Overcoming Impostor Syndrome: Practical Tips for Lawyers and Law Firms

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From first-year associates to senior partners, many lawyers feel like frauds.

It doesn’t help that we tend to be high-achieving perfectionists. Even worse, we’ve chosen a profession with an unbelievably demanding culture that can easily amplify our destructive thoughts.

In this post, you can read tips on how both individual lawyers and their firms can help address the challenges posed by impostor syndrome.

For Individual Lawyers: Building Resilience

  1. Challenge Your Inner Critic
    Since lawyers are annoyingly awesome at crafting arguments, why not use this skill to counter your self-doubt? For example, you can boost your self-esteem by simply keeping a record of your accomplishments, praise from clients, and the rare positive feedback of colleagues. When impostor syndrome is kicking your ass, you can revisit this record to disprove your bizarre thoughts.

  2. Shift from Perfectionism to Growth

    When lawyers pursue perfectionism, they set themselves up for failure by creating unattainable standards. To escape this trap, switch to a growth mindset: view mistakes as opportunities to learn rather than as proof of inadequacy. For example, you can try the following techniques:

    • Practice "self-compassion" by treating yourself with the kindness you'd show a struggling colleague.

    • Use exercises like writing yourself a supportive letter to re-frame setbacks as part of the learning process.

  3. Engage in Mindfulness

    I find mindfulness to be an awesome tool for resetting my brain, bringing reduced stress and improved self-awareness. If you find yourself panicking from impostor thoughts, try resetting your brain to normal with simple techniques like focusing on your breath.

For Law Firms: Creating Supportive Cultures

  1. Normalize Conversations about Impostor Syndrome
    Since most of your lawyers are struggling with productivity due to impostor syndrome, why not attack this problem by encouraging open discussions about self-doubt in training sessions, meetings, or wellness initiatives? It will be hard for them to maintain their impostor fears when they realize that they are not alone.

  2. Redefine Success Metrics

    You are leading your lawyers into the perfectionism trap when you only focus on traditional success metrics (e.g. hours billed, client wins, rankings). Why not also introduce and reward healthier metrics focusing on collaboration and personal growth?

  3. Provide Tools for Personal Development
    Last, but not least, don’t assume that lawyers should make time to solve their own problems. (That approach never works.) Instead, be proactive by setting up for them AND encouraging them to take advantage of firm resources like coaching, mindfulness workshops, or training on managing perfectionism.