Lawyer/Associate - Responsible Business & ESG

Corrs; Sydney; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Bonus leave

Parental leave

Wellbeing program

Diversity & Inclusion

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Australia’s leading independent law firm, seeks a Lawyer or Associate to join the Responsible Business & ESG practice in Sydney or Melbourne. This role suits a 2–4 year PQE lawyer eager to develop expertise in business and human rights, ESG governance and sustainability law.

You will work across a broad range of ESG matters for leading clients, gaining exposure to advisory, compliance and contentious work, with strong mentoring and client engagement.

Qualifications

• Approximately 2–4 years’ post-qualification experience.
• Experience at a leading Australian or international law firm.
• Understanding of business and human rights standards and ESG issues is welcome but not essential.
• Strong research and communication skills.
• Collaborative approach and client service focus.
• Desire to learn and develop deep ESG law expertise.

Responsibilities

• Work across business and human rights and ESG matters for leading clients.
• Gain exposure to advisory, compliance and contentious matters.
• Collaborate with Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope and Kate Gill-Herdman to deliver mandates.
• Support development of client relationships and practice growth.

Skills

Legal research

Communication skills

Collaboration

Job description

Join Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Australia’s leading independent law firm.

We are seeking a Lawyer or Associate to join our growing Responsible Business & ESG practice in Sydney or Melbourne. This is an outstanding opportunity for a talented lawyer with approximately 2-4 years’ PQE to develop expertise at the forefront of business and human rights, ESG governance, and sustainability law.

You will work across a broad range of business and human rights and ESG matters for leading Australian and international clients, gaining exposure to complex advisory, compliance and contentious work in a rapidly evolving field. This role offers exceptional mentoring, meaningful client engagement and the chance to build your career within one of Australia’s most dynamic and future-facing practice areas.

At Corrs, we help you achieve your ambition – at every stage of your career

The Opportunity

Since launching in 2022, our Business and Human Rights (BHR) practice has rapidly established itself as the preeminent Australian practice in this field and a globally recognised leader, ranked in Chambers Global Market Leaders Business and Human Rights Law. Led by Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope, our BHR specialists provide uniquely integrated human rights advisory and legal advice and is part of our broader Responsible Business & ESG practice, a multidisciplinary team combining expertise in business and human rights, climate and sustainability, investigations, governance, and sustainable finance to deliver practical, cross-border solutions for boards, executives, and in-house counsel.

Our work spans three core areas:

• Business and human rights advisory: Developing, reviewing and evaluating human rights governance and compliance frameworks (including policies, procedures, due diligence frameworks and contractual mechanisms); advising on the application of international human rights standards for business across a range of contexts.
• ESG governance, compliance and disclosures: Advising on legal risk and compliance issues in voluntary and mandatory reporting (e.g., climate-related financial disclosures, modern slavery reporting, voluntary sustainability reporting); directors’ duties; governance and risk management frameworks; ESG issues in corporate transactions; evolving due diligence and disclosure obligations.
• Contentious ESG: Advising on greenwashing risks; acting in ESG-related litigation; complex human rights/supply chain investigations.

As a Lawyer or Associate, you will work directly with Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope (Head of Responsible Business and ESG) and Kate Gill-Herdman (Partner) to deliver client mandates across a range of ESG issues, and to support the growth and development of client relationships and the practice group.

The team advises clients across a wide range of sectors, including financial services, mining and resources, energy, transport and logistics, retail and consumer goods, technology, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, education and government. The practice also works closely with other Corrs teams, including environment & planning, inquiries & investigations, employment & labour, commercial litigation, competition, and corporate advisory.

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Join a market leading Business and Human Rights practice
• Develop expertise across business and human rights, ESG governance and contentious ESG matters
• Work on complex, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters for leading clients
• Gain meaningful client exposure and develop strong professional relationships
• Collaborate with specialists across the firm on multi-disciplinary mandates
• Support thought leadership and contribute to the public discourse on human rights, ESG and sustainability
• Benefit from exceptional mentoring and structured professional development
• Build your career in one of the most rapidly evolving areas of legal practice in Australia

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking talented lawyers who combine strong technical foundations with intellectual curiosity, sound judgement and a genuine interest in business and human rights, ESG and sustainability issues.

Ideally, you will have:

• Approximately 2-4 years’ post-qualification experience
• Experience gained at a leading Australian or international law firm
• An understanding of core business and human rights standards and frameworks and ESG and sustainability issues is welcome but not essential
• Strong research and communication skills
• The ability to manage aspects of matters with appropriate guidance, and to work directly with clients
• A collaborative approach and commitment to delivering exceptional client service
• A desire to learn and keep pace with constantly evolving developments across business and human rights, ESG and sustainability and to develop deep expertise in business and human rights and ESG-related law and regulation

About us:

Corrs Chambers Westgarth is Australia’s leading independent law firm. We provide exceptional legal services across the full spectrum of matters, including major transactions, projects and significant disputes, offering strategic advice on our clients’ most challenging issues.

Corrs’ culture is characterised by our values of excellence, commitment, collaboration and respect. Our policies, practices and behaviours foster a supportive and inclusive workplace, and we are focused on creating opportunities for our people and supporting a diverse workforce.

• Flexible working as standard - we have established flexibility as standard business practice and an option for all our people.
• Bonus leave - we provide an additional week of leave each year (5 weeks annual leave in total)
• Parental leave - we offer 26 weeks of gender-neutral paid parental leave and pay superannuation on both paid and unpaid leave (up to 12 months)
• Wellbeing program - we support the wellbeing of our people across areas including resilience, mindfulness, personal development, physical health and self-care.
• Diversity and Inclusion - we set meaningful goals and take action to improve diversity and foster an inclusive culture in which all employees feel supported and valued.
• Responsible business approach - we have an active pro bono and community engagement program and we are a member of the United Nations Global Compact. We are also a member of AusLSA, which works to promote and increase sustainable practices across the legal sector.
• Learning and development opportunities - including our Australian-first international study scholarship, a national training program and mentoring initiative.

For more information, see our website