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 secure free legal and support services. TEWLS is an accredited community legal centre and a member of Women’s Legal Services Australia.
TEWLS provides legal and support services in the areas of family, migration and civil law, with specific expertise held in respect of domestic, family and sexual violence (‘DFSV’). As a specialist DFSV legal service, our multidisciplinary team provides legal advice, casework and representation (litigation), legal information and referral, and wraparound support services to our clients, with expertise in assisting clients with intersectional vulnerabilities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, migrant women, women experiencing DFSV, women with a disability, and women experiencing financial disadvantage. Our client-centred practice model maintains a significant DFSV and family law legal practice, as well as migration law and an extensive civil law practice including in areas of tenancy and public housing, discrimination, sexual harassment, consumer law, complaints, child protection, and employment law.
TEWLS also provides community legal education and input on law and policy development to build government and community capacity to work towards deeper legal and cultural change to redress power imbalances and address violence and gender inequality.
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.
Within TEWLS, the SALS will provide legal advice and representation for victim-survivors of sexual assault in the justice system, including criminal justice processes and related legal issues, including, but not limited to –
- Legal assistance in engaging with police
- Legal assistance in engaging with prosecution
- Legal assistance at trial
- Post-sentencing support
- Related legal matters, being intersecting issues such as Family Law, DFSV (including domestic violence orders), personal violence (including personal violence restraining orders), employment, tenancy, discrimination, migration, compensation, and complaints, with partnership with TEWLS’ internal Family and Civil Law practice.
What You Will Do
Under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer, the Senior Lawyer (SALS) will provide high quality, culturally appropriate and holistic legal assistance, including legal advice, casework and representation (litigation), and legal information and referral to women and non-binary people in the Top End and East Arnhem Regions within the SALS practice areas.
The Senior Lawyer will work within TEWLS’ SALS practice, and under the direction of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer, will be expected to apply (and if required, acquire) a high level of expertise to provide legal services across a range of matters. Critically, the Senior Lawyer (SALS) will have the skills to sensitively take instructions from clients who have experienced and/or are experiencing DFSV, child sexual abuse and other forms of discrimination and abuse by way of trauma-informed best practice principles, and provide support, advice, and referral options within a trauma-informed framework.
In addition to the above, the Senior Lawyer (SALS) will undertake a broad range of complex casework and have responsibility for the carriage of complex projects, including community legal education (‘CLE’) and law reform. The Senior Lawyer (SALS) will also undertake a day-today mentoring role for less experienced legal practitioners in specified legal matters/areas of law, as well as supervise the work of volunteer lawyers and students, as required. In support of and collaboration with the TEWLS Principal Lawyer, the Senior Lawyer (SALS) may be required to assist in the development and maintenance of requisite legal policy and procedures.
As part of TEWLS’ structure, the Senior Lawyer (SALS) will receive support and training to aid their development whilst working towards the service’s purpose of facilitating access to justice for women. Organisational and administrative responsibilities are also a component of this position.
- A practicing certificate in Northern Territory or are willing to obtain one
- Subject matter expertise in family law and/or DFSV and/or child protection
- An understanding or capacity to develop an understanding to working in a trauma-informed framework
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Highly effective stakeholder engagement and relationship building skills; an ability to build trust and collaboration with a cross section of the community and sector partners
- A current driver’s licence and a Northern Territory Ochre Card (or willing to obtain one)
Key Responsibilities
- Legal advice and casework
1.1. Providing high quality legal advice and casework to clients, including court
representation at Northern Territory and Federal Courts, as required.
1.2. Developing and/or maintaining a strong level of technical competence in the SALS core practice areas, including DFSV and sexual violence (criminal and civil remedies).
1.3. Managing your file load under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer or their delegate.
1.4. Mentoring and/or supervising other legal practitioners in respect of specified legal matters, as directed.
1.5. Sensitively taking instructions from clients who have experienced DFSV, child sexual abuse and/or other forms of discrimination and abuse, and provide support, advice and referral options within a trauma-informed framework. - Community legal education and law reform
2.1. Planning and delivering CLE workshops and associated materials, as required.
2.2. Working within the TEWLS team, identifying, researching, and preparing law reform and lobbying submissions, as well as projects and funding applications, that contribute to TEWLS’ purpose and service priorities. - Stakeholder engagement
3.1. Representing TEWLS in a variety of public forums to promote the work of the service, including network meetings and consultations.
3.2. Developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders to deliver outreach services to the community, with a focus on working in an integrated and collaborative manner. - Organisational responsibilities
4.1. Accurately capturing all legal and non-legal service data through TEWLS’ internal data and file management systems.
4.2. Attending regular TEWLS staff and legal practitioner meetings and planning day sessions as required.
4.3. Participating in regular performance discussions and development reviews.
4.4. Undertaking ongoing Continuing Professional Development in accordance with legal
professional regulations, as well as service-specific professional development in accordance with TEWLS’ policies and procedures, and in consultation with the TEWLS Chief Executive Officer, Principal Lawyer, or their delegate.
4.5. Providing supervision to students and other volunteers as requested by the TEWLS Principal Lawyer or their delegate.
4.6. Ensuring compliance with TEWLS’ policies and procedures.
4.7. Undertaking personal administrative duties within TEWLS as required.
4.8. Such other projects, activities and duties that may be determined in collaboration with the TEWLS Chief Executive Officer, Principal Lawyer, or their delegate.
Requirements
- Admitted to practice/eligible to apply for an unrestricted practising certificate in the Northern Territory.
- A minimum of five (5) years’ post admission experience in Family Law and/or DFSV and/or Criminal Law, with priority for experience in and around sexual violence matters.
Selection Criteria
Essential:
- An understanding of legal issues facing women in the Northern Territory, including barriers to justice, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women, migrant women, and women experiencing DFSV.
- A commitment to promoting the interests of women.
- An understanding or capacity to develop an understanding and commitment to working in a trauma-informed framework.
- Resilience in working with clients who are experiencing or have experienced traumatic events.
- Ability to provide high quality legal advice and casework services, including court
representation, as well as legal information in a relevant field. - Ability to perform and interact as an efficient and productive team member and use initiative whilst under the supervision of the TEWLS Principal Lawyer.
- Ability and competency in providing mentoring and/or supervision to less experienced staff.
- High level verbal and written communication skills.
- Proven initiative and organisational abilities, including time management skills and the ability to prioritise in a pressured environment.
- Commitment to professional and personal development, and willingness to develop further professional skills relevant to the workplace.
- An understanding of DFSV through a gendered violence lens.
- Holder of a current open driver’s licence.
- Aptitude in using Microsoft computers and Microsoft Office programs (such as Word and Excel) necessary to complete required tasks, and a willingness to perform administrative duties, as required.
- Ability to provide and/or obtain a Northern Territory Ochre Card.
Desirable:
- Demonstrated experience in the practice of Family Law and/or DFSV and/or Criminal Law, including litigation.
- Relevant experience in the development and delivery of CLE.
- Relevant experience in law reform and lobbying.
If you are passionate and committed to helping women experiencing disadvantage and share in the vision in which women are entitled to legal and social justice, then apply now by submitting your resume and cover letter.
