Pro Bono - Senior Associate / Special Counsel
At a glance
Mills Oakley
Part-time
Sydney, Australia
14 August 2026
A rare opportunity has arisen for a motivated senior family lawyer with approximately 8 years Post Qualification Experience to join Mills Oakley’s National Pro Bono team as a permanent, part time (3 days per week) Senior Associate or Special Counsel in Sydney.
Key Responsibilities
The chosen candidate will work with the National Pro Bono team and our ‘sister’ charitable community legal service Everyday Justice to provide pro bono and substantially reduced fee family law advice and representation to eligible clients. The chosen candidate will also help coordinate Mills Oakley’s internal pro bono program, which involves sourcing and scoping suitable pro bono legal matters, supervising pro bono legal work, running training programs to boost the firms capacity for pro bono legal work, promoting a pro bono culture across the firm and strengthening our relationships with existing community legal services and other pro bono referral sources.
The ideal candidate will work closely with Mills Oakley’s Head of Pro Bono / Seconded Principal Solicitor of Everyday Justice to provide top-quality, efficient and professional advice and representation to vulnerable members of the community in family law.
The role will be fast-paced, dynamic and varied. It will involve individual client work in a wide range of practice areas, allowing you to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need of free legal services.
The Successful Candidate
The ideal candidate will have:
- An unrestricted legal practising certificate or eligible to obtain one;
- Approximately 8 years’ Post Qualification Experience;
- Significant legal experience in family law and preferably also family violence law;
- In-depth knowledge of family law principles, procedures and regulations;
- Strong attention to detail, administrative and organisational skills;
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and client interaction skills;
- Strong experience working independently and as part of a team;
- Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to social justice;
- Demonstrated experience working with people who are disadvantaged and marginalised;
- Confidence to develop and maintain relationships with a broad range of stakeholders in the social justice sector;
- Strong interest in legal innovation and the use of ‘legal tech’ to improve access to justice; and
- Availability to commence as soon as possible.