If you're a junior lawyer looking to grow your advocacy skills, build confidence in court and do work that genuinely matters, this could be the role for you.
Legal Aid Queensland is looking for a motivated Criminal Lawyer (PO3) to join the team and work across a broad range of criminal law and quasi-criminal law matters. This is a great opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners, develop your casework and advocacy skills, and build a strong foundation in criminal law practice.
You'll work on interesting, varied matters, appear in court, help clients through difficult situations and contribute to a justice system that is fairer and more accessible for vulnerable and disadvantaged Queenslanders.
What you'll be doing
In this role, you will:
prepare criminal law matters and instruct counsel across jurisdictions
personally appear for legally aided clients in bail applications, pleas, summary trials and committal hearings in the Magistrates and Children's Courts
provide duty lawyer services in the Magistrates and Children's Courts, including for clients in custody
appear on higher court call-overs and mentions
provide legal information and advice to clients and members of the public
manage your work with support, supervision and guidance from senior legal practitioners
contribute to policy, procedure, law reform and legal service delivery initiatives
build relationships with internal and external stakeholders
contribute ideas to team planning and improvements to work practices.




Why this role is a outstanding next step
This role is ideal for a lawyer who wants to:
get real advocacy experience early
build confidence appearing in court
work on a wide variety of criminal law matters
learn from experienced and supportive senior lawyers
develop strong file management, client service and legal problem-solving skills
do meaningful work that helps people at difficult points in their lives.
What we're looking for
We're looking for someone who:
has knowledge of and some experience in preparing, representing and advocating in criminal law and related matters
understands the practice and procedure of relevant areas of law and the ethical standards that apply
communicates clearly and effectively with clients, colleagues and stakeholders
can work well with clients who may have complex needs, using trauma-informed practice principles
is keen to learn, open to feedback and ready to keep developing as a lawyer.
Why Legal Aid Queensland?
At Legal Aid Queensland, you won't just be watching from the sidelines. You'll be doing real legal work, building real advocacy experience and making a real difference.
This is a chance to grow your criminal law career in a supportive environment where learning is part of the job, the work is varied and the impact is genuine.
If you're ready to learn, step up and build your future in criminal law, we'd love to hear from you.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.

📌 Criminal Lawyer (Rockhampton)
🏢 Queensland Government
📍 Rockhampton