Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS)
Location: Preston, VIC | Full-Time | 12-month (with potential for extension)
Salary: $120,000 + Super + Salary Packaging
Application Closing Date: 08th August 2025
About VALS
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) has been advocating for and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since 1973. Our holistic services span criminal, family, civil and human rights law, youth legal services, 24/7 custody notification, housing, family violence programs, and much more. At VALS, we are committed to self-determination, equality, diversity, and inclusion and we are always evolving to meet community needs.
About Balit Ngulu
The core function of Balit Ngulu is to provide Aboriginal children and young people (up to 21 years old) with appropriate legal advice and representation and support their empowerment and resilience within its service areas. Balit Ngulu will aim to:
- Provide quality and timely legal services to Aboriginal children and young people for matters within Balit Ngulu’s specified service locations of the Children’s Court of Victoria.
- Support Aboriginal children and young people with legal assistance and services to help them grow within the community.
- Divert Aboriginal children and young people away from the justice system and seek incarceration alternatives for Aboriginal children and young people in contact with the justice system, including supporting and prioritising bail applications for those who are at risk of being remanded or are remanded in custody within Balit Ngulu’s specified service locations.
- Assist Aboriginal children and young people to have a strong voice in Child Protection decisions that impact them and ensure that they are not removed from parental care unless there is an unacceptable risk harm. Where children are removed from parental care, provide strong advocacy to ensure that appropriate support is provided to enable reunification to occur and ensure that Aboriginal children remain connected to their family, community and culture when living out of parental care.
- Provide consistent contact and legal support with children and young people in the legal system.
- Provide legal education activities to vulnerable Aboriginal children and young people within service areas and those in youth detention.
Role Summary
The Managing Lawyer plays a pivotal role in supporting the Principal Managing Lawyer delivering exceptional, culturally safe legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. This leadership position requires a dedicated professional who will guide and mentor a diverse team of lawyers, paralegals, and support staff while maintaining the highest standards of legal practice, with a particular focus on child protection matters and family violence intervention orders for clients with links to the Darebin Local Government Area (LGA).
Operating within an integrated and collaborative environment, the Managing Lawyer will oversee day-to-day operations of child protection and crossover clients in the Darebin LGA, while ensuring quality legal representation and fostering professional development. This role combines direct client advocacy with strategic team management, requiring both strong legal expertise and exceptional leadership skills.
Central to this position is the requirement for a high degree of cultural capability, enabling effective work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The Managing Lawyer will address complex legal needs spanning child protection, youth justice and civil law matters, with child protection being a primary focus area requiring specialized expertise in navigating the complexities of the child protection system and its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
This position offers the opportunity to make a transformative impact by ensuring culturally appropriate, high-quality legal representation, particularly in child protection proceedings where the stakes are highest for vulnerable children and families.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the Principal Managing Lawyer in delivering culturally safe legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
- Guide and mentor lawyers, paralegals, and support staff while overseeing day-to-day operations
- Foster professional development and ensure quality legal representation
- Provide direct client advocacy with particular focus on child protection matters
- Address complex legal needs spanning child protection, youth justice, family law, and civil law
- Deliver culturally appropriate legal representation in child protection proceedings and for cross over children
- Maintain high degree of cultural capability to work effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- Ensure culturally safe service delivery and build strong client relationships
- Champion cultural competence across the team
- Manage complex legal matters and contribute to policy development initiatives
- Make transformative impact on vulnerable children and families through specialised expertise
Key Selection Criteria
- Current, unrestricted Victorian Practicing Certificate with demonstrated advanced post admission experience in Child Protection and Family Violence Intervention Orders matters
- Extensive advocacy experience in child protection matters (including court appearance)
- Capability to provide strategic specialist legal advice and guidance to VALS lawyers on complex child protection matters and policy issues impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Comprehensive understanding of barriers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face in legal service delivery and a commitment to advancing VALS strategic priorities
- Demonstrated experience to manage, supervise and develop junior solicitors and paralegals
- Experience in design and delivery of professional legal education
- Skills in strategic and operational planning, including ability to work effectively with others to develop and implement policies and procedures
- Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships and positive stakeholder engagement with Victoria Legal Aid, the Courts, ACCOs, and other youth-focused organisations.
Qualifications & Mandatory Checks
Desirable
- A minimum of 5 years of experience in child protection
- Previous management experience
- Experience working in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, community legal services or similar non-profit organisations
- Knowledge of policy development and law reform processes
- LIV Accredited Specialist in Children’s Law
Personal accountability
- Compliance with all VALS values, code of conduct, policies and procedures and relevant government legislation and standards where relevant.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the principles of social justice and aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their background, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion.
- Ensure appropriate use of resources.
- Actively participate in initiatives to maintain, build upon and promote a positive and collaborative workplace.
- Take reasonable care for your own health & safety, and health and safety of others (to extent required)
- Maintain own self-care and wellbeing with support of line management.
- Promptly respond to and report health and safety hazards, incidents and near misses to management.
- Attend mandatory training sessions (ie. equal employment opportunity, health and safety, cultural safety) and mandatory training specific to position.
- A copy of your current Employee Working with Children Check card
- A copy of your current Victorian Driver’s License
- You will be required to complete a current Criminal History Police Check
Proof of rights to work in Australia, i.e. a copy of an Australian Passport, Birth Certificate or Immigration VISA documentation and copies of any certificates or degrees relevant to this role
Why Join VALS?
We offer a supportive, flexible, and culturally safe working environment with a range of attractive benefits, including:
- 17.5% Leave Loading
- 5 additional days of annual leave on top of the standard 20 days
- Time in Lieu (TOIL) system for any hours worked beyond your contracted 21 hours per week
- Access to company vehicles for work-related travel
- Generous salary packaging up to $15,900 via Maxxia
- Opportunity to work alongside a passionate team committed to delivering culturally appropriate legal and support services for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities
- Ongoing professional development and training opportunities