• Permanent, full-time position, however flexible working opportunities will be considered
• Hybrid and flexible working; WFH and from modern, open plan offices. We will provide you with WFH IT equipment plus reimbursement of up to $500 for additional equipment
• Reward and recognition, including competitive remuneration and career progression
• Learning and career development programs for all roles and levels
• Flexible leave options and up to 26 weeks paid parental leave
• Free daily breakfast, office drinks and social events
• Genuine commitment to health and wellbeing, pro bono and community, and diversity and inclusion across our firm

Learn more about what Hall & Wilcox can offer you: bit.ly/HWbenefits

About the role and team

We have an opportunity for a Senior Associate or Special Counsel to join our Dispute Resolution - Public Law team in our Canberra office, working with a highly regarded Partner.

This role suits a senior lawyer with significant experience in one or more of the following areas:

• public law litigation or administrative law for Commonwealth government;
• privacy matters for the Commonwealth government; and/or
• freedom of information (FOI) matters for the Commonwealth government.

The successful candidate will sit within our national Dispute Resolution section, which is comprised of around 130 team members nationally. We provide the full range of legal services to our public sector clients, bringing both deep expertise and a fresh perspective to their matters, and leveraging our leading and established practices across insurance and commercial law. We partner with clients at all levels of government, with key clients including the Commonwealth Government, local councils, the Victorian and New South Wales State Governments and other large corporate entities.

You will work on a breadth of matters in the public law space, which may include the following:

• agriculture, environment and biosecurity;
• health and aged care;
• citizenship and migration;
• code of conduct compliance and enforcement;
• compensation and legal liability;
• privacy, including data protection and retention, and privacy impact assessments (PIAs);
• freedom of information (FOI); and/or
• acting in merits and judicial review proceedings.

About you

You will ideally have the following knowledge, skills and experience:

• a minimum of 5 years of post-admission experience working in or for the public sector/service on Commonwealth government matters;
• experience in privacy and FOI matters would be advantageous, however is not essential;
• an interest in contributing to the growth and success of our Commonwealth government practice;
• excellent legal drafting and analytical skills, with outstanding attention to detail;
• strong verbal and written communication skills;
• the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a supportive and collaborative team; and
• the ability to confidently run matters, as well as the ability to handle a busy workload with competing timelines.

About us

Hall & Wilcox is a leading independent Australian law firm. We deliver outstanding legal services to corporate, public sector and private clients, both Australian-based and those offshore doing business in Australia. Our purpose is to enable our clients, our people and our communities to thrive.

Hear from our people about what it’s like to work at Hall & Wilcox: bit.ly/HWpeople

Some of our recent awards include:

• Best Australian Law Firm (>$200m revenue) at the 2025 Client Choice Awards;
• Ranked seventh in the Lawyers Weekly Top 25 Attraction Firms for 2024 and 2025;
• Law Firm of the Year at the 2023 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards; and
• Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation holder since 2018.

We are known for having a great culture that is warm and welcoming, progressive, inclusive and supportive, and that is underpinned by our enduring values - known as Hallmarks.

We are also renowned for our Smarter Law approach. Smarter Law means we look beyond the status quo to think differently and find solutions. Smarter Law includes enabling technology, challenging business models, innovative pricing and creative resourcing.

We are a firm of the future. We offer our people interesting and challenging work, and access to great clients. To learn more about Hall & Wilcox please visit our website.

Apply now

Let’s connect. Click apply to submit your application.

At Hall & Wilcox, we are committed to creating and maintaining a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value unique contributions of all people. We encourage applications from candidates of all cultural backgrounds (including First Nations), age, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities.

We are also committed to supporting candidates with disability so that every candidate is offered a fair, equitable and supportive recruitment experience. If you require any adjustments or support to complete your application, or if you have any questions, please contact Alison Daly-Thomson, Talent Acquisition Manager at alison.dalythomson@hallandwilcox.com.au for a confidential discussion.

This vacancy is being managed directly by the Hall & Wilcox Talent Acquisition / People & Culture team. We will contact our preferred agency partners should we require any assistance.

#LI-AD1