Associate, Senior Associate or Special Counsel Defence & National Security Litigation

• Rare and exciting opportunity to join a top Australian law firm and work on secondment with the Department of Defence
• Suits experienced litigation/disputes and administrative lawyers at Associate to Special Counsel level (minimum of 4 years PAE/PQE)
• Please note that candidates must be based in Canberra or be willing to relocate on an as-needs basis (including a period onsite)
• Subsequent engagements may be available in other capital cities

This a uniqueopportunity to be a part of an emergent practice area at theintersection of Defence law and the international securityenvironment.

We arelooking for lawyers with excellent legal skills who can overlaystrategic thinking about the Defence security and internationalenvironments; have the mindset for and a commitment to meaningfulprofessional work and the progression of the national interest; andwho appreciate the benefits of private practice.

Liaisonengagement and representative acumen will be important; you willcollaborate with agencies and key staff in the Defence and nationalsecurity community to support Australias Defence missionsovereign relationships and strategic industrialcapabilities.

You will bepart of a practice area enabled to leverage the capability of anational independent full-service law firm with excellentsupport and resourcing.

You will workalongside some of the most capable lawyers and partners in thecountry within a firm that has demonstrated track record at beingamongst the best at what they do and who consider their people tobe their strongest asset.

When it comesto culture flexibility innovation and Smarter Law we dontjust talk the talk - we walk the walk. Learn more about what Hall& Wilcox can offer you: opportunities and team

There hasnever been a better time to join Hall & Wilcox as we continueto expand our firms presence on the Whole of AustralianGovernment Legal Services Panel.

We haveopportunities for experienced litigation and disputes lawyers tojoin Hall & Wilcox on secondment with the Department these roles you will work closely with Defence counselon a range of issues including investigations commissions andinquiries coronial matters commercial disputes regulatorymatters mediation and arbitration and in otherareas.

We areparticularly keen to hear from you if you have experience workingwith or for the Department of Defence within the CommonwealthGovernment or in or alongside the national security communityincluding within industry.

You will sitwithin our national Dispute Resolution section which is comprisedof around 115 team members nationally. We provide the full range oflegal services to our public sector clients bringing both deepexpertise and a fresh perspective to their matters and leveragingour leading and established practices across insurance andcommercial law. We partner with clients at all levels ofgovernment with key clients including the Commonwealth Governmentlocal councils the Victorian and New South Wales State Governmentsand other large corporate entities.

Aboutyou

You willideally have the following skills and experience:

• a minimum of 4 years of post-admission experience;
• experience working in commercial litigation and disputes or administrative law ideally with or within Commonwealth government;
• candidates with a background working for or with the Department of Defence will be highly regarded;
• a current Commonwealth security clearance at NV1 (preferred) or Baseline (minimum);
• the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a supportive and collaborative team; and
• the ability to confidently run matters through adversarial or ADR processes with a mature mindset and understanding of the unique operating environment.

Please notethat expressions of interest may be subject to the Department ofDefence ATL engagement moratorium.

Aboutus

Hall &Wilcox is a leading independent Australian law firm. We deliveroutstanding legal services to corporate public sector and privateclients both Australian-based and those offshore doing business inAustralia. Our purpose is to enable our clients our people and ourcommunities to thrive.

Hear from ourpeople about what its like to work at HW: of ourrecent awards and citations include:

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

We are knownfor having a great culture that is warm and welcoming progressiveinclusive and supportive and that is underpinned by our enduringvalues - known as Hallmarks.

We are alsorenowned for SmarterLaw which means we look beyond the status quo to thinkdifferently and find solutions. Smarter Law includes enablingtechnology challenging business models innovative pricing andcreative resourcing.

We are a firmof the future. We offer our people interesting and challengingwork and access to great clients. To learn more about HW visit ourwebsite.

Applynow

Letsconnect. Click apply to submit your expression ofinterest.

At Hall &Wilcox we are committed to creating and maintaining a workplacethat actively seeks to include welcome and value uniquecontributions of all people. We encourage applications fromcandidates of all cultural backgrounds (including First Nations)age abilities sexual orientation and genderidentities.

We are alsocommitted to supporting candidates with disability so that everycandidate is offered a fair equitable and supportive recruitmentexperience. If you require any adjustments or support to completeyour application or if you have any questions please contactAlison Daly-Thomson Talent Acquisition Manager at for a confidential discussion.

This vacancyis being managed directly by the HW Talent Acquisition / People& Culture team. We will contact our preferred agency partnersshould we require any assistance.

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