Applications close 21 July 2025.
Caxton Community Legal Centre is one of Queensland’s most respected community legal organisations, known for delivering high-quality, multidisciplinary services that make a real difference in people’s lives. With a proud history of standing up for those facing intersecting forms of disadvantage and discrimination, Caxton’s purpose is to promote and protect human rights through access to justice. Its vision is bold and enduring: a just and inclusive society for all.
This is a pivotal leadership role at a time when Caxton is deepening its impact and sharpening its focus on service excellence and sustainable organisational design, in pursuit of its Towards 2032 strategy. Reporting to the CEO you will be a member of the Executive Management Team alongside the COO, two Legal Practice Directors and the Social Work Practice Director. In this capacity you will support the strategic work of Caxton and you will play a key role in embedding multidisciplinary, client-centred approaches and ensuring the delivery of exceptional, outcome-driven legal services.
This Legal Practice Director is responsible for the Worker’s, Financial & Housing Rights programs.
You will guide the strategic direction of your legal programs, lead a highly skilled and values-driven team, and be a thought leader who brings critical insight, innovation and influence to legal practice, systems reform and sector collaboration.
This role also has a specific responsibility for Centre-wide practice management on behalf of the four Principal Lawyers, which includes coordinating the activities of the Senior Management Team as a working group that identifies and implements whole-of-centre practice improvements to manage legal risk.
Key accountabilities
- As a member of the Executive Management Team, contribute to the strategic direction of the organisation, participate in collaborative decision-making, and translate strategy into actionable priorities for programs under their responsibility.
- Lead their teams to deliver the programs for which they are responsible including meeting their KPIs.
- Have direct line management for the senior managing staff in their team including by providing supervision and supports to them to undertake their line management and program management responsibilities .
- Direct and supervise the manner in which their programs are to be delivered in accordance with the terms of service agreements, adhering to the framework in the National Access to Justice Partnership agreement (where relevant), aligned with Caxton’s Strategy Documents, and promoting the values and guiding principles of the Centre.
- As the holder of a Principal Practising Certificate and as a designated Responsible Person, provide legal oversight for programs/services under their direction delivered by legal and social support staff, and collaborate with other Responsible Persons to manage legal risk and supervision systems that ensure professional and regulatory obligations (including the Risk Management Guide for Community Legal Centres), are embedded, monitored and complied with consistently across all of the Centre’s legal practice.
- Provide input into Caxton’s strategic litigation and its law, policy and systems reform agendas to address unfair laws, service system failures and structural barriers.
- Demonstrate thought leadership by proactively and strategically engaging in conferences, speaking engagements, authoring content, sharing expertise and insights in a way that promotes Caxton’s vision and purpose.
- Collaborate actively with the other Legal Practice Directors:
- to ensure that clients of the Centre who have multiple legal needs receive accessible, joined-up legal services
- for cross program alignment with capability building/training, co-delivered community engagement and education activities and shared strategic objectives (eg: systemic advocacy, projects, partnerships).
- Collaborate actively with the Social Work Practice Director:
- to ensure that clients of the Centre who have multiple legal needs receive accessible, joined-up legal services
- for cross program alignment with capability building/training, co-delivered community engagement and education activities and shared strategic objectives (eg: systemic advocacy, projects, partnerships)
- in the co-design of human-centered service models that support and enhance multidisciplinary practice for holistic client outcomes;
- to provide legal supervision to social support workers in their programs; and
- in shared recruitment, training and other initiatives that strengthen workforce capability in delivering high-quality, integrated, client-centred, trauma-informed, human rights-promoting, legal assistance and social supports.
- Collaborate with and develop formal and informal strategic partnerships with key Government, community service organisations and individuals that will result in increased access to justice and improved human rights outcomes for clients.
- Work autonomously and apply in-depth existing knowledge of relevant areas of law to deliver legal services focused on complex and strategic casework, undertake CLE, and provide mentoring to other lawyers delivering the services.
- Perform centre-wide practice management responsibilities on behalf of the Responsible Persons in the Centre, including:
- coordinate PII cross-check processes and provide sector leadership on PII issues
- collaborate with internal key stakeholders to manage legal risk including by:
- chairing the Senior Management Team which brings together senior staff from across the Centre to identify and implement Centre-wide practice improvements and compliance
- developing and implementing practices and policies that ensure compliance with the Risk Management Guide for Community Legal Centres
- providing staff with up-to-date communications and training across legal practice risk issues
- monitoring use of technology for robust management of issues of legal liability, client confidentiality and ethical conduct.
PD Legal Practice Director – FW&HR
How to apply
Please provide your resume and up to 4-page cover letter to our CEO’s Executive Assistant, Lisa Gunders (Lisa@caxton.org.au) addressing why you want this role and what capabilities you have to perform the key accountabilities and meet the essential requirements.