What will I work on?

As a secondee, you’ll be helping us improve access to justice in Australia. The work includes assessing inquiries for assistance, researching and preparing pro bono referrals to our members, preparing law reform submissions and supporting the establishment of innovative projects to address unmet legal need.

You’ll come up with creative solutions for clients seeking legal assistance and build a generalist knowledge of the law and litigation processes in various jurisdictions. You’ll also develop excellent communication and file management skills.

In the course of their referral casework, secondees at Justice Connect take detailed instructions from clients, liaise with courts and government agencies, prepare briefs to counsel and research and draft referral memoranda. In some circumstances secondees may have opportunities to attend conferences between counsel and clients and may also attend court as observers.

Depending on your interest and level of experience, there may be scope to provide telephone advice to not-for-profits through PilchConnect.

What will I learn?

Our secondees report improvements in the following skill areas:

• communication skills – the ability to deliver complex messages clearly and concisely, whether to Counsel, lawyers or clients;
• file management – taking responsibility for progressing and monitoring multiple client files, ensuring accurate file notes are kept and supervisors are consulted appropriately; and
• time management – the ability to juggle multiple files for clients with complex needs while also contributing to Justice Connect’s law reform work, developing case studies and supporting the team to respond to inquiry trends.

Secondees also build knowledge and understanding of:

• litigation procedures in various jurisdictions;
• the complex web of legal service providers in Victoria – government, pro bono and community legal; and
• diverse areas of law from employment law to administrative law, charity law, property law, elder law and beyond.

Secondees are given a degree of autonomy over their client work that allows them to think creatively, juggle multiple demanding client files and develop their professional judgment in an environment where commercial relationships are not at stake.