Deputy Managing Lawyer

Victoria Legal Aid; Australia; Hybrid; AUD 114,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Flexible hours

Seasonal leave

Gender affirmation leave

Reproductive and fertility leave

Salary packaging

Myki passes

Learning & development

Wellbeing support

Job summary

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) is seeking an experienced senior lawyer to join us in a new leadership role and provide high-quality legal services to the Barwon region. You will oversee a team focused primarily on criminal law, delivering expert legal advice and advocacy while mentoring lawyers across the team.

The Geelong office offers a rewarding leadership opportunity with hybrid work, relocation support, and a salary range of $113,668 - $131,153 plus super.

Qualifications

• Unrestricted Australian practising certificate valid for Victoria.
• Experience supervising and mentoring staff.
• Substantial experience in criminal law and complex matters.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a team focused primarily on criminal law.
• Provide expert legal advice and advocacy.
• Supervise, support and mentor lawyers in the team.

Skills

Leadership

Criminal law expertise

People leadership

Mentoring staff

Communication

Education

Australian practising certificate

Job description

Rewarding leadership opportunity to combine legal expertise and people leadership while making a meaningful difference in the regional community.

• Full-time ongoing position (0.8FTE part-time considered)
• Salary range: $113,668 - $131,153 plus super
• Up to $15,900 in salary packaging, flexible hybrid work arrangement
• Relocation supports available

About the role

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) is seeking an experienced senior lawyer to join us in this new leadership role and provide high-quality legal services to the Barwon region. This is a rewarding opportunity to combine your legal expertise with leadership and people management, while making a meaningful difference to clients and the broader regional community. In this role, you will oversee a team focused primarily on criminal law. Working alongside other Deputy Managing Lawyer, you will provide expert legal advice and advocacy, while supervising, supporting and mentoring lawyers across the team. You'll play an important role in supporting the delivery of accessible, high-quality legal services across the region and building strong connections with local stakeholders and the community.

Why Geelong?

• The Geelong office is just over an hour drive from Melbourne and Ballarat.
• All the amenities of a city, without the extended commute to work.
• Exposure to multiple practice areas including summary crime, indictable crime, youth crime, child protection, family violence, and family law.
• Opportunity to lead the delivery of community legal education and stakeholder engagement in the region.
• Feel a sense of connectedness and community from working in regional Australia.

About you

• A current unrestricted Australian practising certificate which entitles you to practise in Victoria as a government legal practitioner (mandatory).
• Entitled to practise in federal courts and courts exercising federal jurisdiction (entry on the High Court's Register of Practitioners).
• A proven ability to develop, motivate, and manage a diverse team effectively, fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.
• Substantial experience in criminal law with a demonstrated capacity to handle complex legal matters as a senior lawyer.
• Experience in supervising and mentoring staff to improve their professional growth.
• Excellent communication skills to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including clients from disadvantaged backgrounds.

About VLA

We offer legal representation, family dispute resolution and non-legal advocacy to those who need it most. With over 1400 staff employed in 16 offices across Victoria, we help people with their legal problems by providing information, advice and education with a focus on the prevention and early resolution of legal problems. Our clients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds and foster a work culture that's inclusive as well as diverse. Your unique ideas and perspectives are valued so that we best represent the people we serve.

Employee benefits

• A focus on work-life balance, including flexible working arrangements
• Hybrid work from home & office model
• Generous leave benefits, including:
  • Three days paid seasonal leave (to be taken between Boxing Day and New Year's Day public holidays)
  • Paid gender affirmation l eave
  • Five days both paid reproductive and fertility leave per calendar year
• Annual 3% salary increase each December plus performance-related salary incentives
• Attractive salary packaging options including General Expenses up to $15,900, Meals & Entertainment up to $2,650 PLUS Novated Leasing
• Discounted annual Myki public transport passes
• Individual learning and professional development opportunities, tailored to your role and career goals
• Free annual flu vaccinations
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program, including confidential counselling and access to a range of mental health and wellbeing resources.

Applications close by 11.59pm on Tuesday 29 September 2026.

Other relevant information

It is a requirement that staff attend for office-based days at their primary work location. In line with this requirement, interstate applications will be considered only where the candidate is able and willing to relocate to Victoria, unless part of a border community. VLA is committed to putting the safety and wellbeing of children first.

No agency applications will be accepted.