Child Protection and Family Law Support Officer

A specialist Toowoomba family-law practice is seeking a capable, committed Legal Support Officer to join its small and close-knit team. Our practice works exclusively in family law and child protection. We do not operate a conventional client-facing practice. Instead, we work with courts, agencies and other professionals to help ensure children’s best interests are properly represented in complex legal proceedings. The matters we handle can involve confronting and often devastating circumstances. This role requires emotional maturity, sound judgement, discretion and the ability to remain focused and accurate when the work is difficult or time-sensitive.

This is a specialised legal support position responsible for helping our lawyers remain prepared, informed and ahead of upcoming court events. Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparing and managing subpoenas
• Checking court orders carefully and identifying required actions
• Processing court attendance notes accurately
• Reporting relevant information back to agencies
• Booking flights and accommodation
• Following up external agencies and stakeholders for time-sensitive information
• Maintaining well-organised files and handling highly sensitive information
• Anticipating future requirements and preparing for upcoming court events
• Providing broader administrative and legal-practice support as required

The volume of work can be high, and priorities can change quickly. You will need to assess what is urgent, reorganise your workload when something unexpected arises and follow important tasks through to completion.

You will be hardworking, dependable and genuinely invested in doing work that matters. You will take ownership rather than waiting to be directed at every stage, and you will think beyond the immediate task to what is likely to be needed next. You will bring:

• Excellent typing speed and accuracy
• Strong literacy, written and verbal communication skills
• Careful proofreading and exceptional attention to detail
• Confidence using Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• Strong organisation, prioritisation and multitasking skills
• Initiative and the ability to work proactively
• Persistence when information must be obtained from other stakeholders under tight deadlines
• The confidence to have firm, professional and sometimes difficult conversations
• The ability to build constructive relationships within the team and across the sector
• Discretion and sound judgement when handling confidential and distressing material
• Pride in producing accurate, high-quality work
• A willingness to ask questions when something is unclear

In this practice, asking for clarification is a strength. We would always prefer you to ask again than conceal uncertainty and allow an avoidable mistake to occur. Previous legal-support or law-firm experience is preferred. However, we will train an exceptional candidate who has strong administrative experience, excellent judgement and the right temperament for this work. The successful applicant will be required to complete a police check.

This is a permanent, specialist support role. It is not a graduate position, clerkship or pathway to employment as a lawyer within the practice. The position is unique within our small team, and there is no conventional promotion pathway attached to it. Our work is funded through Legal Aid. This may not be the right environment for someone whose primary consideration is securing the highest available private-practice salary or using the position as a short-term step towards another legal role. It may be an excellent fit for someone who wants to become highly capable in a distinctive support position, values meaningful work and takes satisfaction in being a trusted and essential member of a team.

You will join a strong, supportive workplace where:

• Team members help one another
• Questions are welcomed
• Learning is continuous
• Good work is noticed and valued
• The contribution of the support role is respected
• People care deeply about the quality and purpose of their work

This position will not suit everyone, and we believe it is important to be honest about that. The work can be pressured, emotionally demanding and exacting. It requires sustained care, resilience and commitment. For the right person, it offers the opportunity to do work of genuine importance alongside experienced colleagues who share that commitment.