Imposter Syndrome: The Legal Profession’s Hidden Epidemic (OnDemand)
Originally held on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Program Fee:
OnDemand: $29 for Members | $79 for Nonmembers
Members who are Recent Law Graduates, Newly Admitted Lawyers (admitted for the first time in any state or country 2019-2021), In-House/Corporate Counsel, Judges, and attorneys that practice within the Government, Academic or Not-for-Profit sectors attend this program for free.
CLE Credit:
New York: 1.5 Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias
New Jersey: 1.5 General
California: 1.0 General
Pennsylvania: 1.0 General
Newly admitted New York attorneys (attorneys
admitted to the New York State Bar for two years or less) cannot earn
CLE credit in the category of Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of
Bias.
Description:
Imposter syndrome is an individual’s belief of inadequacy that persists
in the face of information indicating the opposite is true. The
phenomenon is experienced as chronic self-doubt and feelings of
intellectual fraud. People of color, women, immigrants, and
first-generation college graduates (groups that are significantly
underrepresented in law firm partnerships, judiciary, and amongst
attorney practice generally) may all be haunted by imposter syndrome—the
idea that their success is an accident and that it is merely a matter
of time before they are exposed. Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez
utilized the term in a recent The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast when
describing her initial feelings after being sworn in and her struggle to
acclimate herself to her new position. Imposter syndrome is
particularly prevalent in industries whose management and leaders are
dominated by white men, such as the law. The effects of unconscious
bias, micro aggressions, and “the old boys network,” contribute to
minorities feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome. This program
will assist attorneys to (1) better understand the psychological
underpinnings of imposter syndrome; (2) recognize and address the
symptoms that feed imposter syndrome; (3) assess the pitfalls caused by
imposter syndrome (i.e. second-guessing) in the law firm social
structure and legal guidance, and (4) establish concrete steps and
methods to overcome the self-doubt caused by imposter syndrome to
strengthen the legal work and law firm status of unrepresented groups.
Specifically, the goals of the CLE are to:
- Discuss the psychological root cause for imposter syndrome,
including why marginalized populations tend to experience the phenomenon
at greater incidence, and how this manifests in the legal world and
particularly in law firms
- Assess the damaging impact of imposter syndrome to attorney work product, trustworthiness, and leadership
- Provide techniques that marginalized attorney groups, such as
women and people of color, can utilize to detect and overcome symptoms
of imposter syndrome
- Equip attorney mentors and practice group leaders with an
understanding of imposter syndrome, the ability to see symptoms, and the
tools to address the phenomenon to reverse the troubling trends of
minority lawyer attrition/under performance
Click Here to View Program Agenda & Faculty
Program Chair & Moderator:
Sumeet H. Chugani, Deputy General Counsel, First Vice President, Apple Bank
Sponsoring Association Committees:
Minorities in the Courts, Christine Alexandria Rodriguez, Chair
Minorities in the Profession, Jonathan Waldauer and Johan Tatoy, Co-Chairs