Government lawyers
Many government departments, both federal and state, have in-house legal departments.
The positions are much the same as in-house counsel in a corporation, in that the legal division would deal with most commercial and regulatory issues; some matters may be briefed to private firms. As with the corporate in-house positions, these roles do not usually have the personal budget pressures that private firms do.
In addition to commercial matters, government departments also deal in other areas of law such as constitutional, administrative and regulatory law (depending on the department).
Positions in government are often not as well paid as private practice; nevertheless these positions are often very attractive because lawyers can work in their area of specialisation and also they are not bound to the ‘time-sheet' pressures that they would be in private practice.
Some government departments do offer Supervised Workplace Traineeships. The departments' individual websites will have this information along with application details.
Government departments with in-house division:
Australian Government Solicitor
AFP
Workplace Ombudsman
Office of Public Prosecutions
Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions
AG