This is a permanent, full time vacancy.
About Justice
When you join the Department of Justice, you become part of a people-focused organisation, working hard to make our community a fairer and safer place to live. We offer many different employment opportunities in locations around Western Australia. You will have a chance to make a real difference to your local communities and to the lives of those you work with.
About the role
The Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) promotes and protects the rights of adults with decision-making disabilities to reduce their risk of neglect, exploitation and abuse through the provision of its statutory services in accordance with the functions of the Public Advocate under Guardianship and Administration Act 1990.
The Principal Legal Officer is a newly created position and is responsible for OPA’s legal team which comprises of a Senior Legal Officer, Paralegal and Legal Assistant. These are also newly created positions and therefore the Principal Legal Officer will be championing the implementation of OPA’s legal team.
The Principal Legal Officer is responsible for providing strategic level advice and leadership to OPA and overseeing in-house legal services to ensure statutory compliance and the effective resolution of legal matters. This role supports OPA’s broader remit of advocacy, and investigation, guardianship, and community and professional education.
Eligibility
Permanent positions – To be eligible for appointment to permanent positions in the West Australian Public Sector you must be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status in Australia.
Qualifications – the successful applicants must:
- hold, or be eligible to hold, a current Australian practising certificate issued by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia
- possess a Bachelor of Laws Degree
- possess admission as a practitioner, however described, of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
OR, be a legal practitioner from outside Western Australia whose qualifications for admission in Western Australia have been approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.
Benefits and opportunities
- Flexible working arrangements
- Career pathway opportunities
- Learning and development opportunity programs
- Health and wellbeing programs including Fitness passport providing a wide range of gym, pool, and fitness centre discounts available for employees and their families.
- Check out the attached Applicant Information Pack to find out other benefits of working for Justice.
Application process
How to apply
Please ensure you review the attached Job Description Form (JDF) for further information about the requirements of the position. This information will assist you with the preparation of your application.
We require you to submit:
- A comprehensive Resume / Curriculum Vitae, that clearly outlines your transferable skills, experience and highlights your key achievements.
- A statement of no more than two (2) pages addressing your suitability for the role in the context of the Job Related Requirements.
- Documentation which confirms the following Role Specific Criteria:
- Bachelor of Laws Degree AND admission as a practitioner, however described, of the Supreme Court of Western Australia OR a legal practitioner from outside Western Australia whose qualifications for admission in Western Australia have been approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.
- A lawyer performing this position is deemed to be a government legal practitioner as defined in the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2022 (WA) and therefore the occupant is required to hold, or be eligible to hold, a current Australian practising certificate issued by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.
- Contact details of two work related referees.
All remaining Role Specific Criteria will be assessed at a later stage in the recruitment process.
Subsequent Vacancies
Applicants found suitable but not recommended for this vacancy, may be considered for subsequent similar vacancies in the Department of Justice for a period of twelve (12) months, in accordance with Part 5 (General Appointment) of the Commissioner's Instructions No. 2: Filling a Public Sector Vacancy and Commissioner’s Instructions and No. 39: Interim Arrangements to Fill Public Sector Vacancies. Permanent, fixed term, full time and part time appointments may be offered during this period.
Candidate Search
If required, we may choose to supplement the field of applications by conducting a Candidate Search.
For further job-related information
If you would like further information regarding the vacancy please contact Ms Pauline Bagdonavicius, Public Advocate on (08) 9278 7303 for a confidential discussion.
Equity and Diversity
The Department of Justice is committed to building a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion. We actively promote the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability, youth, people of diverse sexualities and genders, women, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and other diversity groups.
Applicants with disability requiring adjustments or accessibility support at any stage of the selection process can contact the hiring manager as listed under the ‘Further Information’ section or contact the Diversity and Inclusion team on WorkforceDiversity@justice.wa.gov.au or (08) 9264 1700 for a confidential discussion.
Submitting your application
Applicants are requested to apply online. To submit your application, click the “Apply for Job” button at the bottom of this advertisement.
Please ensure you allow sufficient time to submit your application, as late applications will not be accepted.
If you are having difficulty submitting your online application, please telephone RAMS Helpdesk ramshelpdesk@bigredsky.com on 1300 733 056 for assistance.
To keep you up to date on what is happening in Department of Justice and job opportunities you can go directly to the department’s website or follow us on social media.
