This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain experience working as a Police Lawyer in the Courts and Prosecution Services Division of the Victoria Police Legal Services Department (LSD). Our vision is to be a centre of prosecutorial and legal excellence, with people who are recognised as being fair, just and valued partners in the Victorian justice system.
Victoria Police's LSD provides legal services and advice to support policing, courts, and the Victorian community. The LSD is led by an Executive Director (who is also the organisation's General Counsel) and employs over 800 staff spread across four divisions – the Office of the Executive Director; the Specialist Legal and Litigation Division; the Courts & Prosecution Services Division; and the Legal Business Operations Division.
This role is within the Specialist Sexual Offences Prosecution Unit (SSOPU) which is responsible for managing the weekly Sex Offences List at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, prosecuting sexual offence pleas and contests, providing support and assistance to investigators and prosecutors and the provision of pre-charge legal advice in respect of both summary and indictable matters. The successful applicant will have the opportunity to appear in matters subject to supervision and direction.
The role of SSOPU is to promote excellence in the prosecution of sexual offence matters and to provide timely and reliable pre-charge advice to support prosecutors and investigators. The Unit is staffed with both VPS and sworn members and this role reports to the Senior Sergeant of the Unit, who reports to the Managing Principal Lawyer. Prosecutions involve significant engagement with victims of crime and support services such as the Child and Youth Witness Service, defence practitioners and the Court.
Victoria Police is a contemporary and agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements.
Your duties will include: Triaging prosecution files for court including assessing whether the charges are correct and that there is evidence to support same.Exploring opportunities to appropriately resolve matters at an early stage.Appear as an advocate as required, subject to direction and supervision.Provide support to more senior advocates and external counsel, including instructing for court hearings.Engaging with victims of crime.Provide pre-charge legal advice to investigators.Build stakeholder relationships that reflect the aims of Victoria Police.As the successful applicant, you will: Be admitted to practice as an Australian Lawyer.Have an Australian Practising Certificate or be immediately eligible to apply for one.Have the ability to assess the strength of evidence and to critically analyse issues that might arise in a prosecution.Have a working knowledge of relevant legislation such as the Crimes Act 1958 and the Criminal Procedure Act 2009.Be flexible and responsive to the needs of the Division, the Unit and the court.Have a high level of resilience and emotional intelligence.Appropriate experience in advocacy.The ability to work with others and develop stakeholder relationships.Appropriate experience in criminal law with exposure to sexual offences.Requirements and relevant information: The salary range for a VPS Grade 3 role is $76,817 to $93,275 (covering salary ranges VPSG3.1 and VPSG 3.2). Although it is standard practice for selected candidates to commence at the base of the salary range, genuine consideration will be given to a commencement salary within the available range that is commensurate with the successful candidate's knowledge, skills and experiences. This will be subject to negotiations with the Hiring Manager in the course of the selection process and may include the provision of evidence of a higher income and/or supporting documentation (as required).This position is located at 456 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne.Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa.The successful applicant will be required to undergo pre-employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening.As a member of the Legal Services Department you will be located, on selection, at a specific office within a Division for a particular advertised opportunity. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department. This supports the Departments commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce and professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains.Your application must include: ResumeCompleted application form – the word document (2. Application form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement.Please Note: All applications will need to be submitted through one of the following platforms; Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE) website, Victorian Government careers website (Careers.vic) or Seek. Applications will not be accepted via other platforms or email.
Current Victorian Government employees must apply via Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE). For further information, please contact: Senior Sergeant Mark RIDGWAY on 0423 021 522 or ******. No recruitment agencies please.
If you have a disability/medical condition and require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirements/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process, please contact VPS Recruitment via email ****** or on (03) 8335 8081.
About Us: Victoria Police has a dedicated workforce of more than 22,000 employees consisting of police, protective services officers, police custody officers, and public service staff. Each employee plays a vital role in providing the 24/7, 365 days a year emergency response and public safety capability the organisation delivers to its community. As a Victoria Police employee, you have a dedication and commitment to community safety.
Having a workforce that reflects the community we serve is important to Victoria Police. We want to attract and retain people of all genders, ages, religions, disability, sexual orientation, family and caring responsibilities, and cultures including people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage. If you are interested in a position, we encourage you to apply as we celebrate the benefit that diversity brings to our employees, our services, and our community.
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