Often, junior lawyers lack autonomy, Ms Gong noted. “We may feel that our diaries are filled with whatever is important to our supervisor or senior partners,” she said.

But actively thinking about how you want to craft your career will mean that you ultimately lead a more fulfilling and happier practice, she explained.

“Take the driving seat in deciding where you want your career to go,” she stated; take it as a chance to explore the opportunities you’ve always been curious about.

“Advocating for your career progression means being your biggest hype person.”

Many lawyers have the personality trait of perfectionism, for which one of the biggest hurdles is the fear of rejection; this can make it difficult to ask to engage in certain opportunities, or in asking for support, she explained. 

“But I urge you to ask yourself: ‘What’s the absolute worst that can happen?’

“The absolute worst is that someone says no, but they then understand your passion or where you want to go.

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“They might then keep an eye out for opportunities to connect to you later,” she noted. 

“A part of this is recognising and reframing fear and rejection as an opportunity to expand your learning zone, your growth.” 

Ms Gong detailed how her openness to failure has developed, likely due to her chemistry background — “it’s all about experiments — you create a hypothesis, try it out, get it wrong, and go back to the drawing board”.

It’s very much about trial and error, she pointed out, explaining that this has developed a certain mentality around failure for her — “while you may not succeed, you learn a lot regardless of the outcome”.

“You just need to keep exploring your options, keep working for it. Rejections can be a good thing,” she explained. “There are incidental opportunities that come from rejection.”

Ms Gong spent five months writing a 10,000-word essay on the right to repair, for a scholarship application, reading many submissions while creating the essay.

Whilst she was unsuccessful in receiving the scholarship, she ended up receiving ongoing opportunities. She was invited to discuss her work at conferences and was often considered for clients with issues touching on right-to-repair-related issues. 

She gained the opportunity to write academically because the partner she was working with at the time recognised her ability to dedicate long periods of time to work and home in on specific areas. 

And don’t hesitate to seek the support you need, Ms Gong advised: “Just reach out. Again — what’s the worst that can happen?”