Important information about the role
The position reports to Legal Administrator and Lawyer.
Volunteer placement is a minimum of 1 day per week (6.5 hours) and successful candidates must commit to a minimum of 6 months.
This position is unpaid.
This role will be based at our Melbourne office with hybrid working arrangements. Successful candidates may be required to work 1 days per week from the Justice Connect office, 461 Bourke Street Melbourne.
We are recruiting and interviewing on a rolling basis as applications come in. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this exciting volunteer opportunity.
Key Responsibilities:
As a legal volunteer with us, you will develop practical and procedural legal experience and skills across practice areas relating to Homeless Law. You will have the opportunity to participate in:
- the intake of new telephone and online enquiries;
- taking instructions and communicating with clients;
- learning how to effectively manage data and use Homeless Law’s case management platform, Microsoft Dynamics;
- assessing matters for clinic appointments
- drafting letters and memos for appointments;
- attending and observing some client appointments;
- file management: inputting and maintaining accurate client information and communications;
- delivering supervised legal information to clients;
- supporting the work of the lawyers (internal and secondee lawyers) including communicating with lawyers, case workers and the courts/tribunals, and drafting correspondence and referral memoranda;
- legal research, analysis and problem solving;
- contributing to Homeless Law’s law reform, advocacy or project work; and
- shadowing Homeless Law lawyers at VCAT and Magistrates Court hearings;
- contributing to Justice Connect’s Reconciliation Action Plan activities.
Key areas of exposure from a legal volunteer placement with Homeless Law include:
- Intake: you will be at the central access point to our service. Our volunteers are at the frontline of client intake, taking detailed instructions from clients, providing supervised legal information, booking appointments and making referrals where appropriate.
- Administration: our volunteers assist with the day to day administration of our legal practice.
- Legal research: legal volunteers contribute to legal research, problem solving and analysis relating to inquiries and our advocacy work.
- Law reform and advocacy: Homeless Law undertakes a range of law reform and advocacy work on policy issues impacting on our clients. Where possible, you are able to participate in this work.
- Communication: legal volunteers support the work of the Homeless Law lawyers through communication with caseworkers, courts/tribunals, lawyers and other stakeholders, as well as drafting correspondence and referral memoranda.
- Training: legal volunteers are invited to training sessions presented by Homeless Law staff and other organisations on a variety of topics.
Our Team
In the face of rising levels of unmet legal need, Justice Connect designs and delivers high impact interventions to increase access to legal support and progress social justice.
Justice Connect’s Homeless Law is Victoria’s specialist free legal service for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We work closely with pro bono lawyers to provide intensive legal representation (including ongoing casework, negotiations, court and tribunal appearances and advice) to homeless or at-risk Victorians.
Since 2001, Homeless Law has been outreach-based and client-centred, and from 2010, we have added depth to our practice by integrating staff social workers, allowing us to holistically address clients’ legal and non-legal needs under one roof.
In addition to our integrated model of service delivery, which focuses on early intervention and preventing legal issues escalating to crisis point, we use the evidence from our direct casework to inform systemic change aimed at stopping homelessness before it starts and reducing the negative impact of the law on people experiencing homelessness.