What today’s junior lawyers are no longer experiencing – and why it matters

But while this transformation has brought undeniable benefits in flexibility, efficiency, and accessibility, it has also reshaped the way junior lawyers learn, develop, and build their careers.

While these changes have delivered greater flexibility and efficiency, they have also redefined what it means to be a junior lawyer, with logging into virtual court appearances, attending client meetings online, and learning remotely becoming the new normal.

As a result, some of the profession’s most valuable learning opportunities are becoming harder to access, fundamentally changing how the next generation of lawyers develops the skills, confidence, and relationships needed to succeed.

Both Bree Knoester, principal lawyer at Brave Legal, and Caroline Tuohey, head of practice legal at Avant Law, said the profession cannot afford to ignore this shift, warning that the decline of in-person learning will have far-reaching consequences – not only for the next generation of lawyers, but for the future of the legal profession itself.

How much has changed

Among the many in-person learning experiences disappearing from the profession, Knoester believes few have been more significant than the decline of junior lawyers physically attending court, an environment that once served as one of the profession’s most valuable classrooms.

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“As much as I do try to avoid any stories that start ‘back in 2003…’, the reality is that for junior litigation lawyers, we were relied upon to regularly attend court by ourselves, and this was both an extremely social and empowering event!” Knoester said.

Reflecting on her own journey, she shared how the courtroom gave junior lawyers some of the profession’s most valuable learning experiences, helping them develop advocacy skills, build confidence, and form professional relationships in ways that simply cannot be replicated online.

“Every Friday, the court would seek an update on personal injury matters in the County Court. There, opposed to you, was your friend from Contract Law at university the year before, and then next up, you were opposed to an equally fresh and junior articled clerk from another firm in your building,” Knoester said.

“We appeared on every matter, even if just by consent, and this gave us advocacy skills and a real-life crash course in interlocutory matters as well as the foundations of a network that remains to this day.”

Importantly, Knoester described the courtroom environment as a unique training ground designed to help young practitioners grow, develop their skills, and build confidence within a supportive and “safe” space.

“Just this one experience was so foundational and also ‘safe’ as most of those who attended were of similar seniority, and the judge and tipstaff knew this and helped us learn the ropes,” Knoester said.

“We developed skills and a network – all before 11:00am on a Friday.”

Tuohey echoed this perspective, reflecting that previous generations of lawyers developed their skills through countless moments of observation, from listening to senior practitioners navigate client conversations to attending meetings and receiving feedback face-to-face.

“Our training was mainly by learning through observation. We were physically positioned near our partner’s office so we could listen to their interactions with clients, opposing solicitors, and colleagues,” Tuohey said.

“We were taken to in-person client meetings. Personal attendance was required in court. Our draft written work was returned to us in person.”

What key skills are junior lawyers missing out on?

While the benefits of technology and workplace flexibility are undeniable, the pair warned that some of the profession’s most valuable lessons are becoming increasingly difficult for junior lawyers to develop in a more virtual working environment.

For Knoester, some of the biggest changes have been the disappearance of the spontaneous conversations and informal exchanges that once shaped junior lawyers, as well as a growing hesitation to pick up the phone and engage directly with peers and opponents.

“I think regular discussions with your opponents and peers, outside of your firm, happen much less, and the thought of picking up the phone to have a without prejudice discussion or talk strategy or explain something that would otherwise be a long email, is now much more daunting as a result,” Knoester said.

She warned that the decline of direct conversations risks removing far more than simple communication, with these interactions historically helping junior lawyers understand tone, build trust with opponents, and develop the advocacy skills essential to effective legal practice.

“Actual conversations mean tone is not misconstrued, trust develops between practitioners, and you learn the style of your opponent – and your own style,” Knoester said.

“The move away from this approach means that oral advocacy skills are not growing early on, but also that you are not connecting with colleagues as efficiently and informally (even though it may be a formal conversation).”

Rather than allowing these skills to fade, Knoester encouraged junior lawyers to rediscover the value of direct conversations, arguing that a simple phone call can become the catalyst for resolving issues, identifying opportunities, and building stronger professional relationships.

“I love hearing the junior lawyers say to me, ‘I will just give them a call’ and come back after a positive experience that sees an issue minimised, an opportunity identified, and a connection with an opponent who now becomes a colleague,” Knoester said.

Beyond this, Tuohey also warned that the move towards flexible learning has come at the cost of valuable observational learning, with junior lawyers losing the chance to watch experienced practitioners make decisions, navigate complex interactions, and develop the professional instincts that are difficult to teach online.

“Seeing how senior lawyers think in real time, learning the ‘why’ behind a decision,” Tuohey said.

“Learning how to ‘read the room’ during in-person settings during client conferences, meetings with opposing solicitors and your colleagues is a really important skill that is hard to replicate online.”