About you To be considered for this role, you will ideally have approximately 2 to 4 years’ post-admission experience, with a strong interest in planning, development and environmental law.

You will ideally have experience in some or all of the following areas:

- planning and development approvals;
- planning disputes, appeals and enforcement proceedings;
- planning scheme amendments, rezonings and precinct planning;
- development contributions and infrastructure funding arrangements;
- environmental, contamination, heritage issues and land valuation issues and disputes;
- compulsory acquisition and land compensation;
- planning, environmental and property due diligence;
- drafting and negotiating planning and infrastructure agreements; and
- advising property owners and developers on complex statutory and strategic planning issues.

Experience gained in a leading commercial law firm, specialist planning practice, government authority or relevant public sector agency will be well regarded.

You will also have:

- a sound understanding of the property development and infrastructure sectors;
- strong legal research, drafting and analytical skills;
- excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- a practical, commercial and solutions-focused approach;
- the confidence to work directly with clients, consultants, counsel and government authorities;
- an interest in developing client relationships and contributing to business development activities; and
- a collaborative approach and a desire to work as part of a friendly, supportive and high-performing team.

Your role

As part of Gadens’ Planning & Environment team, you will work on a diverse range of advisory, transactional and contentious matters.

Your work may include

- advising on planning and development approval pathways for major property and infrastructure projects;
- acting in planning appeals, judicial review proceedings and other planning and environmental disputes, including briefing counsel and technical experts;
- preparing submissions in respect of planning scheme amendments, rezonings and development contribution arrangements,



including briefing counsel and experts for planning and SAC hearings;
- advising on environmental approvals, contamination, heritage and related regulatory requirements;
- drafting and negotiating planning, infrastructure and development agreements;
- advising on compulsory land acquisition and compensation claims, acting for landowners (claimants); and
- conducting planning and environmental due diligence for property acquisitions, developments and major portfolio transactions – working with Gadens property and corporate teams.

You will have considerable client contact and the opportunity to take responsibility for matters with the support of experienced senior lawyers and partners.

You will also have opportunities to work collaboratively with colleagues across Gadens’ Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane offices on national projects and cross-jurisdictional matters.

About Gadens

Gadens is a leading, independent Australian law firm, with a clear vision and strategy for the future. We help people achieve their purpose in a complex world, by leading by example, inspiring others, innovating and building something we are all proud of.

At Gadens, we engage with all of our people to create a work setting that encourages and promotes inclusion and diversity, while instilling pride in the firm and our values of collaborate, authentic, responsible and excellent. Our values and culture assist us in creating a cohesive environment in which we are committed equally to professionalism and personal fulfilment. We strive to create a culture where the principles of sustainability and corporate social responsibility are embraced and lived by our people every day.





This includes respecting and connecting with First Nations people and providing access to justice to those in need through our pro bono practice. This is what makes Gadens a great place to work.

At Gadens, we:

- develop and inspire our people
- do the right thing and make an impact
- work with quality clients in our chosen markets
- solve problems with people and technology working seamlessly together
- are a widely recognised and respected brand.

What we offer

- Flexibility – Hybrid working arrangements. This includes flexible working hours as well as equipment to support working from home.
- Financial – Market-competitive fixed remuneration, a generous incentive program recognising both billable performance and broader contribution and an employee recruitment referral program.
- 30 weeks paid parental leave – Our market leading policy includes 30 weeks paid parental leave for all permanent staff, with no tenure required. This includes superannuation contributions while on parental leave, an external coach to support through various stages of parental leave and support and paid leave for surrogacy and IVF treatment.
- Leave - Ability to purchase up to 3 weeks of annual leave a year as well as a gifted day of leave for your birthday month which we call “Gadens day”
- Health & Wellbeing – We offer a range of health and wellbeing benefits to empower and support our people including, regular social events, employee assistant program, bonus program for non-fee earners, discounted private health insurance, annual flu vaccinations, skin checks, recognition awards and much more!
- Learning & Development –We promote a culture of continuous learning opportunities including access to professional development for all employees, coaching, mentoring study support as well for further education.
- Community involvement – We give back to the community through our well-established pro bono program as well as staff volunteering initiatives.

We are always on the lookout for star performers to join our growing firm. To find out more please visit www.gadens.com

📌 Associate | Planning & Environment | Melbourne
🏢 Gadens
📍 Melbourne