Legal Lightbulbs: Being an outsider in law and later finding your calling

In a predominantly white corporate landscape, Australia’s legal profession can be a daunting place for those who don’t necessarily fit the preconceived mould. How best, then, can one identify one’s place as a lawyer?

On this episode of Legal Lightbulbs, our hosts — Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy and Bowd chief executive Fionn Bowd — speak with lawyer turned high-performance life and business coach Rugare Gomo about his journey as a black, gay, migrant lawyer, the fronts on which he felt that he had to fight, and how and why he consciously left the law.

Rugare discusses feeling pressure from family and his community, working his way through the legal profession, the issues he felt he couldn’t ask about or discuss, making the decision to leave law and move into coaching, how all professionals can better utilise inclusive language and techniques, the pain points that lawyers have in being able to find their true callings, why mental health can be such a critical tipping point, and why lawyers mustn’t be afraid to ask tough questions of themselves.

To learn more about Fionn Bowd, click here. If you have questions you want to see answered on this show, reach out to Jerome at editor@lawyersweekly.com.au or Fionn at fionn.bowd@bowd.legal.