Principal Advocate

About the role: This is an exciting opportunity to progress your career and obtain valuable experience working as a Principal Advocate in the Specialist Advocacy Unit within Victoria Police's Legal Services Department. We are seeking a skilled and experienced advocate to prosecute a range of complex criminal and family violence related matters across multiple courts, jurisdictions and locations state-wide. The Specialist Advocacy Unit is a team of specialist criminal law advocates who represent Victoria Police in state-wide complex and high-profile prosecutions in the Magistrates' and Children's Court, and in the Family Violence jurisdiction of the County Court. Advocates within the team also appear in complex bail applications and judicial reviews in the Supreme Court of Victoria and provide high level legal advice across a range of complex issues to the Chief Commissioner of Police and other internal stakeholders. If you are an experienced criminal law advocate with exceptional advocacy and written communication skills, who has advocacy experience in multiple jurisdictions and want to work in an inclusive, positive and fast-paced environment, then this is the role for you We are seeking to recruit one Principal Advocate to join an existing team of Senior and Principal Advocates. Victoria Police is a contemporary and agile workplace and supports flexible working arrangements. Your duties will include: Prosecuting complex summary contested hearings in the Magistrates' and Children's Courts across all crime types. Appearing in Supreme Court bail applications and judicial reviews. Appearing in County Court Intervention Order re‑hearing appeals. Mentoring and coaching junior lawyers and prosecutors in advocacy. Managing a small team Preparing complex legal advice for Victoria Police on a range of complex matters. Building and maintaining collaborative internal relationships. Working with external stakeholders across agencies as part of a broad network that will ensure cooperative and proactive approaches to addressing community harm and reducing youth recidivism. As the successful applicant, you will: Be admitted to practice as an Australian Lawyer with an unrestricted Practising Certificate (or the ability to rapidly acquire one). Have at least five (5) years post‑admission experience in criminal law practice. A comprehensive understanding of the law of evidence, bail, sentencing and criminal procedure. Ability to work in a team, in a developing and emerging work environment. Ability to lead a team of people. High level of resilience and emotional intelligence. High level understanding and experience as a court advocate across all jurisdictions, with extensive experience in criminal law Motivated to improve the service delivery of Victoria Police and standard of advocacy across Victoria Police. A current and valid Drivers' Licence (mandatory). Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills. Requirements and relevant information: One (1) full‑time, fixed term until 30/06/2030 position is available. The salary range for a VPS6 role is $138,631 to $185,518 (covering salary ranges VPSG 6.1 and VPSG 6.2). Although it is standard practice for selected candidates to commence at the base of the salary range, genuine consideration will be given to a commencement salary within the available range that is commensurate with the successful candidate's knowledge, skills and experiences. This will be subject to negotiations with the Hiring Manager in the course of the selection process and may include the provision of evidence of a higher income and/or supporting documentation (as required). This position is located at 456 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne but will require travel to Victorian Courts around the state including overnight accommodation. Applicants must be an Australian Citizen, Permanent Resident or hold a valid work permit or visa. The successful candidate will be required to undergo pre‑employment checks which may include fingerprint checks and misconduct screening. As a member of the Legal Services Department, you will be located on selection, at a specific office within a Division for a particular advertised opportunity. However, given occasional legal service demand issues you may be required at times to undertake varied work within the Department. This supports the Departments commitment to a flexible and deployable legal workforce and professional development opportunities in a range of legal domains. Your application must include: A cover letter (no more than 1 page) Resume Completed application form – the word document (2. Application form) for you to complete and attach to your submission, is attached to the job advertisement. Your Current Australian Legal Practising Certificate. Applications close midnight, Tuesday 9 December 2025. Please Note: All applications will need to be submitted through one of the following platforms: Victorian Government careers website ( or Seek ( Applications will not be accepted via other platforms or email. For further information on this role please contact:Leigh Harrison on or via email on No recruitment agencies please. We welcome applications from people with disability and aim to support an inclusive recruitment experience. If you require a copy of this advertisement and attached documentation in an accessible format or would like to discuss an access requirement/reasonable adjustment for the recruitment process (including an alternate method of submission of the application), please contact VPS Recruitment via email or on . About Us: Victoria Police has a dedicated workforce of more than 22,000 employees consisting of police, protective services officers, police custody officers, and public service staff. Each employee plays a vital role in providing the 24/7, 365 days a year emergency response and public safety capability the organisation delivers to its community. As a Victoria Police employee, you have a dedication and commitment to community safety. Victoria Police is committed to creating a workplace that is safe and inclusive of all our people. We empower and expect our people, at all levels, to develop interpersonal connections and collaborate, use sound judgement, and create and innovate. In alignment with the principle of self‑determination, Victoria Police is dedicated to enhancing our collaboration with the Aboriginal community in Victoria as we build a culturally safe and inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We continue to engage and build relationships with local Aboriginal communities and work closely with them to enhance opportunities and services aimed at empowerment, equality, and equal participation across all areas of the organisation. We value the diversity and differences of our employees, including their age, gender, culture, religion, sexual orientation, abilities, and life experience. We celebrate these diverse experiences and perspectives as each person brings an informed and contemporary approach to our work which enhances the wellbeing of all. We aim to provide a safe place that is reflective of the community it serves, allowing everyone to bring their whole selves to work. If after reading this, you're not sure you tick every single criteria box, but have the passion to get behind our purpose, the determination to face a challenge and a willingness to grow and learn, we think you should click the apply button anyway. We're passionate about building a diverse and inclusive team, and love hearing from people like you. Find out what it is like working as a Victorian Public Servant for Victoria Police: #J-18808-Ljbffr