Protégé: What life after law looks like

From the age of 12, Megan Patten knew she wanted to become a lawyer. However, less than two years after being admitted, she left legal practice. The realisation that she no longer wanted to be a lawyer, she says, was “like a bus hitting me”. (Content warning: this episode may be distressing for some listeners. Discretion is advised.)

Robyn Tongol • 24 August 2022 • Podcast

On this episode of the Protégé Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Australian Energy Regulator senior analyst Megan Patten about her lifelong desire to become a lawyer, the work she did once admitted, how and why she realised that she no longer wanted to work as a lawyer and the circumstances surrounding that epiphany.

Ms Patten also details prioritising her health and wellbeing during that period of vocational discovery, re-evaluating her sense of self, what she now does for work and why she finds it so rewarding, whether she has regrets about her non-linear professional trajectory, and what other young lawyers can and should take away from her experiences.

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