By boldly challenging the traditional path and defining success for herself, Rachael Karlyl revealed how purpose-driven career design has made her both a stronger, happier, and more inspiring legal leader.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, Rachael Karlyl, Australian Public Service principal legal officer, reflected on how designing a purpose-driven career has not only reshaped her journey as a lawyer but also enriched her personal life.
In the same episode, she argued that lawyers need to take a more deliberate approach to designing their careers – so that success is measured on their own terms, not by inherited expectations.
Rather than conforming to the traditional image of success in law – defined by long hours, high stress, and rigid career paths – Karlyl shared how she has flipped the script, building a career that truly reflects her values and aspirations.
“Designing [your career] essentially is setting yourself up for success, but for your personal success as opposed to someone else’s version of that,” she said.
By actively taking ownership of her career, Karlyl explained, she has become a stronger, more capable leader, navigating the challenges of the legal profession with greater resilience and confidence.
“I’m a better leader in the legal industry and particularly for my team. I think things that used to bother me as a more junior lawyer don’t bother me anymore,” she said.
“My capability and ability to deal with stress, and of course, I still get stressed out, there are some big things that happen in litigation land, but I have a better capacity to be able to handle things, and I have a better capacity to do that for my team as well.”
She explained that adopting this purpose-driven approach to her career has helped her become more embracing and welcoming of fresh ideas and perspectives.
“I’m more open to feedback, more open to ideas, more open to having conversations around what we could do as opposed to what we’ve always done,” she said.
Karlyl explained that adapting her leadership approach has sparked more transparent and meaningful conversations with her colleagues, opening up discussions on mental health, career goals, and other topics that have long been challenging to address in law firms.
“I have very open conversations with my team about mental health, about what’s going on with them, about these flexible work arrangements that we keep on talking about that everyone wants, but no one really knows how to discuss,” she said.
“We’re able to have very open conversations. We’re creating a different dialogue with each other and changing the narrative on the way in which we practice.”
For those hesitant to challenge the traditional notion of success in the legal profession and build a career aligned with their own values, Karlyl emphasised the importance of understanding the root of that resistance.
“When people are resistant, I think the question is why. Why are you resistant? Are you resistant because you’re scared? Are you resistant because you genuinely cannot think of anything else that you would rather do with your life?” she said.
“The why behind whatever is stopping you from doing the thing or considering your next version or considering changing roles or changing industries or changing just the area of law or the way in which you practice law, once you know what that ‘why’ is, you’ll kind of understand what’s stopping you.”
