Senior Associate - Privacy / Freedom of Information

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About the role and team

We have an opportunity for a Senior Associate to join our Dispute Resolution - Public Law team in our Canberra office, working with a highly regarded Partner. This role will suit a lawyer that has significant experience in privacy and freedom of information (FOI) matters for the Commonwealth government.

There has never been a better time to join Hall & Wilcox as we are celebrating our firm’s appointment to the Whole of Australian Government Legal Services Panel across all five of the substantive legal areas.

We have a dedicated team of experienced Commonwealth Government partners and lawyers who understand government and are excited to replicate the firm’s success with our existing and long-standing appointments to the Victorian and New South Wales State Government panels.

You will sit within our national Dispute Resolution section, which is comprised of around 115 team members nationally. We provide the full range of legal services to our public sector clients, bringing both deep expertise and a fresh perspective to their matters, and leveraging our leading and established practices across insurance and commercial law. We partner with clients at all levels of government, with key clients including the Commonwealth Government, local councils, the Victorian and New South Wales State Governments and other large corporate entities.

You will work on a breadth of matters in the public law space, including (but not limited to) :

• advising on data protection and retention;
• developing privacy compliant schemes that involve digital products and IT infrastructure;
• preparing Privacy Impact Assessments and advising on and drafting privacy policies and privacy guidelines;
• advising on FOI matters and preparing submissions to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner; and
• acting in merits and judicial review proceedings.

About you

You will ideally have the following knowledge, skills and experience :

• between 5 and 8 years of post-admission experience working in or for the public sector / service on Commonwealth government matters;
• significant experience in privacy and FOI matters;
• an interest in contributing to the growth and success of our Commonwealth government practice;
• excellent legal drafting and analytical skills, with outstanding attention to detail;
• strong verbal and written communication skills;
• the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a supportive and collaborative team; and
• the ability to confidently run matters, as well as the ability to handle a busy workload with competing timelines.

About us

Hall & Wilcox is a leading independent Australian law firm. We deliver outstanding legal services to corporate, public sector and private clients, both Australian-based and those offshore doing business in Australia. Our purpose is to enable our clients, our people and our communities to thrive.

Hear from our people about what it’s like to work at HW :  bit.ly / HWpeople

Some of our recent awards and citations include :

• Law Firm of the Year at the 2023 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards
• Law Firm of the Year (
• Lawyers) and Diversity Initiative of the Year at the 2022 Australasian 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
• Best Law and Related Services Firm ($100m-$200m revenue) and Best Professional Services Firm ($100m-$200m revenue) at the 2023 Client Choice Awards

We are known for having a great culture that is warm and welcoming, progressive, inclusive and supportive, and that is underpinned by our enduring values - known as Hallmarks.

We are also renowned for Smarter Law, which means we look beyond the status quo to think differently and find solutions. Smarter Law includes enabling technology, challenging business models, innovative pricing and creative resourcing.

We are a firm of the future. We offer our people interesting and challenging work, and access to great clients. To learn more about HW visit our website.

Apply now

Let’s connect. Click apply to submit your application.

At Hall & Wilcox, we are committed to creating and maintaining a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value unique contributions of all people. We encourage applications from candidates of all cultural backgrounds (including First Nations), age, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities.

We are also committed to supporting candidates with disability so that every candidate is offered a fair, equitable and supportive recruitment experience. If you require any adjustments or support to complete your application, or if you have any questions, please contact Alison Daly-Thomson, Talent Acquisition Manager at

• for a confidential discussion.

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

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