About the role An experienced practitioner to work as a National Legal Officer in the National Office in Sydney to conduct litigation and contribute to the broader work of the organisation. The position is a 12 to 18-month contract, offered on a full-time basis, although consideration will be given to part-time appointments at or above 0.8 FTE. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced lawyer to build their expertise in high-profile, complex litigation and policy development which directly connects to the livelihoods and working conditions of thousands of workers across Australia.

The successful applicant will work as part of a high-quality and supportive in-house litigation team under the day-to-day supervision of the National Legal Director.

Key responsibilities

- General carriage of court and tribunal litigation, including appearances
- Instructing counsel in complex cases and appeals
- Advising Union officers on legal issues, on an urgent basis where required
- Conducting compliance reviews of industrial documents as required
- Preparing policy submissions on behalf of the Union

About you

- Australian lawyer with an unrestricted practising certificate recognised in NSW
- Seven or more years of post-qualification experience (PQE)
- Extensive industrial law experience and substantial experience in two or more of the following fields: work health and safety, workers compensation, legal policy,



civil / commercial litigation, public law, human rights and discrimination law, corporate and not-for-profit governance / regulatory compliance
- High-quality legal drafting and research skills
- Commitment to trade union values and motivation to build a career as an advocate for working people
- Ability to work cooperatively and efficiently in a team environment
- Capacity to exercise valuable judgement and convey legal advice in plain English
- Willingness to travel interstate and Regional New South Wales as required

About us The Mining and Energy Union has a proud 150-year history of representing workers in the mining and energy industries with over 27,000 members working across Australia. The MEU's Litigation Department provides an in-house legal service to the Union and manages a busy caseload of matters before federal and state courts and tribunals. The scope of practice includes day-to-day employment law matters such as unfair dismissal claims, enterprise agreement disputes and wage claims, as well as class action proceedings, human rights and discrimination claims, work health and safety disputes, corporate insolvency matters, appeals and judicial review proceedings, not-for-profit governance and compliance, and legal policy development. The Union has an active appellate and strategic litigation practice, including before the High Court.

📌 Experienced Lawyer, Strategic Litigation and Industrial Law (Sydney)
🏢 Mining and Energy Union
📍 Sydney