​You got to have a dream,
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?
–Rodgers and Hammerstein, South Pacific

The Early Vision

For many legal professionals, the dream was clear and ambitious from the outset.
Maybe it was the courtroom drama, the intellectual rigour, the chance to shape justice, or — let’s be honest — the prestige. Law school was the first step, followed by clerkships, grad programs, and the relentless pursuit of experience and credibility.

At the beginning, most lawyers don’t imagine themselves settling. They imagine themselves rising — to Senior Associate, to Partner, to General Counsel. They imagine impact. Influence. Autonomy.

But somewhere along the way, many of us quietly shift from striving to staying put.

The Quiet Compromise

Settling in law rarely looks dramatic. It doesn’t involve walking away or giving up. It’s subtler. It’s staying at a firm that doesn’t challenge or value you. It’s shelving that long-held idea to start your own practice. It’s deciding that commercial law was ‘fine’, even though your heart was in social justice, or IP, or the arts.

We learn to settle when we internalise that the dream — the one we whispered to ourselves during PLT or articling — is somehow unrealistic, immature, or selfish.

But is it?

The Profession Normalises Plateauing

The legal profession, especially in Australia, prizes stability. There’s a badge of honour in sticking it out. Jumping firms too often raises eyebrows. Not wanting to be Partner? That gets quiet pity.

As a result, lawyers learn to measure their worth in years served, not in meaning found.

The questions become:

• “How close am I to equity?”

• “What’s my billables-to-hours ratio this quarter?”

• “Can I survive another six months under this Partner?”

Not:

• “Am I still learning?”

• “Is this still what I want?”

• “What would my younger self think?”

When Reality and Ambition Collide

This isn’t about encouraging reckless career pivots. Law is a profession that demands patience, resilience, and respect for the long game.

But many lawyers hit their mid-30s to early 40s with an unspoken question: “Is this it?”

They've ticked the boxes. Made the money. Maybe even made Partner. And yet, something’s off. The dream feels… misaligned. And the longer you've been in practice, the harder it feels to change course without sacrificing everything you've built.

Reawakening the Dream — Responsibly

So what if you didn't settle? Not in a dramatic “burn it all down” kind of way — but in a thoughtful, recalibrated, professional way.

For legal professionals, that might mean:

• Moving into a niche area of practice that aligns with your values

• Stepping out of private practice into an in-house or government role

• Starting your own boutique firm with a modern, human-centric culture

• Returning to academia or mentoring the next generation

• Rebalancing life to include the personal passions law once eclipsed

Final Thoughts: Permission to Want More

To settle is not always to fail — but to settle without conscious choice is a quiet tragedy. As lawyers, we’re trained to analyse, challenge, and question — but we often forget to apply that same rigour to our own careers.

You got to have a dream. Not just at 22 in your first suit, but at 42 when your definition of success has evolved. Because dreams don’t end with admission to the bar — they begin again with each brave decision you make.

And if you don’t have a dream...
How you gonna have a dream come true?