Lawyer – Migration

The Federal Court has a current need for migration lawyers at both APS 5 and APS 6 levels.
Candidates will be considered for both the APS 5 and APS 6 level roles, unless otherwise specified in the employment application.
Lawyers provide legal support to Registrars who have a specialist focus in the area of migration, including:
Support in relation to case management – corresponding and liaising with parties and practitioners, briefing the Registrars in relation to particular matters and cohorts of matters and assisting with the making of case management orders, preparing draft documents and updating case management systems. Support of Registrar court work – assisting in the conduct of migration listings, including call overs and cohort hearings. Supporting the development of migration resources, policies and procedures – this includes supporting local registries in consistently applying up to date policies and procedures. Support of other Registrar work – this includes assisting with determinations in relation to matters such as costs orders, fee waivers, competency, compliance with Court Rules, and transfers between Courts and Registries and other work (duty work, pro bono, etc.) Lawyers may support one or more Registrars flexibly according to workload and projects.
Major Activities
Support Registrars – Migration
Lawyers provide legal and general support to Judicial Registrars who have a specialist focus in the area of migration.
Registrar Court Work and Case Management:
Lawyers provide assistance in relation to migration listings and case management, for example: supporting Registrars in the exercise of delegated judicial functions, such as preparation of draft orders and accurate finalisation of orders; preparation of case summaries and memoranda for Judicial Registrars; assisting Registrars with case management reporting to the Chief Justice and CEO; identifying matters requiring further case management by a Registrar, for inclusion in call overs, cohort hearings, etc.; corresponding and liaising with parties before and after listings, including making recommendations to Registrars in relation to party requests (e.g. adjournment requests, consent orders, etc.); ensuring that matter information is accurate and up to date on the Court's case management system and for reporting purposes. Resources, Policies and Procedures:
Lawyers assist with the development of migration resources and with the development and implementation of Court policies and procedures, including:
undertaking legal research and analysis with a view to keeping the Court's internal migration practice area resources up to date; assisting with assessing compliance with Court Rules, policies and procedures in specific matters and at a whole of registry level; supporting development and review of policies and procedures, including assisting with drafting and consultation processes. Other Registrar Work:
Other work performed by Lawyers includes:
assisting with determinations in relation to matters such as costs orders, fee waivers, competency, and transfers between Courts and Registries; assisting in relation to duty registrar work in relation to migration; preparing presentations and papers for meetings, seminars and workshops; liaising with key stakeholders internally (including Judges, Registrars, chambers staff and registry staff) and externally (including the legal profession and parties), on a range of matters, as required. This role would suit a lawyer with:
experience in migration law and litigation, including understanding the source of migration cases arising from other Courts and Tribunals; an understanding, or ability to acquire such knowledge quickly, of the jurisdiction and practices and procedures of the Court, particularly in respect of migration proceedings. To undertake the APS 5 Lawyer role, a successful candidate should demonstrate:
demonstrated legal research, analysis and drafting skills in the area of migration law; demonstrated attention to detail and accuracy; good oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and the ability to appropriately deal with sensitive and confidential information; an understanding of the jurisdiction and practice and procedure of the FCA, or the ability to acquire such knowledge quickly; demonstrated ability to work autonomously and take responsibility for progressing work, whilst also being able to work collaboratively, as required; ability to evaluate a large volume of information quickly and to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively; ability to perform the administrative functions of the role efficiently, including competent IT skills. To undertake the APS 6 Lawyer role, a successful candidate should demonstrate:
well-developed ability to conduct complex legal research, analysis and drafting, and provide specialist subject-matter advice, in the area of migration law; exceptional attention to detail and accuracy which ensures quality outputs for the team including the development of specialist knowledge; excellent oral and written communication skills, good interpersonal skills, and the ability to appropriately deal with sensitive and confidential information; experience in the jurisdiction and practice and procedure of the Federal Court, or in a position that required an understanding of such knowledge; initiative to work under limited direction to deliver work requiring minimal revision prior to finalisation; and to take responsibility for progressing work whilst also being able to work collaboratively as required; ability to evaluate a large volume of information quickly and to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively; ability to perform the administrative functions of the role efficiently, including competent IT skills. Selection Criteria
Formal qualifications and experience in migration law. Candidates may be considered for an APS 6 level role where they are able to demonstrate a well-developed ability to conduct complex legal research, analysis and drafting, and provide specialist subject-matter advice, in the area of migration law. Knowledge of the Federal Court's migration jurisdiction, practices and procedures, or the ability to quickly acquire this knowledge. Candidates may be considered for an APS 6 level role where they are able to demonstrate experience in the jurisdiction and practice and procedure of the Federal Court, or in a position that required an understanding of such knowledge. Legal research, analysis and drafting skills underpinned by good attention to detail and accuracy. Candidates may be considered for an APS 6 level role where they are able to demonstrate how these skills have translated into the development of specialist knowledge among a team. Problem solving skills and the ability to evaluate a large volume of information quickly and to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively. The ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively, including an ability to build and maintain positive professional relationships and deal appropriately with sensitive and confidential information. Candidates may be considered for an APS 6 level role where they are able to demonstrate initiative to work under limited direction to deliver work requiring minimal revision prior to finalisation. Formal Qualifications
Applicants for this role must have a law degree and should be admitted as a practitioner of the High Court and/or the Supreme Court of a State or Territory of Australia.
Employment with the Court is subject to the terms and conditions in the Public Service Act 1999, and the following conditions:
Australian citizenship – the successful applicant must hold Australian citizenship; National Police Check – the successful applicant must satisfy a Police Records Check, and may also be required to complete security clearances during the course of their employment; Probation – Successful applicants engaged into the APS will be subject to a probation period. Interested candidates who have received a redundancy benefit from an APS agency are welcome to apply, but note that they cannot be engaged until their redundancy benefit period has expired.
Contact Officer
For more information, please contact Simon Haag on (02) 8099 8543 or
Diversity and inclusion
The Court is committed to supporting an inclusive and diverse workforce and welcomes and encourages applications from people with disability, First Nations people, LGBTIQA+ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, mature age workers and young workers. The Court is committed to supporting an inter-generational workforce, gender equity and families.
The Court will provide reasonable adjustments for candidates to participate equitably in the recruitment process and discuss workplace adjustments to fulfill the inherent requirements of the role.
RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme, you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity if you choose to apply under the scheme, declare a disability and meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more information, please visit .
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