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Top 10 episodes for students and new lawyers in 2024
Check out the 10 podcast episodes that grabbed the most attention from Australia’s law students, graduates, and junior practitioners in the past year.
Lawyers Weekly
10. Protégé: Law is for everyone
As a lawyer and veterinary nurse, Michelle Neil is dedicated to serving the community around her. Having experienced significant hardship in her early life but then finding the right support systems, hearing others’ stories, and ultimately being able to share her own helped her realise that the legal profession is open to anyone who wants to help others.
(Content warning: This episode contains content that may be disturbing or distressing to some listeners. Discretion is advised.)
9. Protégé: ‘We all need to back ourselves’
Right out of high school, Vicky Martin worked as an office junior in a law firm, doing all manner of tasks, including emptying ashtrays and taking the boss’ clothing to the dry cleaners. She ultimately got admitted as a practitioner at the age of 50 and was recently promoted to special counsel. Here, she reflects on her uncommon journey, including going in and out of the legal profession, and what the emerging generation can learn from her experiences.
8. Protégé: Becoming commercially minded
Understanding the needs of the business you work for, and becoming more than simply a legal practitioner, is essential for any junior lawyer looking to rise through the ranks.
7. Protégé: The 3 types of relationships you need to succeed
Having reflected on the relationships in her personal and professional life that have helped her feel “most secure, supported, and passionate”, Giovanna Bongiorno has advice for the next generation of lawyers on whom they need to invest time in so as to thrive.
As next-generation professionals enter the workforce at a time of monumental technological and professional change, lawyers coming through the ranks not only have an opportunity to think outside the box and be more creative in crafting a vocational path – but they arguably have a duty to do so.
Down periods in his career have presented personal and professional challenges, but what those periods have taught Peter Muzariri is that “fundamentally, everything is going to be OK”. Here, he unpacks navigating times of hardship, how to move forward as a young practitioner, and meaningfully chasing one’s goals.
4. Protégé: ‘Believe you can do hard things’
Having faced significant health issues in recent years, award-nominated young lawyer Melissa Arndell has learnt how critical it is to slow down, take stock, live one’s values, and believe in one’s abilities as a professional.
3. Protégé: Trial and error and crafting your career path
Very few students and new lawyers are crystal clear on what they want to do for the entirety of their careers. Putting one’s self out there and experimenting with different options not only helps one discover different vocational pathways but also gives one a better sense of self and purpose for a legal career.
2. Protégé: Running a fashion label as a law grad
Mariah Saad wears multiple professional hats: she is both a graduate trademark lawyer and founder of a loungewear fashion brand, LONELY IS MY HAPPY. Pursuing both pathways, she says, makes her a better and more rounded professional.
1. Protégé: ‘There are so many hidden opportunities in the market’
Law students – especially those unsure about what they want from their careers – should proactively seek as much diverse experience as they can. As Hayden McLoughlin has discovered from working in-house, one will be much better placed from having taken up such opportunities.
