Protégé: Overcoming the struggle of making professional connections

Despite the legal profession’s strong emphasis on professional connections, many law students and young lawyers struggle to establish them early in their careers, often hindering their ability to enter the field. Here, a new firm owner shares her personal journey, detailing how she overcame these obstacles through determination, resilience, and a strong sense of purpose. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Grace Robbie speaks with Selina Nikoloudakis, the principal of Divorce Legal, about her challenging journey in securing employment within the profession by not having industry connections, how she ultimately broke into the field with the support of a former university tutor, the crucial role of a strong support network had on her to maintaining motivation and perseverance, and how her deep commitment to helping others gave her the resilience to keep fighting her way into the profession.

Nikoloudakis also outlines the key steps and strategies she employed to start building her professional network, reveals the value of maintaining connections with former university tutors, explores the ongoing challenges law students and young lawyers face in building these essential relationships early in their careers, highlights what more universities should be doing to support their students in this process, and offers insightful guidance and encouragement for those encountering similar obstacles, urging them to remain persistent, stay committed to their goals, and continue striving for success.