Senior Lawyer – Litigation and Disputes, Specialist Services

Job no: 0037208
Location: Parkville
Role type: Continuing
Department: Legal and Risk
Salary: Senior Manager 1 - attractive salary on offer

The University of Melbourne

The University of Melbourne is ranked as Australia’s leading university for research and teaching. For over 160 years we’ve made distinctive contributions to society and attracted the best and brightest – bringing together the world's best minds to solve globally significant problems. We are proud of our outstanding reputation for excellence and to be consistently ranked as leading university around the world for research and teaching.

In 2022, with an operating expenditure of $2.8 billion, we attracted $600 million in research funding, taught over 52,000 students, published 8,000 research publications, and employed more than 19,000 staff.

To support the next phase of growth at the University, we are looking for a Senior Litigation and Disputes Lawyer to join the ‘Specialist Services’ team within our collegiate and high performing Legal team.

What will your day look like?

Working with your team you will provide advice to a diverse range of internal clients across a range of pre-litigious, litigious and regulatory matters, no two days will be the same.  A typical day could involve preparing advice for your instructor on a defended dispute and discussing with the media team a press release, before moving on to a conference with outside counsel for an upcoming hearing and finishing the day meeting senior stakeholders to discuss litigation strategy and options before engaging with a regulator or the plaintiff’s lawyers.

About the team  

We provide high quality advice and support to the University. We partner with our clients and stakeholders to provide pro-active, commercially focused advice and support and we take a lead in managing the University’s risks and reputation.

The Specialist Services team provides the University with specialist legal support for escalated and complex disputes, litigated matters, and major regulatory matters.

About the role

As a Senior Litigation and Disputes Lawyer you will:

• Assist the Director and your Specialist Services team members to determine litigation strategies on pre-litigation, litigation and regulatory matters to ensure they are managed in accordance with the University’s objectives and risk profile.
• Advise on and manage litigation, meet timeframes and demonstrate model litigant behaviour.
• Brief and manage external panel lawyers as required.
• Engage with and manage communications (including on strategy and settlement options) with internal clients and relevant stakeholders.
• Provide advice on and facilitate education and compliance on legislative changes and emerging trends from disputes and litigated matters.
• Help, mentor, support and coach other lawyers.
• Assist other legal and compliance teams with advice on pre-dispute risks and issues, responding to complex notices and Freedom of Information requests.

About you

You will have:

• Been admitted to practice as a Lawyer in Australia.
• 6 years+ PAE.
• Demonstrable experience of running disputes and litigation, advising senior clients and responding to regulators.
• Exposure to some or all of the following areas of law: employment, administrative, discrimination, defamation, privacy, personal injury and health and safety.
• Previous top / upper mid-tier experience and ideally previous experience in an in-house role in a large and complex organisation.
• Worked as part of a team of lawyers and supporting and consulting other lawyers and exercised a high level of judgment in being able to progress matters as needed.
• Experience, confidence and a sophisticated approach in dealing with executives and other senior management.
• A clear, commercial and pragmatic approach to advice and resolving disputes.

What we offer you!

• A competitive salary plus 17% superannuation.
• Further benefits through our Salary Packaging scheme.
• Flexible, family-friendly policies and working conditions.
• Meaningful and varied work supporting Australia’s leading University.
• Collegiate environment and a ‘best in class’ in-house legal practice.
• Vibrant Parkville campus location and community with a range of health and wellbeing, recreational, professional development and continuous learning opportunities for University staff.

In addition, we offer generous leave provisions and discounts on graduate courses. For more information check out our benefits page!

Be yourself

The University of Melbourne values the unique backgrounds, experiences, and contributions that each person brings to our community and welcomes and celebrates diversity.  First Nations people, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, parents, carers, people of all ages, abilities, and genders, and people of diverse ethnicity, nationality, and faith are encouraged to apply. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community in which we live. For more information please visit our Diversity and Inclusion page.

We are dedicated to ensuring barrier free and inclusive practices to recruit the most talented candidates. If you require reasonable adjustments, please contact the employee listed on the first page of the Position Description found below, with an email containing your name and contact details for a confidential discussion. Please ensure your email is titled "Reasonable Adjustments Request".

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Applicants

We aspire to be the University of choice for Indigenous Australians, with unprecedented investment to attract, nurture, and retain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff. Tangible support through a range of programs and initiatives will ensure that you personally succeed and flourish while at the University of Melbourne.

For further information, including our 2023-2027 Indigenous strategy please visit -https://about.unimelb.edu.au/reconciliation/murmuk-djerring

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please apply with the following documents: 

• Resume
• Cover Letter outlining your interest and experience and skills of no more than 2 pages.

Please note that you are not required to respond to the selection criteria in the Position Description.

If you have any questions regarding the recruitment process, please feel free to contact Fahim Farzad via email at [email protected], ensuring that you include the Position Number and the Job Title as the subject. Please do not share your application to this email address.

If you have any particular questions regarding the job please follow the contact details listed on the Position Description.

Please note that in the event of sourcing a suitable candidate, the closing date for applications may be brought forward, and the job vacancy may be closed. Therefore, we encourage interested individuals to submit their applications promptly.

Position Description