Volunteer Law Clerk

Become a part of our passionate and committed team who work together to provide access to justice to the people who really need it most!

Details:

Volunteer Law Clerks will gain an understanding of the work undertaken by a community legal centre whilst gaining exposure to a wide range of legal areas which include criminal law, family law, tenancy, and fines.

Role:

1- To assist with the client intake and assessment duties, as the first point of contact for all enquires.

2- To provide administrative and paralegal support to the team of lawyers and administrative staff.

Duties:

The Volunteer Law Clerk will work at WHCL at BCH and be engaged to assist our busy community legal centre to:

Client Intake

• Triage and attend to all client enquiries in a professional and efficient manner.
• In accordance with WHCL policies, assess client legal matter and eligibility for assistance, check for conflicts of interest, and adhere to privacy policies.
• Provide appropriate internal or external referrals and keep records in accordance with WHCLS procedures.
• Offer information about WHCL to the public, the legal sector and community organizations.
• Manage the booking of client appointments in lawyer calendars.
• Update and maintain WHCL client database in accordance with policies and procedures.
• Assist with legal administrative support services as outlined below.

Legal Admin & Paralegal

• Assist team with general administrative duties which may include compiling client information, scanning, photocopying, drafting letters, audio typing, and data entry.
• Under supervision, assist lawyers with client interviewing and related file work.
• Assist in client file management by creating new files, closing files, and destroying files.
• Liaise with third parties (courts, Victoria Police) to request documents and other information required for client files.
• Conduct legal research and assist with projects where directed.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

Skills Requirements:

• A strong commitment to social justice and assisting disadvantaged communities.
• A demonstrated ability to work with clients from diverse backgrounds and who have different abilities and needs.
• Excellent organizational skills and able to effectively manage competing demands in a busy environment whilst remaining calm.
• Strong computer literacy with Microsoft software, in particular Outlook (email, calendar),Word and Excel.
• Ability to speak a language other than English is desirable but not required.

Knowledge:

• Ideally, completion of three years of a law degree/penultimate year of studies or have previous work experience in the legal sector.

Qualifications:

• A current Police Check (less than 6 months old)
• Proof of ability to legally work in Australia.

Other:

Commitment: One shift per week for a minimum of six months, ideally 12 months.

Shift days: Monday to Friday 9am-4.30pm.