Work with Us - Barwon Community Legal Service

Work with Us

Working with Us

We have a supportive team and we know supporting our clients requires varying and evolving skills and peer support. That is why we will provide regular training opportunities and we work as an integrated team. And as a team member, you can also access our free and confidential employee assistance counselling program and support from our in-house social work team.

We also offer generous leave options including the option for you to purchase leave, and we will consider flexible work arrangements. You also have the ability to salary package, potentially meaning a higher after tax income than if you earned the same wage at a for profit organisation.

We have great people that share the same vision and want to make a difference for our community.

We are committed to the provision of a child-safe organisation. We actively promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, and are committed to protecting children and young people from harm or abuse who come into contact with and/or access our service.

Applicants must undergo rigorous screening and recruitment processes, including providing evidence of current WWCC and National Police Check.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all sectors of the community.

 

 

There are currently no vacant positions to advertise

Volunteer Opportunities

We rely on volunteers, both students and lawyers, to assist with the delivery of our services and we are incredibly grateful for their support and commitment.
We have many different types of volunteers and students who assist us including:

  • Volunteer lawyers
  • Law students
  • Deakin University student internships
  • Practical Legal Training students
  • Community development students
  • Board members
  • Other professional roles as the need arises.

Volunteer Lawyers

We engage volunteer lawyers to provide advice as part of our night service as well as assisting with our criminal law clinic.

The night service runs after hours between 6pm – 8pm every Tuesday, comprising both general and family law clients. Each evening four lawyers are rostered to provide legal advice, two family and two general lawyers.

The legal matters we cover during the service include separation, divorce, child contact, property settlement, motor vehicle accidents, neighbourhood disputes and credit and debt issues.

We welcome expressions of interest from any lawyer with a current practicing certificate and experience in the areas of family or general law. Volunteer lawyers are assigned three 30 minute appointments per evening and are asked to commit to a monthly roster for a minimum of 12 months.

For more information or to express your interest in volunteering contact us.

Law Students

We have an established volunteering program for law students that allows them to gain valuable legal experience in a variety of supervised roles. The areas in which we engage law student volunteers include solicitor assistance, court duty, night service, community legal education and general administration.

Volunteer positions are dependent on availability and we prefer volunteers to remain with our service for six to 12 months. We have the capacity to support between 12 and 15 volunteer students at any time and we keep prospective volunteer applications for up to six months from the initial time of contact.

If you are considering volunteering with us, you can learn more about what to expect from the experience by reading Jack’s volunteer profile.

Contact us to express your interest or for more information about volunteering with our service.

Deakin University Student Internship Program

In partnership with Deakin University, we operate a student internship program for final year law students.

The internship program provides the opportunity for students to gain practical experience within a legal environment under the supervision of our principal and supervising lawyers.

During their placement students interact firsthand with lawyers and clients, help manage files and complete casework. The program is a fantastic opportunity for final year students to prepare for their future career, whether that be in the private or community-based sectors.

We can accommodate three to four students per intake and generally offer one intake in Trimester 1 and another in Trimester 2 of the academic year.

For more information about our Deakin student internship program, contact us.

Practical Legal Training Students

We have an established program for students who wish to undertake their Practical Legal Training (PLT) that allows them to gain valuable legal experience in a variety of supervised roles.

During placement, PLT students will receive on the job legal training under the supervision of our experienced lawyers. This experience will include working directly with our clients to take instructions, assessing matters for ongoing assistance, legal research, drafting letters, memoranda and briefs.

Students will be exposed to a broad range of clients and matters and will also participate in our education and community development programs, and may have the opportunity to contribute to law reform.

Many of our PLT students remain at the service as a volunteer until they find full-time work. We have also appointed graduate lawyers through our PLT program.

For more information about our PLT program contact us.

Community Development Students and Other Volunteers

From time to time we offer placements to students undertaking their community development or community services studies. On occasion we also provide opportunities for project based volunteers with relevant skills and experience to assist with specific project tasks.

Volunteers placed in our community team have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working on a variety of community development projects including community legal education sessions, awareness raising campaigns and law reform activities.

For more information or to express your interest contact the community team.

Last modified on January 15th, 2024 at 10:58 am

The content on this site is information only and is not legal advice. If you need legal advice please contact us.

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