Senior Lawyer – Employment & Industrial Relations

11 Recruitment; Perth; Hybrid; AUD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Fuel card

Six months paid parental leave

Flexible hours

Hybrid work after initial period

Job summary

The Western Australian branch of a national union is seeking a senior lawyer to lead its employment and industrial matters in the Perth office. You will manage a full file load, advise and represent members, and mentor a junior lawyer.

You will appear in Fair Work Commission, tribunals and courts, negotiating with employers and coordinating with union organisers. A strong advocacy background and a passion for workers’ rights are essential.

Qualifications

• Unrestricted legal practising certificate.
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD).
• 3–5 years post-admission experience, autonomous.
• Strong understanding of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
• Demonstrated court or tribunal advocacy experience.
• Courtroom advocacy with barristers desirable.
• Employment/industrial law experience desirable but not essential.
• Experience supervising or mentoring a junior lawyer desirable.
• Advocacy for workers and defending workers’ rights.
• Strong communication and collaborative approach.
• Ability to prioritise competing tasks and meet deadlines.
• Strong working relationships with opposing party representatives.
• Current driver’s licence.

Responsibilities

• Manage your own file load of employment and industrial matters through to the appropriate outcome.
• Supervise the junior lawyer with timely support and guidance.
• Represent members in Fair Work Commission, tribunal and court matters with barristers when needed.
• Negotiate with employer representatives on behalf of members and work groups.

Skills

Advocacy

Client communication

Team leadership

Workload management

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

RETAINED SEARCH / EXCLUSIVE LISTING

Our client is the Western Australian branch of a national union with a history dating back to 1886. The union represents more than 100,000 working people and their families, standing up for fair pay, conditions, safety and respect at work, and campaigning for a better deal for all working Australians.

The branch is growing. Its legal and industrial team is expanding to support more members and worksites across a broad range of industries, and members are asking the union to do more for them at work. Our client takes a measured approach: it will take up the fight for members when needed, without creating unnecessary conflict.

The legal team is experienced and values-driven. Its senior lawyers have been with the branch for around five years, and team members look out for each other while holding high professional standards.

About the opportunity

This is a senior role in the branch’s legal and industrial team, based in the Perth office. You will manage your own file load of employment and industrial matters, advise and represent members, and help supervise a junior lawyer. Queries come to the team through union organisers, who hold the relationships with members and worksites.

In this role, you will:

• Manage your own file load of employment law and industrial matters, seeing each matter through to the appropriate outcome for the member
• Supervise the junior lawyer, giving timely support, guidance and advice
• Represent members in Fair Work Commission, tribunal and court matters, working with barristers where needed
• Negotiate with employer representatives on behalf of members and work groups

Your work will include unfair dismissal and general protections matters, enterprise agreement disputes, claims for unpaid entitlements and underpayment of wages, and bargaining applications such as good faith bargaining and majority support determinations. You will research and deliver advice to branch officials, members and work groups, prepare correspondence, and draft Court and Commission applications. No two days are the same.

You will start with an appropriate first matter and work alongside the senior lawyers before taking on a full file load. Responsibilities grow with experience, and past team members have gone on to the Bar, the Fair Work Commission, political roles and union leadership.

About you

You are an admitted lawyer with a solid grounding in employment law or litigation, and you want your work to make a difference for working people. You are keen to learn and develop in a specialised area of law and can manage a varied workload at pace.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• An unrestricted legal practising certificate
• A Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD)
• 3 to 5 years post-admission experience, working autonomously
• A good understanding of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and associated legislation
• Demonstrated court or tribunal advocacy experience
• Litigation experience, including working with barristers (desirable)
• Experience in employment and/or industrial law (highly desirable but not essential)
• Experience supervising or mentoring a junior lawyer (desirable)
• Enthusiasm for advocating for workers and defending workers’ rights
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative approach
• The ability to prioritise competing tasks and meet all deadlines
• Strong working relationships with colleagues, including those representing the other party
• A current driver’s licence

What’s on offer

• A salary package that includes annual leave loading, a company car and fuel card, and the option to negotiate additional superannuation
• Generous insurance cover, including journey cover and extended cover for time off work
• Six months’ paid parental leave at full pay
• Flexible hours, with early starts and finishes possible, and part-time applicants considered
• Full-time in the Perth office for the first few months to build relationships, then working from home one day a week may be considered
• Mentoring from experienced senior lawyers in a supportive, values-driven team
• Varied, meaningful work at a pace that is less intense than private practice
• A role that grows with you, with pathways into senior and leadership roles

This is a permanent role, and applicants must have working rights that align with long-term employment requirements in Australia.

Sponsorship will not be provided.