Advice To My Younger Self
M&A partner Melissa Fogarty has divided her career between her hometown of Melbourne and the UK, eventually settling in London. She talks about making the most of setbacks and doing the work of building a career.
When I moved from Melbourne to London to settle here permanently, the timing wasn’t great from a career perspective. I was an experienced associate, it was midway through the financial crisis and the law firm recruitment market had dried up. Also, I hadn’t followed a straight path to partnership – I’d flip-flopped once before between Melbourne and London when family circumstances called for me to be closer to home. The odds were against me.
Looking back on that time now, I realize that in some ways it helped me become more focused on achieving the goal of partnership. I became much more determined and more honest with myself and others about my aspirations to become a partner. Sometimes setbacks can prove to be very positive in the long run.
