Senior Solicitor - Programs

• Salary: $120,000 – $140,000, commensurate with experience
• Location: Adelaide, South Australia

A senior legal role with genuine organisational influence.

Lead complex legal work, community legal education and early-intervention activity while helping shape consistent, high-quality Client Support Officer services across FVLSAC’s expanding footprint in Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge.

About FVLSAC

Family Violence Legal Service Aboriginal Corporation (SA) provides legal and non-legal support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by family, domestic and sexual violence.

We are an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation with a strong regional footprint and a clear commitment to culturally safe, trauma-informed and client-centred practice.

Our work is grounded in community, justice, safety and self-determination.

About the role

Reporting to the Principal Legal Officer, the Senior Solicitor – Programs is a senior practitioner and people leader supporting FVLSAC’s obligations under the National Access to Justice Partnership (NAJP) and the organisation’s strategic expansion across South Australia.

The role combines specialist legal practice with program coordination, multidisciplinary service integration and direct line management of Client Support Officers in Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge. It is responsible for helping ensure legal and non-legal services are consistent, culturally safe, responsive and aligned with organisational KPIs, accreditation requirements and NAJP service standards.

Legal Practice

• Family Law
• Child Protection
• Intervention Orders
• Victims of Crime Compensation            

Programs

• Community Legal Education
• Early intervention
• Prevention
• Community engagement

Leadership

• Direct line management of CSOs across Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge             

Service Quality 

• Caseloads 
• Workflow
• Data quality
• KPIs
• NAJP standards
• Continuous improvement

What you will do

• Provide high-quality legal advice, advocacy, casework and representation in Family Law, Child Protection, Intervention Orders and Victims of Crime Compensation matters.
• Manage complex client matters with strong legal judgement, cultural capability and sensitivity to trauma, risk and intersecting needs.
• Support the planning, delivery and evaluation of community legal education, early-intervention and prevention programs across new and existing locations.
• Lead and collaborate with Client Support Officers to integrate legal and non-legal assistance within FVLSAC’s wrap-around service model.
• Directly manage Client Support Officers across Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge, including supervision, performance, probation, workload, data quality and professional development.
• Mentor junior solicitors and contribute to legal and program capability across a geographically dispersed multidisciplinary team.
• Build productive relationships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, courts, SAPOL, community organisations and sector partners.
• Contribute to NAJP reporting, accreditation, risk management, continuous improvement and responsible use of public resources.

Why this role is different

This is a senior position with breadth. You will combine meaningful legal practice with leadership of people, programs and service quality across an expanding specialist Aboriginal legal service.

• Undertake complex legal work that directly supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victim-survivors.
• Help shape service delivery across new metropolitan and regional locations.
• Lead a holistic model that connects legal assistance with culturally safe client support.
• Influence the quality and consistency of Client Support Officer practice across multiple sites.
• Contribute to community legal education, early intervention and prevention work.
• Mentor staff and support a high-performing, culturally safe multidisciplinary team.
• Build trusted relationships with Aboriginal communities and service partners.

What we are looking for

We are seeking a senior solicitor who can combine strong legal practice with sound leadership, cultural capability and a practical approach to service delivery.

• A current unrestricted South Australian practising certificate, or a transferable equivalent from another Australian jurisdiction.
• Demonstrated experience in Family Law, Child Protection, Intervention Orders and Victims of Crime Compensation matters.
• Strong understanding of the legal, cultural and social issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Demonstrated culturally safe and trauma-informed practice.
• High-level skills in complex case management and working with clients experiencing multiple disadvantage.
• Ability to integrate legal practice with holistic, non-legal support.
• Experience in community legal education and early-intervention program planning and delivery.
• Strong teamwork and leadership capability across multidisciplinary and geographically dispersed teams.
• Capacity for regular regional travel.

Highly regarded

• Five or more years’ post-admission experience in family violence-related practice.
• Experience in an FVPLS, community legal centre, Legal Aid or Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation setting.
• Additional training in trauma-informed practice, cultural capability or family violence.
• Knowledge of regional South Australian service systems.
• Completion of a Law Practice Management Course.

Special conditions

• Hold, or be eligible to hold, a practising certificate recognised in South Australia.
• Hold a current driver’s licence and be willing to undertake regular regional travel.
• Maintain a satisfactory National Police Clearance and DHS Working with Children Check.

Aboriginal people are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. 

Please contact Atheana Bitmead, Corporate Services Manager by email at: atheana.bitmead@fvlsac.org.au for further information and to obtain a copy of the Job and Person Specification.