Senior Associate – Employment Law

About the job

Rare opportunity to join our boutique, specialist, and leading firm to work with and learn from industry leaders and award-winning lawyers.

• Looking for career satisfaction, professional and personal development, and real potential?
• Unique, genuine and respected culture where everybody has a say.
• Our close-knit Partnership team are looking to welcome the next outstanding practitioner “into the fold” and ideally someone with long term growth aspirations.

Who is FCB Workplace Law?

FCB Workplace Law is one of Australia’s leading workplace relations law firms. As a top-ranked firm in the Asia Pacific Legal 500, Chambers Asia Pacific Guide, and a Leading Employment Law Firm in Doyle’s Guide Legal Rankings, we’ve been making life easier for businesses for nearly 30 years. Our team advises clients across major Australian industries including manufacturing, retail, construction, infrastructure, health, aged care and professional services.

FCB Workplace Law is equivalent to (or larger than) most workplace relations groups in top-tier firms, with a team of 30 professional staff, including nine Partners. FCB is the only firm in Australia with five Accredited Employment and Industrial Law Specialists leading our Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane teams. In addition, Campbell Fisher, Managing Partner and Solicitor Director of FCB Group, is the only solicitor in Australia to hold specialist accreditations (workplace relations) in both New South Wales and Victoria.

Our parent company, FCB Group is a recognised Employer of Choice for the past seven (7) years – that’s something we’re pretty proud of! We offer an enviable work environment with progression and training opportunities and a young, talented, dynamic and outgoing team of professionals.

The Opportunity

Working closely with our Partnership who are spread across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, this role will provide you the opportunity to work in a highly skilled and fast-paced team. We will expect and encourage you to bring your own knowledge and experiences to everyday situations to best perform the role and responsibilities.

As a Senior Associate, you will provide pragmatic and technically accurate legal advice to clients in a timely manner and commit to the development of the business by primarily managing and expanding client matters and accounts. This involves developing and managing case files consistent with cost estimates, updating Partners on progress of matters, acting as primary client contact and working with Partners and our Finance team as needed to ensure proper billing.

When acting as the second senior member of an account, Senior Associates take direction from the Supervising Partner and provide input into strategy or assistance with implementation as directed. As a Senior Associate you are also expected to work with the team to ensure overall quality control of accounts managed within that cell and assist Partners with overall management of the cell while also working to ensure a positive, collaborative team environment.

Essential Job Functions

• Client Focused Activities/Client Matter Related Work
• Provide legal advice and representation in a professional, ethical and effective manner.
• Achieve requisite billable hours in accordance with budget set and cost estimates to clients.
• Provide quick turn around and high-quality output in oral and written communications so that they are easily read and understood.
• Respect client and firm confidentiality.
• Build a client base and practice in their specialist area including delegation to and the training of other legal staff.
• Consistently demonstrate ability to move into problem-solving mode on client matters when supervising Partner is unavailable or when supervising work of junior solicitors.
• Successfully run multiple accounts, including managing work plans, client expectations, and internal staffing and ensuring project is consistent with time and financial scope in the costs agreement.

Firm Wide Responsibilities

• Contributing to firm wide BD activities and events
• Contribute to publication articles.
• Attending fortnightly tech sessions.
• Work well with and demonstrate respect for colleagues at all levels and consistently contribute to a positive work environment.
• Mentor junior staff to help them meet their performance benchmarks and development objectives.
• Identify new business opportunities, participate in new business pitches and assist in drafting new business proposals.
• Actively be involved in business development and opportunities to advance the profile and growth of the firm.
• Demonstrate a commitment to upholding the firm’s Values and Virtues.
• Promote FCB amongst the legal profession, national clients and networks.

The Senior Associate position will be client-facing, and the successful candidate will need to be commercially minded, love intellectual challenge, not afraid of hard work and able to work independently and self-sufficiently. It is desirable that you will have completed at least 4 – 7 years with a reputable law firm specializing in workplace law.

Attributes

• Willing to look for solutions and go the extra mile;
• Disciplined and dedicated, but happy to ‘have some fun along the way’;
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced and focused environment;
• Happy to be involved in tasks and projects outside the generic job description as or when required;
• Personable attitude and enjoys working in a dynamic and diverse team
• Best in-market approach
• Ability to provide client confidence
• Thrives in a fast-paced, focused and collaborative work environment

Required Technical Skills or Experience

• 4-7 Years PAE experience
• Outstanding technical knowledge
• Enterprise Bargaining and Industrial Disputes
• All aspects of performance management;
• Award interpretation
• Workplace safety
• Contract drafting;
• Delivery of training;
• Enterprise bargaining;
• Policy and Procedure development;
• Representation to government;
• Termination advice and management.

How to Apply

If you think you have what it takes and believe you would be the right fit for this role, we’d love to hear from you! Hit that apply button to start a conversation about your career.