Legal Volunteer - Homeless Law

Justice Connect’s Homeless Law program provides free legal help to Victorians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We are currently recruiting part-time Legal Volunteers to work a minimum of one day per week, for at least 6 months, in our Melbourne office on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Boon Wurrung Country.

Our Legal Volunteer placements will provide you with practical and procedural legal experience and skills across practice areas. You will work alongside experienced lawyers and be exposed to embedded digital platforms in our legal practices. This will support you in gaining valuable skills and experience in your quest to complete your legal studies.

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. 

Organisational contribution: 

• Support Justice Connect’s Reconciliation Action Plan, equity and inclusion objectives, and organisational values.  
• Collaborate with other Justice Connect teams and participate in cross-program initiatives that support shared impact goals.  
• Demonstrate behaviours aligned with Justice Connect’s values.  

Workplace health and safety: 

• Take all reasonable care regarding the health and safety of yourself and others in the workplace and ensuring compliance with policies or procedures.  

Important role information

Placements are part-time (minimum 1 day, 6.5 hours per week) and successful candidates must commit to a minimum of 6 months.

This position is unpaid.

This role will be based at our Melbourne city office with hybrid working arrangements.

Successful candidates may be required to work in our office.

We will interview and recruit Legal Volunteers on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we will close applications when we have recruited enough volunteers.

How to apply

Please upload your resume and a cover letter which outlines your skills and experience that will help you achieve success in this role. 

You should be able to demonstrate the following capabilities: 

• An interest in human rights law and relevant issues 
• An interest in holistically integrated legal services 
• Knowledge or interest in community legal centre work 

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.

Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

We know our team and our organisation is stronger with a diversity of backgrounds and experience, including lived experience of the issues we work on. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people of colour, people from culturally and linguistically diverse and refugee backgrounds, people with diverse religious beliefs, gender diverse people, LGBTQIA+ people and people living with a disability are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Our Team

Justice Connect believes in a world in which legal support is within everyone’s reach. In the face of rising levels of unmet legal need, our 2028 strategy sees us put people first, innovating to build our communities' skills, knowledge, and confidence, and grow access to legal support.

Our Homeless Law program provides free legal help to Victorians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Through high-intensity support and pro bono partnerships, we help people with complex needs stay safely housed. We deliver legal information, advice, and representation through an outreach-based, client-centred model, and offer integrated social work support to address non-legal needs and prevent problems from escalating.

We also drive systemic change by challenging unfair laws, advocating for fairer housing policies, and developing award-winning digital tools like Dear Landlord, Home of Your Own, and Workers’ Resource Hub.

Justice Connect's offices are located on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation, and the Gadigal peoples of the Eora Nation. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.