Special Counsel / Salary Partner – Family Law

ALRA | Australia's Leading Recruitment Agency; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialized recruitment firm in Melbourne is seeking a Special Counsel or Salary Partner to lead and mentor a close-knit team. This role offers autonomy in practice development with capped billables and a hybrid work model. Candidates should have a proven track record and a strategic mindset. Enjoy benefits like mental health days and supportive team dynamics in a firm that values ethics and emotional intelligence.

Benefits

Capped billables

Hybrid work model

Mental health days

Monthly social events

Qualifications

• Proven track-record of $500k+ in fees.
• Experience in family law preferred.
• Ability to work autonomously.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor junior lawyers.
• Grow your own practice.
• Contribute to firm direction while maintaining care and commerciality.

Skills

Mentoring

Strategic thinking

Empathy

Client guidance

Job description

Overview

This specialist firm is not just growing – they’re cultivating something different. A place where people matter, clients are respected, and lawyers don’t leave their humanity at the door.

Role

They’re looking for a Special Counsel or Salary Partner to take on a leadership role in their tight-knit team. You’ll mentor up-and-coming lawyers, have the trust and autonomy to grow your own practice (demonstrating a track-record of $500k+ in fees), and contribute meaningfully to the direction of a firm that believes care and commerciality can co-exist.

What’s on offer

• Billables capped at 5 hours/day – sustainable, not punishing
• Hybrid work model – WFH Wednesdays and Fridays
• Supportive, close-knit team. 6 mental health days annually.
• Equal mix of property and parenting work – with the flexibility to shape your practice in areas that interest you.
• No-nonsense billables: 5 hours/day.
• Hybrid model: Mon, Tues, Thurs in-office; Wed, Fri from home.
• 6 mental health days annually (and yes, they want you to use them).
• Monthly social events and genuine celebration of milestones.
• Regular, supportive check-ins – no annual review ambushes here.

Approach

They’re not looking for a courtroom warrior whose first instinct is litigation. They want someone with a strategic mind and steady hand. Someone who understands that guiding a client through family breakdown takes skill, empathy, and restraint.

Next steps

If you’ve outgrown the conveyor belt of firms focused only on billables and want to join a team that values ethics, excellence, and emotional intelligence, let’s talk.

Interested? Let’s talk. With over 20 years recruitment experience, I can guarantee that your application is in good hands.

The market is small, and confidentiality is key. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have or to discuss the options available in the market.

Aaron Matrljan – Partner
ALRA | Australia’s Leading Recruitment Agency
M: 0405 100 650
P: 1300 002 572
E: [e-mail]
L: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-matrljan