The Opportunity
We are seeking a talented Solicitor (3–5 years’ PAE) to join our Brisbane office, working within a highly regarded team that operates at the intersection of employment, regulatory and commercial law.
This role involves delivering employment law advice to a significant client base within the education sector, including organisations that operate and manage large private schools. These clients are sophisticated, high-value entities with substantial funding structures, complex governance frameworks and large workforces.
You will work closely with experienced Principals and senior lawyers on a mix of advisory, strategic and complex critical matters. The practice combines day-to-day employment and industrial relations work with higher-level, sensitive and often complex litigation, offering excellent breadth and depth of experience.
This is an opportunity to step into a role designed to support the team’s continued growth, following recent movement within the group.
About the Role
In this role, you will gain exposure to a broad range of matters spanning:
- Employment and industrial relations advisory, including workforce management, hiring and termination matters
- Complex and sensitive disputes and litigation, including matters before courts and tribunals
- Regulatory and governance issues impacting large organisations
- Strategic advice relating to risk, funding and operational decision-making
- Commercial and operational matters with crossover into employment and workplace law
You will work closely with clients to deliver pragmatic, commercially focused advice on matters that are often business-critical and high profile.
About You
We’re looking for a commercially minded lawyer who enjoys working closely with clients and being part of a collaborative team.
You may already have experience in employment, industrial relations or workplace law, or be coming from a related practice area with a strong interest in developing your career in this space. We are open to candidates without direct experience, provided you bring motivation, curiosity and a genuine enthusiasm for this area of law.
Ideally, you will have:
- 3–5 years’ PAE in employment, litigation or a related area
- Experience across advisory and/or disputes work, or a strong interest in building capability in both
- Strong technical skills, attention to detail and drafting ability
- A pragmatic, solutions-focused approach to legal issues
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- A genuine interest in building client relationships and growing your career in this space
Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who is motivated, eager to learn and develop, and who will contribute positively to a supportive and high-performing team environment.
About Us
McInnes Wilson is a leading independent full-service firm with offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Maroochydore. The firm has approximately 60 principals and over 400 staff nationally. We pride ourselves on delivering high quality outcomes for our valued clients whilst being recognised as a positive, collegiate place to work. We believe in our people and trust them with our brand.
What we offer
As a national corporate law firm, we offer exposure to premium clients, large scale, multi-party, complex litigated matters and transparent career pathways, together with a variety of benefits including: generous paid parental leave, paid salary continuance insurance, flexible working, study assistance, pro-bono opportunities, complementary massages, realistic billables targets for legal practitioners, a formal mentoring program, professional memberships, birthday leave, social club, EOFY functions and end of year celebrations.
All applicants should note that the successful candidate will be required to undergo background screening including reference checks and police checks.
Any questions regarding this role should be directed to our Talent team, recruitment@mcw.com.au.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our firm. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals who represent the communities in which we live and work. We encourage people from all backgrounds to join us; we are committed to providing an equitable recruitment experience for all candidates.
We kindly request that recruitment agencies do not contact the business in relation to this vacancy. Unsolicited CVs will not be considered or accepted.
