- Ongoing / Non-Ongoing
- Salary: $149 893 to $170 726 plus 15.4% superannuation
- Canberra, ACT
Employment Opportunity
The Office of International Law (OIL) is responsible for supporting the Attorney-General as First Law Officer, through the provision of legal advice on Australia's international legal obligations to the Attorney-General, Cabinet and Government entities. OIL is also responsible for the conduct of all international dispute settlement involving Australia (with the exception of World Trade Organization disputes).
A Principal Legal Officer (PLO) in OIL performs an important leadership role. PLOs are required to undertake work with a high level of complexity and exercise a significant degree of independence and judgement. They lead practice groups managing a broad range of issues to ensure the provision of high-quality and timely legal advice.
OIL is looking to fill positions in the Trade and Investment Law Disputes and Advisory practice group.
The advisory team in the practice group advises on international trade, investment and intellectual property law matters in a range of policy contexts, such as the net zero transition, national security and the digital economy. The team acts as legal advisors to trade and investment agreement negotiations, and supports the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the conduct of World Trade Organization disputes.
The disputes team in the practice group manages investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) matters involving Australia.
We are looking for candidates with experience in building and leading teams to deliver complex legal advice in a fast-paced environment, and candidates with experience in leading large and complex litigation or arbitration teams. We welcome applications from lawyers with skills and experience in government, commercial and public international law. Existing experience practising in international trade, investment and intellectual property law and/or ISDS matters will be highly regarded.
Current vacancies exist in the advisory team, although a merit list will be established to cover any future vacancies across both the advisory and disputes teams.
How you can help us make a difference
We seek people who bring new ideas, diverse experience, and global perspectives. People who work with us will display leadership at all levels, apply information effectively to solve problems, and work collaboratively to achieve outcomes.
As a Principal Legal Officer in OIL, you will:
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lead practice groups and litigation teams
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lead on the provision of specialised legal advice on complex matters of international law
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support senior leadership in the implementation of organisational strategy and governance across the Office
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develop legal advising capacity amongst staff and build high performing teams
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manage diverse stakeholder relationships across government
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supervise staff
For these positions, applicants must hold a degree in law from an Australian tertiary institution or comparable overseas qualification, which, in the opinion of the Secretary, is appropriate to the duties of the office, and be admitted in Australia as a legal practitioner (or be eligible to be admitted).
Merit Pools:
A merit list or pool may be created as part of this selection process and be used to fill similar vacancies in Canberra, ACT.
Flexible work arrangements will be considered and supported where possible. These may include:
- Job Share
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Hybrid Work
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Remote Work
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Compressed Hours
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Bandwidth Modification
AGD is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive working environment. We actively support and encourage people of all backgrounds; gender, age, ethnicity, race, cultural background, disability, religion and sexual orientation to apply and aim to ensure that the recruitment and employee experience is as accessible and inclusive as possible.
For more information about this opportunity, including contact details for adjustment requests, please refer to the Candidate Information Kit.
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