Senior Legal Counsel - [Archived Advertisement]

 Senior Legal Counsel

• $172,164.00 per annum + superannuation
• Full time, ongoing opportunity
• Melbourne CBD based role (hybrid work from home – 3 days in office)

About the role

Primary responsibility is the management of statutory benefit litigation (including judicial review) consistent with WorkSafe vision and strategy.

Secondary responsibilities include management of common law claims and litigation (including providing instructions on behalf of WorkSafe to our panel lawyers and counsel), third party litigation and legal costs.

The Dispute Management Division (DMD) sits within the Scheme Reform Business Unit of WorkSafe. It manages common law claims and personal injuries litigation, and ensures both the delivery of benefits and the financial viability of the Scheme. Litigation on individual cases is via a panel of legal firms and includes common law, statutory benefit litigation, third party recoveries and legal costs.

This ongoing role involves liaising with legal panel firms, including strategic oversight of key personal injury litigation initiatives, critical date reviews, mentoring and developing. The role also works closely with other stakeholders and service providers in managing the Scheme.

The Senior Legal Counsel is expected to deliver instructions to legal panel firms in delegated matters and lead new developments in programs and/or policies within a complex and dynamic legislative and stakeholder environment. In addition to this, Senior Legal Counsel may lead research into new and emerging areas where knowledge may be limited or where other sources of advice are not readily available.

Please ensure you click here to view the Position Description provided for additional information on accountabilities for this role.

About you

You are a Senior Lawyer with experience from within highly complex environments. Your communication and organisational skills are highly developed, as stakeholder engagement is key within the role. You are a team-oriented person who enjoys delivering outcomes in a timely manner.

More specifically you will have;

• Professional qualifications in law with significant experience in the field of personal injury litigation, particularly as it relates to claims management and associated litigation processes
• An ability to implement and project manage key initiatives across team and panel firms
• Demonstrated knowledge of the WorkSafe legislation as well as extensive experience in litigation under these Act's
• Understanding of common law principles as they apply to the WorkSafe legislation
• Understanding of statutory benefits legislation, particularly in the context of litigation
• Understanding of third party recoveries, particularly in the context of litigation
• Understanding of legal costs, particularly in the context of litigation
• Understanding of the Transport Accident Act 1986
• An understanding of the constraints of a statutory, regulatory environment
• Thorough understanding of legislative, claims and litigation management processes

 Qualifications

• Professional qualifications in law with significant experience in the field of personal injury litigation.

Working with Us

At WorkSafe, we aspire for every employee to feel connected, safe and valued in their team, for teams to feel valued in the workplace, and for WorkSafe to be valued in the community.

We believe that a diverse workforce is the key to delivering the best outcomes for the Victorian community and strongly encourage applications from all people, including First Nations people and people with disability, diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, sexualities and genders. 

What’s next?

Applications close 11:00pm Thursday 28 March 2024. Click the link to apply, and join us in making a difference to Victorian lives.

Only people with the right to work in Australia may apply for this position. You may be required to undergo a National Police Check (and/or Medical Assessment) as part of the recruitment process.

Candidate screening may take place prior to the advertisement closing, so get your application in.

For further enquiries please contact Bianca Stojanovski via email bianca_stojanovski@worksafe.vic.gov.au

About us

WorkSafe's Strategy has our core purpose front of mind – reducing workplace harm and improving outcomes for injured workers. We don’t shy away from the importance of our purpose to the Victorian community, that’s why we have a stated ambition to be world leading.

We want Victoria to be the safest place to work in Australia and one of the safest in the world; and we aspire to be a world leader in return to work after a workplace injury.

WorkSafe are striving to build a diverse workforce that reflects the Victorian community we serve.