Paralegal (Identified) - First Nations Practice

• Identified Role for First Nations people only
• Sydney based
• 12-month contract working 3- 5 days
• Supervision: First Nations solicitor

Redfern Legal Centre

Redfern Legal Centre is a non-profit community legal centre that promotes social justice and creates change. We provide free legal advice, legal services and education to people experiencing disadvantage in New South Wales. We drive innovation and change through policy and law reform work to address inequalities in the legal system, policies and social practices that cause disadvantage.

We provide effective and integrated free legal services that are client focussed, collaborative, non-discriminatory and responsive to changing community needs - to our local community as well as state-wide. Our specialist legal services focus on tenancy, credit, debt and consumer law, financial abuse, employment law, international students, First Nations justice, police accountability, and provide outreach services including through our health justice partnership.

Position Overview

The First Nations paralegal is an identified position for a person who is First Nations.

The role of the paralegal is to provide administrative and casework support to the First Nations lawyer and First Nations clients, in a culturally appropriate and accessible manner.

This role provides an opportunity to work within a culturally safe practice at Redfern legal Centre, dedicated to assisting First Nations clients in our local area, across a range of legal issues and areas of law.

The First Nations paralegal may also assist other practice areas, depending on capacity and demand.

The role is available to someone with capacity to work between three and five days per week.

Redfern Legal Centre currently employs four First Nations staff – the First Nations Justice solicitor, a First Nations Engagement Worker, and a financial counsellor in the Financial Abuse Service. We have three First Nations Directors on our eight person Board.

We have a Reconciliation Action Plan and actively engage with local First Nations organisations and First Nations communities in our catchment, including through attendance and stalls at NAIDOC week and Survival Day events, and regular outreaches to First Nations organisations.

This position is based in the office only.

Position Responsibilities

• Draft letters, correspondence and other documents under supervision.
• Follow up with clients to obtain instructions, updates, documents and other information required for their matters.
• Act as a key liaison point for clients, providing clear, respectful and timely communication.
• Assist with booking clients for appointments, services and outreach activities.
• Take client instructions and record relevant information accurately in accordance with Centre processes.
• Provide non-legal referrals to appropriate services and agencies where required.
• Sort, organise, copy and prepare client and administrative documents, including photocopying and document drafting tasks.
• Support outreach activities, including assisting with preparation, client bookings, follow-up and related administrative tasks.
• Assist solicitors and other staff with administrative aspects of casework and service delivery.
• Help ensure client documents, correspondence and records are complete, organised and uploaded to relevant systems.
• Contribute to Redfern Legal Centre through attendance at staff meetings, contribution to board and funding reports, assistance with intake including intake supervision shifts, supervision of volunteers, and contribution to the effective implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

1. Be of First Nations descent and identify and be accepted as such in the community.
2. Highly developed administration and time management skills with the ability to prioritise work and achieve deadlines in a high pressure, demanding environment.
3. Experience working or volunteering with clients experiencing disadvantage and delivering a trauma informed, culturally safe service, including communicating information in an accessible way.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
5. Sound Microsoft Office skills and familiarity with databases.
6. Commitment to the objectives of Community Legal Centres.

Desirable

1. Knowledge and experience with Redfern Legal Centre’s systems and Actionstep.
2. Experience working in a legal setting, and/or knowledge of the law and legal processes.

Conditions

Salary and benefits: $79,336.14 - $88,675.84 p.a. (pro rata for part time) depending on qualifications and experience.

Superannuation and annual leave loading are paid in addition to this and salary packaging is available.

Redfern Legal Centre is a flexible, supportive and diverse workplace. We offer a 35-hour working week, time in lieu options and a paid end of year closure of two weeks (including public holidays) on top of four weeks annual leave. We prioritise staff wellbeing through reflective practice with an external supervisor, a generous training and professional development budget and flexible working conditions. We offer cultural supervision and First Nations cultural leave.

Applications

Your application should be no more than six pages long and should include a cover letter, your resume and must include responses to the selection criteria included in the job description.

Non-lawyers employed by Redfern Legal Centre are required to comply with s 121 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law.

Being an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person is a genuine occupational requirement for this role under s 14 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW).

Inquiries should be directed to Sam Lee on sam@rlc.org.au using the subject line: Paralegal (Identified) - First Nations Practice enquiry via EthicalJobs.