Government Solicitor

Australian government solicitor ISSUE 1: 2016
AGS
WORKFORCE
AND MARKET
UPDATE
Our people
AGS employs 646 people; 309 are
located in Canberra and the rest
are based in our offices in State and
Territory capitals across Australia.
A flexible and people-focused work
environment is a key attraction for
AGS staff. We also greatly appreciate
the privileged role we occupy – being
involved in the interesting and
rewarding legal work on offer, while
contributing to the public interest.
Our values
In addition to the APS Code of
Conduct and APS values, AGS adheres
to a set of organisational values which
shape the way we approach our work,
our clients, and our AGS colleagues.
Integrity – honest and impartial
dealings with others, treat all people
with respect
Professionalism – excellence in all
aspects of our work
Commitment to the public good –
assist clients to achieve the best results
for the Australian community and the
Government
Collegiality – work collaboratively as
one national team.
The market
According to the Office of Legal
Services Coordination (OLSC) Legal
Services Expenditure Report 2014–15,
AGS remains a strong and respected
legal services provider, with a reported
38% share of Commonwealth legal
services expenditure (professional
fees) in 2014–15. Our legal expertise
and value for money are recognised
by our clients. We continue to be the
legal service supplier most often relied
upon by Commonwealth Government
agencies.
46%
16%
AGS
Other top 10 firms
Remaining providers
38%
Source: OLSC Legal Services Expenditure
Report 2014–15
How our clients rate us
AGS runs a regular nation-wide
independent survey of close to 1,500
Commonwealth clients. The survey
focuses on key performance attributes
ranging from our legal expertise,
depth of team and understanding
of our clients’ business to the quality
of our relationship management,
responsiveness and ease of doing
business. In this survey we also ask
clients to rate and comment on our
commerciality, value for money and
other aspects of the financial and
administrative management of their
matters.
In 2015, the AGS Client Survey
results showed an overall rating of
7.95 out of 10 for client satisfaction,
reflecting the continuation of an
upward trend seen in recent years. We
also learned that 96% of our clients
are satisfied with AGS’s performance.
Most notable was a 48% increase
in the proportion of our clients
rating AGS’s overall performance as
‘excellent’ (from 29% to 43% of all
respondents).
We rated well on many key
attributes, including legal expertise,
quality of relationship, ease of doing
business with, responsiveness and
understanding of clients’ business.
Our average rating for each of these
attributes was more than 8 out of 10.
Cost management is a critical
aspect of service delivery – not just
in legal services but right across the
spectrum of professional services.
AGS’s performance in this area
consistently rates close to 7 out of 10
in client surveys, and we are striving to
achieve even better results. Listening
and responding to our clients is an
important facet of our approach to
service. We welcome feedback about
how we can support our clients,
including in managing costs.
Did you know?
56%
of our full-time employees
are lawyers, and 44% are
legal support and corporate
staff
69% 60% 48%
of AGS workers are female of our lawyers are female of our senior executive
lawyers are female
20%
of the AGS workforce is
part time, and 91% of our
part-timers are women
15
In 2016
law graduates
commenced the AGS
Graduate Program
48 49