.au or on (03) 8533 1440.

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. 

Having a workforce that reflects the community we serve is important to Victoria Police. We want to attract and retain people of all genders, ages, religions, disability, sexual orientation, family and caring responsibilities, and cultures including people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. If you are interested in a position, we encourage you to apply as we celebrate the benefit that diversity brings to our employees, our services, and our community.

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