Why law graduates who voice their goals get ahead faster

In the same episode, she delved into the often-overlooked power of saying yes to every opportunity as a young lawyer and how embracing these chances can accelerate the growth of your legal career.

One of the key benefits Thurtell identified is that setting clear goals enables lawyers to act with intention, sharpening their sense of purpose and direction rather than drifting through the early stages of practice without clarity.

“I think it’s important. Firstly, for yourself, so you can kind of have a bit of an idea of the path that you want to take and so that your actions are intentional, and you’re thinking about what’s next and why and the purpose behind what you’re doing,” she said.

Reflecting on her career journey, she said having a clear sense of ambition and long-term direction played a defining role in the decisions she made, helping her deliberately choose pathways that ultimately positioned her to achieve her goals.

“It would have been an easier path for me to stay at Moray & Agnew, for instance, and continue just doing life insurance and developing those relationships,” she said.

“But I knew that I wanted to be a partner, and I knew that there was already a partner in the city practice that I was working for, and there’s only so much work available. So I knew that there was an offer kind of down the track for me to become a partner.”

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Another key benefit of having this clear sense of intention, Thurtell explained, is the ability to draw on the guidance of others, allowing mentors and colleagues to support your development and help keep you on the right path – something she acknowledged as a pivotal part of her growth during her rotations.

“I was lucky enough as a grad that I really saw my first rotation was in the insurance team, and I wanted to stay, and I knew people [who] had stayed in their first rotation and not continue on to another rotation,” she said.

“I said that to my partner, I want to stay. And she said, I want you to stay too, but for you, I think it’s best that you go and do another rotation because you will come back a better lawyer if you have that experience.

“I didn’t enjoy my second rotation, to be honest, but it cemented what I wanted to do in my mind, and it also gave me an experience. I ended up on a second on that rotation, probably working the hardest I’ve ever worked on.”

She added that being transparent about her ambition to become a partner from the outset fundamentally shaped the support she received, with senior colleagues actively helping her build the networks and exposure needed to progress.

“At the beginning, pretty much everyone knew that I wanted to be a partner from the get-go. There was no secret,” she said.

“So it meant that those around me could really help me succeed, and they could introduce me to people, and they could have me front and centre because that was to help me obtain those relationships, so that would help me succeed one day.”

When it comes to structuring career goals, Thurtell emphasised the importance of balancing long-term ambitions with shorter-term objectives, noting that this approach helps translate big-picture aspirations into practical, achievable steps.

“Probably take a longer-term goal like I did and also some shorter-term goals. So you might have goals for the next year, which might be I’d really like to work for this client or I’d like to do this type of manner or I’d like to work for this partner,” she said.

“You can express those at the same time as you express your longer-term goals, so that your short-term goals might not match up with your longer-term goals.”

Ultimately, she stressed that clarity and openness are essential because, without them, senior lawyers and mentors are unable to provide the tailored guidance and opportunities that can meaningfully accelerate a young lawyer’s development.

“Unless you are, no one’s going to know how to help you … so whatever those goals are, put them down, what’s the harm?” she said.