Civil Lawyer - Women's Legal Service (CAWLS)

Job No:319205

Location:Alice Springs, NT

Join a team where your work creates lasting change for women, families, and communities across Central Australia.

- Up to $3,000 Relocation Assistance to make your move easier!
- Alice Springs, NT | Full-Time | 2-Year Contract (with possibility of extension)
- Salary Packaging + 12% Super + 6 Weeks Leave
- Meaningful work supporting women experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence
- Outreach trips to Tennant Creek and other communities!

Central Australian Women’s Legal Service (CAWLS)

If you’re a purpose-driven lawyer seeking meaningful connection and work that truly matters, this role offers something rare:

The chance to stand beside women at some of the most critical moments of their lives — empowering them to move forward with safety, dignity, and confidence.

At the Central Australian Women’s Legal Service (CAWLS), every day your work directly supports women experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence. You become part of a team that is reshaping access to justice across Central Australia — particularly for First Nations women and women in remote communities, who experience some of the highest rates of violence and systemic disadvantage in the country.

Built by women, for women, and going strong for 30 years. In 2026, CAWLS was named Northern Territory Employer of the Year, recognising a workplace where people are as valued as the work they do.

In exchange for your dedication and commitment, you will receive a Competitive Salary PLUS 12% Super and a range of outstanding perks, including:

- Relocation Assistance up to $3,000
- Salary Packaging Options
- 6 Weeks Annual Leave
- 12 Days Personal Leave
- A workplace that prioritises staff wellbeing and psychological safety
- Ongoing Career development & Training
- Vibrant, Supportive, multicultural and women-led team
- Opportunities for outreach and community engagement

Your Opportunity to Create Change

This is a female-identified role under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.

As a Civil Lawyer, you will provide legal advice, representation, and holistic support to women across Central Australia,



including those facing domestic and family violence, housing insecurity, financial abuse, employment issues, and interconnected civil matters.

More specifically, your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- Providing legal advice, representation, and referrals across areas including family law, domestic violence, tenancy, and employment
- Representing clients in courts and tribunals, including as a duty lawyer
- Collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team to deliver holistic, trauma-informed support
- Participating in outreach work, including occasional remote travel
- Delivering community legal education and building legal literacy
- Building partnerships and engaging with community-based organisations
- Participating in law reform and advocacy projects
- Maintaining legal files, reports, and administrative compliance
- Undertaking professional development and contributing to internal staff training

This role is challenging and meaningful in equal measure, and CAWLS provides strong support structures to ensure your ongoing wellbeing and growth.

Please Note: You will also require a current Australian Driver's Licence and a Police Check or the ability to obtain these.

What You’ll Bring

To qualify, you will need to hold (or be eligible to hold) a Practising Certificate in the Northern Territory. Ideally, you will also bring a minimum of 2 years’ post-admission experience in civil law, community legal services, domestic and family violence matters, or a related legal practice area.

Additionally, the following skills and background will be highly valued:

- Experience or strong interest in domestic and family violence and civil law matters
- Confidence working alongside First Nations women and culturally diverse communities




- Understanding of trauma-informed and culturally safe legal practice
- Strong advocacy, legal research, and client relationship skills
- Experience working collaboratively within multidisciplinary environments

As our ideal candidate, you will possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, along with empathy, resilience, emotional intelligence, and a genuine commitment to social justice and gender equality. You will thrive in a collaborative environment and demonstrate a reflective approach to wellbeing and trauma-informed practice.

Discover Life in Central Australia: Alice Springs

Working in Central Australia offers the opportunity to contribute to meaningful change in a region where your impact is both immediate and visible. Many lawyers describe their time here as the most rewarding chapter of their careers.

See the Impact Firsthand

At CAWLS, the difference the team makes is real and measurable. In 2025-26 alone, CAWLS:

- Supported more than 2,000 women across Central Australia and the Barkly
- Trained over 1,000 health staff in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek to recognise and respond to domestic, family and sexual violence
- Delivered 477 community legal education sessions to more than 4,500 people
- Extended legal advice and representation to women in eight remote communities through a new outreach program

Join a team where your work helps create safer futures for women and families across the region.

Our Story

CAWLS was born out of necessity. In the early 1990s, a group of women lawyers in Central Australia began volunteering their time to give free legal advice to women experiencing domestic and family violence, many of whom had nowhere else to turn.

That grassroots effort led to CAWLS being formally established on 9 April 1996. Thirty years on, it has grown into a multidisciplinary service delivering legal, financial counselling, education and support services across Central Australia and the Barkly, with offices in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek.

Through it all, the founding commitment has never changed: a future where all women and their children are safe, living with dignity and respect.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Civil Lawyer (Alice Springs)
🏢 Central Australian Women’s Legal Service
📍 Alice Springs