I was a junior lawyer at the time, as I followed Robert McGirr, my supervising partner, into a client strategy meeting. I knew this case back to front. But as a junior, I wouldn’t have put my hand up to lead the meeting.

As we all shuffled into the room, I sat down ready to take notes. Robert stood at the head of the table and said: “I’m delighted to introduce you to Danielle,” then turned and pointed at me, “once you meet her, you won’t want to deal with me anymore.”

At first, I thought it was a joke. But it wasn’t. It was an endorsement of trust, in front of a valued client.

As I look back, I realise just how much of a profound impact this simple gesture had on me and my career as a lawyer: it made me believe in myself.

It changed the way I thought about what it means to mentor someone, and to be mentored.

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In law, where juniors may sometimes battle imposter syndrome, lack of purpose and burnout, you will meet hundreds of people a few of which will make all the difference.

One of the first mediations I ever attended was a defamation case between two well-known doctors. It was an ugly dynamic and the defamatory publications against our client had become racial in nature, so as you can imagine the impact was deeply personal.

I remember on the day of the mediation the tension in the room was palpable. The senior mediator from the Bar walked in composed and said something I’ll never forget: “We need to leave our egos at the door.” Her tone and use of words were so purposeful for a defamation case of that nature.

I watched as she worked all day to bring them both together. Their positions were opposed and the back and forth was full of emotion. I didn’t think the matter would settle, however in the end she managed to bring it to resolution.

But the moment that stayed with me from that mediation was after the terms of settlement were signed. The doctor who had published the defamatory material asked to speak to our client privately, without any lawyers or the mediator. We all left the room. When we came back, they were still talking and then they hugged. The sharp contrast from the morning hit me.

I remember looking over at the mediator and thinking: That’s the kind of lawyer I want to be.

As a junior, you can discover who you want to be in moments like that. By watching the best of our profession in action and finding what really connects with you.

Because the truth is, early in your career, you can feel like others are making the decisions for you. You sit in meetings, taking notes in silence, hoping your work will be recognised. You assume that if you’re meant to be in the room, someone will ask you in.

But that rarely happens.

Sometimes positive steps forward in your career as a lawyer can come from experiences that do not stand out to you all that much.

I began my career acting for insurers in defence of professional indemnity claims which required me to review insurance policies, learn about the particular discipline the professional was acting in and what led to the claim and then determine how to defend that professional. I got very good at it.

But the more of that work I did, the more I started to realise I was not just defending professionals, I was also helping their insurer minimise payouts to people who often deserved payouts in cases where liability was clear and negligence had occurred.

I realised I wanted to use my skills as a lawyer to help people on the other side who were opposed to the large insurer, especially given I had learnt how insurers worked and how they approached claims to reduce their exposure.

It was through doing the work that I didn’t love, to find the work that I did.

When I was working as an associate years ago, I spent weeks working on a case, fact checking, analysing thousands of documents, preparing chronologies and summaries. Come mediation day, even though I knew the case back to front, I was told by the partner: “You can attend, but you won’t be speaking, I will run the mediation.”

I sat silently at the mediation after all my hard work and watched quietly as my senior took the lead. I wasn’t asked any questions during the mediation. At the time, I understood being denied the ability to lead the mediation but it still felt like a missed opportunity for me to offer my knowledge given I knew it was well. But again, it was through a negative experience that allowed me to have a positive one.

It’s amazing how these things come full circle.

A few weeks ago, we had a clash of court dates. I was scheduled to appear in a high-stakes insurance dispute, but I also had another client commitment.

One of our associates had been working that insurance case closely, he knew the evidence, the strategy, the policy wording better than anyone. He was nervous. But he was ready.

As a managing partner, the more our team grows, the more I realise being the most senior person in the room doesn’t mean answering all the questions, it means providing opportunities for others.

Sometimes that means stepping back as we do in strategy and asking: What does this person bring that could benefit the matter, can we help them step out of their comfort zone and grow a little on this one?

Every lawyer can bring a different strength to the team: a sharpness with questioning, an eye for detail, or the ability to immediately connect with a client.

So, for the junior lawyers reading this, here is what I wish I knew as a junior lawyer:

• Seek out people you’d be proud to become. The right mentor won’t just teach you the law, they’ll champion for you, challenge you and help you become the best lawyer you can be.

• If you are unsure about an aspect of your work, ask questions: remember the best top lawyers were once juniors who asked questions.

• Let the work shape you, then choose what you want to stand for. Let the parts of your job that you connect with become your compass.

• Don’t see every missed opportunity as a setback. Some of my biggest career insights came from moments I thought were failures.

• Be patient. A career is built in moments that accumulate over years.

• And for the senior lawyers reading this who want to do more to develop junior lawyers:

• Ask them what they enjoy doing, what they aspire to do at this point in their career, and look for opportunities to make them happen.

• When working on a matter ask them for their input, thoughts, insights: the angles they can provide might surprise you.

• Look for opportunities to challenge them: Let them lead something, start small. Give them roles that stretch their capabilities.

Be the senior lawyer you wish you had when you started. Because one day, they’ll remember you and do the same for someone else.

Danielle Snell is the managing partner of Elit Lawyers by McGirr & Snell. In 2023, she won the Managing Partner of the Year category at the 2023 Australian Law Awards.

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