Senior Associate / Special Counsel - Public Sector

The role

Working closely with Dr Ashley Tsacalos, we currently have a rare and rewarding opportunity for a Senior Associate or Special Counsel to join our highly renowned Public Sector practice group in Sydney.

Our Public Sector team is high-performing, multidisciplinary practice supporting all areas of government activity.  Ashley’s team act for government departments and agencies in a range of dispute resolution and litigation matters including administrative law, tort claims and contractual disputes.  The team regularly advises on decision-making and the management of legal risks, statutory interpretation, regulatory matters, the conduct of compliance and enforcement activities, and in relation to privacy and access to information matters.

The team also acts in a range of royal commissions, inquiries and inquests - it is the leading royal commission and inquiry practice in Australia, having been involved in more than 28 royal commissions, inquiries and inquests over the past 9 years.

Key responsibilities

This busy and varied role will see you have the opportunity to work on a broad range of high profile matters spanning:

• Dispute resolution and litigation, tort claims and administrative law matters such as judicial review and merits review;

• Royal commissions, inquiries and inquests;

• Represent clients including government departments and agencies as well as private sector bodies.

Additionally, you will deepen your client relationship and networking skills through opportunities to undertake a variety of client secondments and business development activities.  

Skills & experience

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• At least 8 years PQE with demonstrated experience as a Senior Associate;

• Strong experience accompanied by an excellent technical understanding of litigation, dispute resolution and/or administrative law;

• Proven experience in tort claims, liability law and claims for compensation;

• Excellent time management skills, with the resilience and ability to manage and prioritise multiple tasks across a busy practice;

• Demonstrated genuine interest in government, public policy and the political landscape;

• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills;

• A positive, team-player attitude with the ability and willingness to mentor and supervise junior members of the team.

In addition to this, we are looking for someone a strong work ethic who will utilise their initiative, has high attention to detail with a focus and commitment to provide outstanding service to their clients.

The Public Sector team

Our National Public Sector group is widely regarded as the premier private government practice in the country and has a wealth of talent and experience within the team. 

The team helps a range of Commonwealth and State Government departments and agencies as well as local government with some of their most interesting, significant and technically challenging programs, projects and matters generally.  We use our skills to solve complex legal problems, assist with the development and implementation of strategy, and inform policy development.

For further information, please visit our Public Sector showcase page on LinkedIn.

How to Apply?

We prefer to work directly with candidates, if you are interested in this role, please click the ‘Apply’ button or contact the consultant, details below, for more information. Clayton Utz is an inclusive employer that supports flexible work arrangements, please feel free to discuss your flexibility needs with the recruiter for this role.

Consultant Contact Details

Nicole St John, (02) 9353 4928

Accessibility and Inclusion

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process. Do you require any support or reasonable adjustments to complete your application? If so, please contact the recruiter via the above telephone number or via email to [email protected].

For more information on Clayton Utz, please visit www.claytonutz.com or follow us on LinkedIn here.

Agency submissions

Clayton Utz does not accept agency submissions unless the agency is specifically contacted by a member of the Clayton Utz Recruitment Team. Please do not forward candidate profiles or resumes to Clayton Utz partners, hiring managers or other employees - this will not constitute as an introduction to the firm and Clayton Utz will not be liable for a fee.