Job Description
Job Title Reach Legal Consultant | Senior Government Lawyer | Melbourne Location Melbourne Description
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The Opportunity
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Join a leading organisation in a role that will strengthen your legal career.
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Duration: 6-8 months
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Arrangement: Full time (hybrid)
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Location: Melbourne
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About You
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You are an experienced commercial lawyer with a minimum of 8 years' experience, bringing a strong track record of working within government entities.
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Your Experience & Expertise:
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Significant experience in a senior in-house legal leadership role within a Government department, statutory authority or public sector organisation (government experience is essential)
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Proven experience leading, managing and developing high-performing legal teams, including mentoring senior lawyers, allocating resources and overseeing complex legal workstreams
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Demonstrated ability to act as Head of Legal or equivalent, providing strategic oversight of legal operations, triaging matters and ensuring efficient management of legal risk across the organisation
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Extensive experience advising on public sector legal issues, including Freedom of Information (FOI), privacy, government reporting obligations, governance and administrative law matters
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Experience influencing senior stakeholders and navigating complex government and public sector environments with competing policy, operational and legal considerations
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Demonstrated ability to interpret and advise on complex legal and policy issues, distilling them into concise, authoritative and actionable recommendations
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Experience leading organisational change, maintaining team performance and ensuring continuity of legal services during periods of transition
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Well-developed negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with experience engaging government agencies, regulators, external advisers and senior executives
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Proven ability to establish priorities, manage competing demands and oversee the delivery of high-quality legal services across a broad corporate function
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Attributes:
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Strategic and commercially minded leader with the ability to see both the broader organisational picture and critical legal risks
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Strong people leader with a demonstrated ability to motivate, mentor and develop legal professionals while fostering a positive and high-performing team culture
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Calm, decisive and confident decision-maker who can quickly triage matters and provide clear direction in a complex operating environment
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Highly influential communicator with the ability to engage, advise and challenge senior executives and stakeholders effectively
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Exceptional judgement and political acumen, particularly when navigating sensitive government, governance and reputational matters
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Solutions-focused and pragmatic, with a strong ability to balance legal risk, policy objectives and operational realities
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Collaborative and relationship-driven, with the ability to build credibility and trust across all levels of an organisation
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Excellent analytical and conceptual thinking skills,



with the ability to rapidly understand complex issues and formulate strategic responses
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Strong stakeholder management capability, including the ability to negotiate, influence and build consensus among diverse internal and external parties
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Approachable and supportive leadership style, providing transparent direction, guidance and coaching to build team capability and performance
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Requirements:
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Current Australian practising certificate
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Right to live and work in Australia
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About Reach
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Reach is the flexible legal resourcing platform of Ashurst Perkins Coie, a global law firm with more than 3,500 legal professionals across 52 offices. Sitting within Advance, the firm's NewLaw division, we place lawyers and professionals where they're needed most — whether our clients need to meet a surge in demand, cover leave, bridge a recruitment gap, or bring in specialist expertise.
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Why join Reach?
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Reach gives you the flexibility to build a career that fits your life — not the other way around. We work with talented consultants across a broad range of specialties, matching the right people with the right opportunities.
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Here's what you can expect as a Reach consultant:
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Flexibility and choice — control over how, when, and where you work, on terms that suit your life.
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A genuine partnership — a dedicated Reach team who will get to know you and actively champion your career goals.
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The backing of a global firm — the resources, reputation, and culture of Ashurst Perkins Coie, including access to clients doing market-leading work and a refreshingly open and inclusive community.
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📌 Reach Legal Consultant | Senior Government Lawyer | Melbourne
🏢 Ashurst
📍 Melbourne