Senior Legal Counsel

Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia invites a Senior Legal Counsel to join the Legal and Integrity team. You will provide strategic legal advice to senior executives across workplace relations, employment law, integrity, governance and risk management.

Reporting to the Executive Director, Legal and Integrity, you will lead advice on complex matters, support investigations, litigation management, and contribute to organisational governance programs in a high-profile national court

Qualifications

• Experienced lawyer with strategic legal advice across workplace relations, employment law, industrial relations, WHS, integrity and governance.
• Proven ability to manage complex legal matters, risk, investigations and governance programs.
• Leadership and mentoring to junior lawyers and staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide authoritative, practical and strategic legal advice to the Chief Justice, CEO/PR, Deputy Principal Registrar and Executive Management.
• Advise on workplace relations, employment law, industrial relations, WHS, integrity and public sector matters.
• Lead investigations, complaints handling and governance initiatives.
• Support litigation management, coordinate external counsel, and respond to legal claims and inquiries.
• Contribute to policy development, decision-making frameworks and organisational risk management.

Job description

This role sits within the Legal and Integrity team of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (FCFCOA). About the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia The FCFCOA is one of Australia's busiest and most significant federal courts. The FCFCOA exercises family law, child support and general federal law jurisdiction and operates nationally across metropolitan, regional and circuit locations. The FCFCOA plays a critical role in the administration of justice and the protection of some of Australia's most vulnerable court users, including children, families and victims of family violence. The FCFCOA comprises 126 judges, more than 680 staff and operates across 43 locations nationally. The Legal and Integrity team sits at the heart of the FCFCOA’s governance and administration, providing trusted legal, governance and strategic advice to the Chief Justice, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Registrar (CEO/PR) , Deputy Principal Registrar and Executive Management. The team supports the FCFCOA in managing complex legal, workplace, integrity and risk matters, and plays a key role in promoting sound decision-making, accountability, ethical conduct and organisational effectiveness across the national Court system. Through the delivery of high-quality legal services and strategic advice, the Legal and Integrity team contributes to the effective administration of the FCFCOA and supports the Chief Justice and CEO/PR in the discharge of their statutory responsibilities.

The Opportunity

This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced lawyer to inform strategic decision-making and contribute to the governance, integrity and workplace management of one of Australia's largest and most complex federal courts. As the Senior Legal Counsel, you will work closely with the Executive Director, Legal and Integrity to provide strategic legal advice and leadership across workplace relations, employment law, industrial relations, work health and safety, integrity, complaints handling, investigations, litigation management and governance matters. You will advise the Chief Justice, CEO/PR, Deputy Principal Registrar and Executive Management on complex, sensitive and high-risk issues that have significant operational, reputational and organisational implications. The role requires sound judgment, strategic thinking and the ability to deliver practical legal solutions in a dynamic and high-profile environment. In addition to managing complex legal matters, the role provides senior legal expertise across workplace, integrity and governance matters and contributes to the development of legal capability through mentoring, knowledge sharing and the promotion of best practice across the organisation. This is a unique opportunity to undertake challenging and meaningful work at the intersection of law, governance, public administration, organisational leadership and integrity.

Working closely with the Executive Director, Legal and Integrity, you will:

Strategic Legal Advice and Risk Management

• Provide authoritative, practical and strategic legal advice to the Chief Justice, CEO/PR, Deputy Principal Registrar and Executive Management.
• Advise on complex workplace relations, employment law, industrial relations, WHS, integrity and public sector legal matters.
• Identify emerging legal and operational risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies.
• Support senior decision-makers on governance, integrity, administrative law and organisational risk matters.
• Prepare high-quality legal advice, executive briefs, reports and correspondence.

Workplace Relations, Investigations and Integrity

• Provide leadership and strategic oversight in relation to complex employee relations issues, workplace disputes, misconduct matters and disciplinary processes.
• Provide strategic legal support in relation to complaints, investigations and review processes.
• Advise on procedural fairness, privacy, administrative law obligations and decision-making frameworks.
• Support integrity initiatives, ethical decision-making frameworks and organisational governance programs.
• Assist senior leaders in managing highly sensitive workplace and integrity matters.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

• Support the management of litigation involving the Courts, judicial officers, registrars and staff.
• Coordinate external legal advisers and counsel.
• Develop legally sound and practical approaches to dispute resolution.
• Assist in responding to legal claims, complaints and regulatory inquiries.

Work Health and Safety

• Advise on WHS obligations, psychosocial hazards and workplace wellbeing matters.
• Support organisational responses to significant WHS incidents and investigations.
• Assist in developing policies, procedures and risk management frameworks that promote a safe workplace.

Governance and Executive Support

• Provide strategic legal advice supporting the Chief Justice's responsibilities for the administration of the Courts.
• Support the CEO/PR and Executive Management in managing legal issues arising from Court operations.
• Contribute to organisational governance, policy development and decision-making processes.
• Assist in developing legal frameworks, policies and procedures that support accountability, integrity and effective administration.

Leadership and Capability

• Provide professional guidance and support to lawyers and staff within the Legal and Integrity team.
• Contribute to the development of legal capability through mentoring, coaching and knowledge sharing.
• Promote consistency, quality and best practice in the provision of legal advice and the management of workplace and integrity matters.
• Contribute to legal training, capability development and organisational awareness programs.
• Promote a culture of integrity, professionalism and sound decision-making.