Senior Solicitor (Identified)

Legal Aid NSW; Sydney; On-site; AUD 148,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Aid NSW in Sydney is seeking a Senior Solicitor in the Family Law Service for Aboriginal Communities (FamAC) to provide leadership within a specialist team delivering family law, care and protection, domestic violence and related legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.

You will lead, mentor, and develop the team, represent clients in complex matters, and work closely with communities and partners to improve access to justice and outcomes for Aboriginal families

Qualifications

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander identity is mandatory for this role.
• Extensive experience in family law, care and protection, and related services.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills with a track record of team development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a specialist legal team within FamAC.
• Represent and support clients in complex family law matters.
• Collaborate with communities and service partners to improve outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Community engagement

Legal expertise in family law

Education

Law degree and admitted NSW solicitor

Job description

• Lead with purpose. Drive justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
• Salary range $148,380 - $151,236pa (plus superannuation and entitlements)
• Ongoing full-time position, located in Haymarket

Applicants for this position must be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, identify as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and be accepted in the community as such.

You Belong Here

Here, every role has purpose.

Whether you're delivering frontline legal services or strengthening our organisation from behind the scenes, you'll help create fairer outcomes for the people across NSW and the opportunity to share your skills, stories, and passions and to represent your mob and culture.

With over 120 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, we are committed to creating a culturally safe workplace. We value the knowledge, skills and lived experience that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people bring to our organisation.

We promote dignity, trust, respect, and are committed to diversity and inclusion by offering recruitment and workplace adjustments.

Connect with the Legal Aid NSW Aboriginal Services Branch for a yarn.

About the Role

This is a role where being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a genuine occupational requirement. This means that your lived experience, cultural knowledge and community connection is essential to succeeding in this role and the services being provided.

As a Senior Solicitor in the Family Law Service for Aboriginal Communities (FamAC), you'll provide leadership within a specialist team delivering family law, care and protection, domestic violence and related legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.

In this role, you will:

• Lead, mentor and develop a specialist legal team
• Represent and support clients in complex family law matters
• Work closely with communities and service partners
• Help improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

About You

You are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander solicitor who wants your work to have a genuine impact. With strong family law and/or care and protection experience, you bring a thoughtful, culturally informed approach to supporting Aboriginal families and communities. You are a trusted leader who enjoys mentoring others, building strong relationships and using your expertise to improve access to justice and create lasting positive change for Aboriginal people across NSW.

About Legal Aid NSW

We stand beside people when they need it most.

At Legal Aid NSW, fairness isn't just a legal principle, it shapes everything we do - our culture, our services, our workplace and our decisions.

Since 1979, Legal Aid NSW has provided legal advice, support and representation in criminal, family and civil law, helping people across NSW navigate hardship and complex legal issues. Our work is challenging, but deeply meaningful.

In partnerships with LawAccess NSW, Community Legal Centres and the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT, we are located throughout the state including our Central Sydney office, 25 regional offices, and satellite and outreach offices.

Benefits of working with Legal Aid NSW

• Flexible Working - we are a Flex Ready certified and Carers and Employers accredited organisation. We are leading the way in offering a variety of flexible working options to uniquely support your unique work life balance.
• Professional Growth - as the largest law firm in NSW we offer a variety of opportunities to enhance your career at every stage, through our Judge Bob Bellear Legal Career Pathways Program, Aboriginal Legal Career Pathways and Regional Graduate Program, ongoing learning, shadowing and mentoring, development opportunities, and secondments.
• Work Health, Safety and Wellbeing - with dedicated programs, training, resources, and respectful work practices, our Wellbeing Framework ensures your physical, mental and psychosocial wellbeing matters so you feel supported, safe and holistically well.

The Role's Essential Requirements

• Applicants for this role must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. You must be able to demonstrate your Aboriginality in your application.
• Hold Australian or NZ citizenship, Australian Permanent Residency (for ongoing roles) or a valid visa to work in Australia (for temporary roles) Select type based on role and delete the other
• Undertake relevant pre-employment checks such as Working with Children Check, Criminal Record Check and Conduct Service Check
• Possess legal qualifications
• Be admitted or eligible for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW
• Provide a current NSW Unrestricted Practising Certificate before you start work with us
• Be a Registered practitioner of the High Court of Australia as per provisions of section 55B of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) before start work
• Have a valid Driver Licence and/or the capacity to travel regularly. You may be required to travel to regional and remote areas for certain roles.

Please note:

Applicants for this position must be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, identify as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and be accepted in the community as such.

An applicant's race is a genuine occupational qualification and is authorised under Section 14(d) of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977.

Aboriginality is defined by descent through parentage, identification as being Aboriginal and being accepted in the community as such.

In the pre-screening questions you will need to provide information on how you satisfy the Aboriginality criteria. Your responses will be treated with confidence.

Closing Date: Tuesday, 10th November 2026 at 11:59pm

Your application is your chance to show why you're a strong match for this role.

Please provide:

• A current resume (up to 5 pages)
• A cover letter (up to 2 pages) addressing your responses to the targeted questions below:

Targeted Question 1:

How have your skills, experience and interests prepared you to work with and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities?

Targeted Question 2:

Briefly describe your experience supervising complex legal matters and supporting the development of other legal staff.

You must clearly label your responses to each Target Question, for example, by using headings such as Target Question 1 and Target Question 2. Cover Letters that do not clearly label responses may be considered as not having addressed the Target Questions.

We're here to help

Legal Aid NSW is committed to a recruitment process that is inclusive and barrier free.

Connect with the Legal Aid NSW Aboriginal Services Branch for a yarn about the support available for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.

For accessibility support or recruitment adjustments, please contact Paige Gill, Recruitment Officer, ******@legalaid.nsw.gov.au or 02 9134 9***.

For information on Recruitment and Workplace Adjustments, visit Adjustments for individual needs | I Work for NSW.

For more information about the recruitment process and working at Legal Aid NSW view our Candidate Information Pack.

For role specific enquiries, contact Jake Fing, Solicitor in Charge FamAC, *********@legalaid.nsw.gov.au or (02) 9219 5***.

For general recruitment enquiries, contact the Talent Acquisition Team on 02 9134 9*** or via ************@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.

For guidance on preparing for interview readiness, explore the NSW Public Sector's interactive Capability Application Tool.

Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

We look forward to receiving your application!