Associate/Senior Associate - Environment & Planning

Johnson Winter Slattery; City of Brisbane; On-site; AUD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Australian law firm is seeking an Environment & Planning lawyer for its Brisbane office. This role supports a prestigious client base and allows flexibility in experience levels. Candidates should possess excellent writing capabilities and be ready to engage in both litigation and advisory work. The firm is committed to diversity and social justice, encouraging applications from all backgrounds, including First Nations candidates.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits including competitive remuneration

Flexible working opportunities

High-quality work with committed mentors

Professional growth through structured learning programs

Qualifications

• Willingness to continually improve skills and client service delivery.
• Comfortable swapping between jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Join the Brisbane office as an Environment & Planning lawyer.
• Service 'blue chip' client base in environment and planning law.
• Contribute to both front-end and back-end practices.

Skills

Excellent writing and reasoning capabilities

Ability to work in both litigation and advisory matters

Job description

About the Role

An opportunity exists for an Environment & Planning lawyer to join our Brisbane office. We are looking for a clever and engaged lawyer to either commence or continue their specialisation in environment & planning law.

This new role has been created to facilitate practice growth as well as to service the existing ‘blue chip’ client base. We are flexible on level/PQE, and we are open to the role being part time for a candidate who brings high quality experience and expertise.

You must have excellent writing and reasoning capabilities and a willingness and desire to continually improve both your skills and the delivery of the client service.

The core practice areas are environment, planning, native title, cultural heritage and land access. This is both a front end and back-end practice, so comfort is important in swapping between specialist litigation and advisory matters.

The practice delivers legal services nationally but specialises in particular fields depending on the State or Territory. It is important therefore to also be comfortable swapping between jurisdictions.

Who we are

Johnson Winter Slattery (JWS) is a leading Australian law firm known for advising corporations and Commonwealth Regulators on their most complex disputes, regulatory investigations and proceedings and commercial transactions.

At JWS, we build authentic, long-term relationships and have a deep understanding of our clients and their industries. Our clients say we are pragmatic, strategic, commercial and easy to work with.

Our firm is comprised of more than 450 highly talented people, including 80+ partners, across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. We are globally connected and have strong relationships with major independent law firms around the world.

JWS was recognised as Technology, Media and Telecom M&A Legal Adviser of the Year (Mergermarket M&A Awards Australia 2023), Energy Law Firm of the Year (Best Lawyers 2023) and Australian Law Firm of the Year (Beaton Client Choice Awards 2025). Our lawyers are highly ranked in Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal).

We are strongly committed to social justice, responsible business and our diverse communities. We are proud of our pro bono program which focuses on supporting low income, disadvantaged and marginalised people in the Australian community.

Working at JWS

We value collaboration and our teams work together to achieve shared outcomes. We care about the wellbeing of our people and will invest time in understanding your objectives so we can support you throughout your career. We believe it’s this focus on our people that has seen our firm grow rapidly to become one of Australia’s leading independent law firms.

We pride ourselves on being down-to-earth, approachable, and always high-performing. We have worked hard to create a culture where people look out for each other.

We offer:

• A collegiate environment with a collaborative culture across offices and practice groups
• High-quality work with committed mentors supporting your career development
• Comprehensive benefits including competitive remuneration, flexible working, and extensive social and wellbeing initiatives
• Opportunities for professional growth through structured learning and development programs, pro bono work, and employee recognition initiatives

We are committed to promoting a workplace that is diverse and inclusive. We encourage the best people - regardless of race, religion, or belief if any, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, or age - to fulfil their professional aspirations with us. In particular we would welcome applications from First Nations candidates.

Johnson Winter Slattery pays respect to Elders past and present of our nation’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We honour the deep spiritual, cultural and customary connections of Traditional Owners to the Australian landscape, including Australia’s waterways, land, and sea country.