Senior Lawyer - Sexual Assault Legal Service

ABOUT TEWLS

The Top End Women’s Legal Service (‘TEWLS’) is a not-for-profit, specialist women’s legal service focused on advancing the rights of women and non-binary persons. Located on Larrakia Land in Darwin, we support women across the Top End Region of the Northern Territory to access integrated, trauma-informed, and culturally safe free legal and client support services. TEWLS is an accredited community legal centre, a member of Women’s Legal Services Australia, and a specialist domestic, family and sexual violence (‘DFSV’) service.

ABOUT THE SALS

In 2026, the Top End Sexual Assault Legal Service (‘SALS’), a new sexual assault legal service pilot in the Northern Territory, has been established to serve the Top End and East Arnhem Regions with a focus on over-represented cohorts of women and child victim-survivors of sexual assault.

Bringing together domestic, family and sexual violence, standalone sexual violence, and restorative justice expertise, SALS will be delivered through a partnership between TEWLS, Ruby Gaea Darwin Centre Against Sexual Violence (‘DCASV’), and the Aboriginal Resource and Development Service (‘ARDS’) to close the two most critical gaps in the current sexual assault response in the Top End and East Arnhem Regions: the absence of dedicated legal services for victim-survivors and the lack of fully integrated, culturally safe wrap-around support. The SALS will operate between June 2026 and end December 2027.

With funding for dedicated sexual assault legal services, as well as justice system navigation and restorative justice pathways, the SALS will deliver the kind of service survivors say they need: early access to survivor advocates, trauma informed and culturally relevant legal representation, justice navigation, and psychosocial support, with culturally grounded restorative justice available for Yolŋu clients. This wrap-around model ensures survivors are not just represented in law, but supported in recovery, empowerment, and meaningful engagement with the justice system. Notably, SALS services will be free and initially not means-tested. If demand exceeds capacity, a triage model will prioritise high-impact cases and clients at greatest risk, ensuring no victim-survivor in the Top End and East Arnhem Regions leaves without a clear next step or referral.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

TEWLS are seeking one (1) Senior Lawyer, who, along with the two (2) new Lawyer roles, will comprise the SALS team.

The Senior Lawyer – SALS works within TEWLS’ newly established SALS and provides high quality, culturally safe and holistic legal assistance, including legal advice, casework and representation (litigation), and legal information and referral within the SALS’ practice areas to victim-survivors of sexual assault.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and/or maintain a strong level of technical competence in SALS’ practice areas, including court representation at Northern Territory and Federal Courts, negotiations, and alternative dispute resolution processes;
• Undertake a day-to-day mentoring and/or supervision role for less experiences legal practitioners;
• Work collaboratively within the TEWLS Legal Practice, comprising the SALS and the Family and Civil Law Practice, and more broadly, the TEWLS team, including client support workers, to ensure legal and client support services are trauma-informed and well-integrated to meet client needs; and
• Contribute to the strategic goals and operations of the service, including involvement in community legal education and law reform work.
• For Darwin-based SALS staff, remote travel to the East Arnhem Region is an essential component of this role [anticipated up to three (3) days, six (6) times per year].

ABOUT YOU

We’re looking for a practitioner who

• Identifies as a woman, trans or non-binary person
• Holds or is able to hold a practising certificate with a minimum of five (5) years PAE
• Is reliable, organised and detail-oriented
• Is able to listen to and manage difficult conversations
• Is committed to promoting the interests of women
• Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment
• Will work from our Darwin office or in a remote role from Nhulunbuy

WHAT WE WILL OFFER YOU

At TEWLS, we offer:

• Competitive remuneration package – the greater of P3-SP1 and SCHaDS Level 6 ($114,199.00 - $147,919.00), plus 12% superannuation
• Salary packaging of everyday living expenses as well as meals and entertainment (adding approx. $5,500.00 to your take-home pay)
• Generous leave entitlements – 6 weeks annual leave plus 17.5% loading, 3 weeks personal leave, and 3 gifted days over Christmas/New Year
• No billable targets, sustainable workloads, and a supportive environment dedicated to developing and maintaining employee wellbeing and resilience, including monthly external trauma supervision
• The opportunity to use your developing legal skills to address gender inequity and support vulnerable women and non-binary persons in the community
• Front-line work within a supportive and integrated practice
• Flexible working arrangements, including work-from-home
• Relocation assistance – up to $3,000 for eligible interstate candidates

To submit your application, please email Rachael Hillier, Office Manager, at ***email_hidden*** by the closing date. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact Rachael Hillier by email or phone to (08) 8982 3000.

TEWLS is committed to working together to achieve a more inclusive community. Our workplace strives to be one that embraces and celebrates diversity and the wide range of skills, expertise and experience we can all bring to strengthen our dynamic, collaborative and responsive environment.

TEWLS encourages people from all backgrounds to apply, particularly those that identify as part of LGBTIQA+ community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and people with disabilities.

A copy of the position description is available on Ethical Jobs here: Senior Lawyer - Sexual Assault Legal Service - Job in Darwin - Top End Women's Legal Service