Senior Litigation Special Counsel - Practice Leader

About Dentons

Dentons is the world’s largest law firm. We’re 20,000+ people globally across 80+ countries including USA; Europe; India and Asia. We are a global polycentric firm which is expanding rapidly in an increasingly globalised legal industry.

Dentons now consistently ranks as one of the five best regarded legal brands in the world according to the Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index.

About the Role

This is a rare and genuinely exciting opportunity to step into a senior leadership role at the heart of one of the most novel and fast-moving areas of gig economy law in Australia. You will take a leadership role on a landmark, high-caseload workstream for one of our most significant national clients.  You will have oversight of all deactivation claims against this client made to the Fair Work Commission under the Fair Work Act by 'employee-like workers' who have been deactivated from digital labour platforms.

As Practice Leader for this workstream, you will be responsible for the practice management, strategy, oversight and quality execution across the entire portfolio of matters - directing and mentoring a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of Senior Associates, Associates, Solicitors and Paralegals, acting as one of the client relationship points of contact along with the matter Partners. This is a role where your leadership, management and commercial judgement will shape outcomes for this client at scale.

You will work directly alongside matter Partners and be empowered to lead the entire team of lawyers and paralegals and assist them to manage their caseload. Our partners are highly personable, approachable and genuinely invested in your professional growth - they will provide strategic support and mentorship while trusting you to run the workstream with real autonomy. This is a role for someone ready to step up and make it their own.

Preferably this will be a full-time role but with great flexibility in terms of working hours and location. Part-time hours and remote working will be considered for the right candidate.

What You Will Be Doing

• Practice management and strategic oversight of a high-volume litigation portfolio, ensuring consistent quality, efficiency and strategic outcomes across all matters;
• Acting as one of the primary client relationship points of contact - building and maintaining a strong, trusted relationship with the client, providing regular strategic updates and proactively identifying emerging issues for discussion with the team and client;
• Directing and mentoring a team of Senior Associates, Associates, Solicitors and Paralegals, driving a high-performance, collaborative and learning-oriented team culture and developing advocacy training programs to support the junior members of the team;
• Developing and refining workstream processes, precedents and workflows to maximise efficiency and quality at scale;
• Collaborating with the supervising partners on strategy, risk management and client reporting issues and assisting them with the transition to a new case management solution for greater matter management efficiencies.

What you’ll need to succeed

• Proven practice management and leadership capability, with the ability to run a high-volume litigation workstream end-to-end;
• Strong and strategic litigation experience - you are confident to work on case theory and direction of matters, apply legal developments and provide advocacy advice where needed and be trusted by clients;
• Demonstrated experience as a senior client relationship contact - you communicate clearly, proactively and credibly with sophisticated clients;
• Exceptional communication skills - verbal and written - with the ability to translate legal issues into clear, commercial advice to gain client trust;
• A track record of building strong team culture, developing and leading junior lawyers, with a genuine commitment to mentoring and building team capability; and
• The drive and maturity to operate with significant autonomy in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment - you are organised, solutions-focused and thrive under pressure.

Why Dentons

Dentons Australia offers a wide range of incentives aimed at embracing your authenticity, providing purpose, and strengthening your ongoing development.
 
We offer:

• Equitable salary packaging, incentive pay and rewards
• Salary continuous insurance (for permanent employees or employees on a 6 month or more maximum term contract basis)
• Salary sacrificing and novated leases
• 5 days Bonus Leave per year after 12 months of service
• Additional leave options
• Equal family leave for all genders (including kinship groups)
• Floating public holidays for days of cultural significance
• Exclusive retailer discounts
• Offices designed for collaboration on Gadigal, Naarm, Yuggera, Kaurna and Whadjuk land
• Learning & Development opportunities
• Generous health and wellbeing programs
• Agile and flexible working for all
• Social and diversity networks providing year-round events
• Opportunities to undertake pro-bono legal work

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion

Embedded in our people is a passion to help others through the delivery of justice. It is through this that our commitment to inclusion, equity, and reconciliation has evolved. We are proud to say that by design, we have no single headquarters or dominant national culture, this means the unique perspectives, experiences, and identities of our people come together globally under one purpose to create an inclusive and accessible environment where anyone can thrive.

Please apply online with your Cover Letter and CV. If you have questions beforehand, please email our recruitment team at recruitment.au@dentons.com. Enquiries only please, applications will not be accepted by email.

Agency Submissions

Dentons does not accept agency submissions unless the agency is specifically contacted by a member of the Recruitment Team. Please do not forward candidate profiles or resumes to partners, hiring managers or other employees - this will not constitute an introduction to the firm and Dentons will not be liable for a fee.