The Legal Circles Group Mentoring Program aims to match suitably qualified APS legal mentors with a small group of new or new-to-government lawyers in a formal mentoring relationship.
The draft 'Statement of expectations of Commonwealth government lawyers' is informed by the 2017 Secretary's Review of Commonwealth Legal Services . The AGLS Board prepared it in consultation with government lawyers.
The purpose of the Legal Risk Committee (LRC) is to provide a forum for the dissemination, sharing and discussion among senior government lawyers of matters relevant to the management of Commonwealth legal risk.
Endorsed by the head of the AGLS, the General Counsel Charter identifies Commonwealth General Counsel's obligations as part of the broader leadership cohort within the AGLS. It also sets out how AGD’s Office of Legal Services Coordination (OLSC) will support General Counsel to meet those obligations.
In December 2015, the Australian Government tasked the Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department to conduct a review of Commonwealth legal services. The findings and recommendations drew upon the expertise and experience of a diverse and highly engaged group of stakeholders across many Commonwealth entities and the legal services sector. It makes a number of wide ranging recommendations for improvements to the Commonwealth legal services framework.
In May 2018, the Australian Government commissioned an independent review of the APS to ensure it is fit-for-purpose to serve all Australians for the coming decades. The terms of reference sought a review of the capability, culture and operating model of the APS and practical recommendations to ensure the APS best serves the Australian Government and people: providing security, driving productivity, and improving the experience of government for citizens. The review was also asked to consider the suitability of the APS’s architecture and governing legislation and its effective delivery of outcomes for Australians.
