Protégé: What it takes for new lawyers to make it into criminal law

Outside of the unrealities played out on television screens, criminal law can be packed full of exciting cases, clients and, sometimes, court appearances – but it’s also highly competitive, so how can new lawyers make a career out of it? Protégé chats with a relatively new criminal lawyer on the pathway he took into the field. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by criminal lawyer Ben Watson to discuss his career journey into this exciting space of the legal profession. Much like many other practice areas, this meant pursuing stepping stones and alternative careers before finding the best move forward. In another episode packed full of advice for new lawyers, Ben chats about how a different career dream came first but ultimately led him to criminal law. He also discusses what soon-to-be-lawyers wanting the same career should start doing now and offers tips for law students on making it into the wide world of law. Ben also shares how a Facebook page he created turned into a useful source of information for criminal lawyers. Not only is this space an opportunity for lawyers to chat about cases and ask for advice, but it has also become a hub for a community to engage with each other, network, and share professional and personal stories. For all this and more, have a listen below! If you have any questions about the episode or if there are any topics that you might want us to look into, please reach out – we would love to hear from you! We’re also always open to new guests, so if you have an exciting story to tell, if you’re standing out as a student or graduate, or if you can offer some tips for our young lawyers, get in touch. You can reach us here:

Emails: editor@lawyersweekly.com.au or naomi.neilson@momentummedia.com.au

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