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Advice from a lawyer-entrepreneur for young practitioners
Chami Rupasinghe, founder of Law Wise Youth, shares invaluable advice for young lawyers to not only stand out but also leave a lasting impression in the legal realm as they begin their careers.
Grace Robbie
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Chami Rupasinghe, the founder and creative director of Law Wise Youth, imparts valuable advice on professional branding and maintaining an open mind to young lawyers, drawing from her own experiences and lessons learnt throughout her journey in the legal field.
In today’s tech-driven legal landscape, Rupasinghe underscores the importance of young lawyers using platforms like LinkedIn to share their professional journeys and make their mark in the industry.
This is because she believes that “personal branding is so incredibly important” and that “it’s what the future is” for the legal profession.
Rupasinghe stressed the significance of young lawyers establishing a personal brand that showcases their unique qualities and values, distinguishing them from their peers in a professional sense.
“Everyone who is applying for a law job has a law degree. They’ve been admitted as a lawyer. So, what makes you stand out? Is it your values, your mission?
“[These are] the questions they ask you when you go for an interview, and you’re able to show them even before the interview that you are the type of person they want,” she said.
She also highlighted the power of creating compelling and captivating profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, emphasising how they can unexpectedly lead to opportunities, as had been the case for Rupasinghe.
“There’s been so many opportunities that just from LinkedIn and personal branding on there that I have gotten that I never would have gotten if I didn’t post my ideas and post my journey on there, and this is one of them as well.
“So I definitely think it’s really important to put your face on the most accessible platform there is in the world, which is internet and social media, and also do that with integrity and ethics as well,” she said
In the ever-evolving legal landscape, Rupasinghe emphasised the importance of young lawyers remaining open-minded and adaptable, recognising the necessity of embracing change in this dynamic profession.
“One of the things is to be open-minded. In five years time, there are going to be jobs that don’t even exist now, and maybe the current jobs that we have now might not exist in five years with the rise of AI and automation and just the way that the world’s progressing,” she said.
In addition, Rupasinghe provided advice on the significance of exploring diverse pathways to acquire unique insights and skill sets beyond what the university offers.
“It’s always good to come in and explore different paths, test it out. That’s one thing that you don’t get to really do in school or even in uni too much is really test out what works for you,” she said.
