Work Type: Ongoing - Full-time
Salary: $95,187 - $104,924
Grade: WVR 3.2
Occupation: Legal
Location: Various
Reference: VG/VLA/CLICS/1944498
The 2027 New Lawyers Program (NLP) is your chance to begin your legal career with one of Victoria's most dynamic and diverse legal practices, Victoria Legal Aid (VLA). Over two years, you'll rotate through three placements, each eight months long, gaining hands-on experience in different areas of law and working directly with clients who need your support most.
This is more than a graduate program – it's the start of a career where your skills and commitment will make a difference every day.
The NLP is a structured two-year pathway designed to accelerate your career while making a real difference for Victorians.
Through three set placements, you'll gain practical experience across areas such as criminal law, family violence, family law, child protection, youth crime, civil justice, and access to justice services.
Each move means stepping into a new office and community, adapting to different teams, clients, and requirements. At the end of the program, you'll transition into an ongoing lawyer role within VLA, continuing a rewarding career within social justice.
As an NLP lawyer, you'll represent some of Victoria's most vulnerable people, including clients with experiences of trauma, family violence, child protection involvement, mental health issues, disability, substance dependency and systemic disadvantage.
The work can be challenging and emotionally demanding – but also incredibly rewarding. You'll see the direct impact of your advocacy every day and contribute to shaping a fairer, more just Victoria.
We'll also support you every step of the way with:
The program is designed to give you breadth of experience and prepare you for your career at VLA. Placements may include:
Regional placements are a unique career opportunity.
As part of the 2027 New Lawyers Program, we are offering three pathways in regional locations. Our regional pathways offer the opportunity to gain experience as a generalist lawyer and complete placements in criminal law, civil justice law and family law. New lawyers must be willing to relocate regionally if required.
Regional placements offer:
These placements are often career-defining experiences, and we strongly encourage applicants to preference an outer regional pathway.
Each placement pathway includes three rotations and is linked to a home directorate, where you'll be placed permanently after completing the program.
👉 Full details of the available 2027 placement pathways can be found here: https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/new-lawyers-program
We're looking for early-career lawyers who are passionate about social justice, are adaptable, and ready to grow. You'll bring:
We strongly encourage applications from Australian First Nations lawyers and from people of diverse backgrounds and with lived experience.
We offer legal representation, family dispute resolution and non-legal advocacy to those who need it most. With over 1500+ staff employed in 16 offices across Victoria, we help people with their legal problems by providing information, advice and education with a focus on the prevention and early resolution of legal problems.
Our clients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds and foster a work culture that's inclusive as well as diverse. Your unique ideas and perspectives are valued so that we best represent the people we serve.
At VLA, we offer more than just a job – we offer a career with purpose. You'll be part of a diverse, inclusive organisation that values your ideas and perspectives.
Employee benefits
How to apply
To apply, you will need to complete an online appl ication and submit:
Please include answers to these questions in your cover letter, keeping to under 800 words.
As part of the online application form you will also be asked to nominate your top three pathway preferences (or choose Anywhere to maximise your chances of receiving an offer, noting this may be for one of our less-popular pathways). Please refer to the 2027 New Lawyers Program information sheet.
Unfortunately, applications that do not meet all the above requirements will not be progressed.
If you require adjustments to the recruitment and selection process or need an alternative format to any of the application material, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our team.
Important eligibility information
VLA is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.
For further information:
No agency applications will be accepted.
< p>Applications close by 11.59pm on Sunday 11 October 2026
Other relevant information
It is a requirement that staff attend for office-based days at their primary work location. In line with this requirement, interstate applications will be considered only where the candidate is able and willing to relocate to Victoria, unless part of a border community.
VLA is committed to putting the safety and wellbeing of children first.
👉 Launch your legal career with purpose. Apply now and be part of building a fairer Victoria.