With industry connections playing a far more significant role than simply expanding a LinkedIn network, Irene Kuo outlined how young lawyers can begin cultivating a professional “tribe” that supports personal growth, long-term resilience, and a sustainable career in the legal profession.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Podcast, Irene Kuo, director of prime contract management at Fluor Australia, shared practical advice for young lawyers on why starting to cultivate meaningful industry connections early in their careers can accelerate both personal development and professional growth.
In the same episode, she delved into how lawyers can gain invaluable support, perspective, and resilience by finding and nurturing their professional “tribe” within the legal industry.
For Kuo, cultivating a professional “tribe” isn’t something to be postponed or pushed down the agenda, and she stressed it should be done “immediately, if you can”.
However, as law is increasingly pursued as a postgraduate qualification and more students are entering university later in life, she noted that the opportunity to form close bonds at university has shifted significantly.
“In the first few years of university, a lot of universities now offer law as a postgraduate degree,” she said.
“When I’ve been speaking to the postgrad students, it is a lot harder to cultivate friends at the postgrad level compared to when those of us who went through law as a bachelor’s degree.
“It was a lot easier because a lot of us just came straight out of high school, and you were looking to reinvent yourself at university.”
While starting to build these relationships at university may be more challenging, Kuo emphasised that young lawyers shouldn’t be discouraged from prioritising this, stressing there is no single “right” or “wrong” time to begin cultivating a professional tribe.
“Regardless of what stage you’re at, start cultivating [relationships]. Right now, there is no good or bad time, but I would start right away,” she said.
Rather than approaching networking and industry relationships with a transactional mindset focused solely on career advancement, Kuo urged young lawyers to start inward, emphasising that the foundation of a strong professional “tribe” lies in self-reflection and authentic connections.
“Think about how your current circle or tribe makes you feel and how they help you progress as a person?” she said.
“Putting aside your career first and foremost, how do they help you as a person? Because how you respond authentically will really help you assess how you find and build your tribe in the first instance.”
Kuo explained that building a professional “tribe” begins with honestly reflecting on past relationships, considering the types of friends and communities you have gravitated towards and whether those connections were truly supportive.
“You really need to start doing your own self-reflection as to the types of friends that you’ve gravitated towards in the past, where has your circle of friends and tribes been in the past? Has that really helped you bring yourself out? Are you able to be your authentic self in front of these kinds of people?” she said.
“Asking those questions can then help you sort of narrow down the types of people you were looking for.”
Importantly, she cautioned against treating this process as a checklist or formula, emphasising the value of developing self-awareness and observing how different environments and relationships impact you, both personally and professionally.
“Ultimately, I think it’s less about creating a list per se. It’s not quite a checklist. It is mainly about being more in tune and self-aware of how you respond to people when they [are] both in the work setting and also in your personal setting,” she said.
