Victorian Law Reform Commission
Field of Law
Stage of career
Secondary; Practicing Lawyers.
Contact details
Address: Level 3, 333 Queen Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia
Phone: 03 8608 7824 or 0425 862 119
Visit the Victorian Law Reform Commission website
Contact person: Nick Gadd - Communications Manager
Email: nick.gadd@lawreform.vic.gov.au
Description of Organisation
The Victorian Law Reform Commission is established under the Victorian Law Reform Commission Act 2000 as a central agency for developing law reform in Victoria.
The Commission is an independent, government-funded organisation that develops, monitors and coordinates law reform in Victoria.
The Commission has a charter to consult with the community and advise the Attorney-General on how to improve and update Victorian laws.
The Commission's major function is to examine, report and make recommendations to the Attorney-General on any proposal or matter relating to law reform in Victoria that is referred to it by the Attorney-General. The Commission also has the power to recommend minor changes to the law without a reference.
Number of legal positions within organisation: The Commission has a rolling program of references and community law reform projects and does not have a fixed number of legal positions. The Commission will recruit suitably qualified staff for each reference on fixed term contracts.
Information for secondary schools
Do you host school trips or send speakers to schools?
Commission staff visit secondary schools as part of the Commission's educational program function. The focus of the Commission's visits are Year 12 VCE Legal Studies students studying the law reform process in Unit 4, ‘The people and the law’.
Resources are available for students.
Contact person for school trip and/or speakers:Nick Gadd
Communications Manager
nick.gadd@lawreform.vic.gov.au
Speakers can also be requested by visiting the Commission's website
Information for university students/graduates
Do you have a graduate clerkship program? (involving practical legal training and admission to practise)
No.
How many law graduates do you employ outside your graduate program, and what sort of roles do they fill?
The Commission recruits applicants with law and public policy skills as:
- research assistants to the Chair and CEO
- policy and research officers
- team leaders
- Information for practicing lawyers
What are you looking for in a permanent employee?
The Commission has a small number of permanent employees who mainly perform administrative roles. Most of the staff employed to work on references are employed on fixed term contracts.
Most staff have some previous legal or public policy work experience. In recruiting research and policy officers the Commission looks for:
- demonstrated legal and non-legal research skills and proven ability to conduct research into complex legal and policy issues
- demonstrated report writing skills
- some experience in public consultation
Qualifications/skills required
Legal or public policy qualifications
What electives/areas of study are viewed favourably?
The Commission will sometimes select a candidate with subject matter experience relevant to a reference provided they also have the basic skill set referred to above.
What prior work/volunteer work is viewed favourably?
The Commission looks for previous experience in legal and policy research and report writing.
On average, how many positions become available per year?
On average, the Commission will advertise 2 positions each year requiring legal and policy research skills.
How many applications do you receive for these?
50
Where do you advertise your positions?
The Commission advertises current employment opportunities on its website and the Victorian Government Careers portal.
Do you use a recruitment agency?
No.