CMCP Diversity Matters - January/February 2019

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KICK OUT THE IMPOSTER: HOW YOUNG OR DIVERSE ATTORNEYS CAN OVERCOME THE IMPOSTER SYNDROME BY NATASSIA KWAN ASSOCIATE, GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP You’re in a crowded courtroom filled with other attorneys, and you realize you are surrounded by senior partners and seasoned attorneys with decades of experience in your practice area. What’s worse, none of these other attorneys around you “look like you.” You’re asked to stand and announce yourself to the judge and court reporter. As you stand and find your voice, you can’t help but feel like an imposter: do I belong here? Is this really happening? If you’re a young lawyer, or a diverse attorney, you’re not alone. The “imposter syndrome” has been called a secret 20 | CMCP Diversity Matters
compliments, women or minorities will deflect and say they “got lucky” or even point to what they could have done better, instead of simply saying thank you or owning the praise. In my experience as a Chinese American, graciously receiving praise is surprisingly difficult because many Asian cultures emphasize humility. But owning your accomplishments will help you internalize your own abilities and strengths. Deflecting praise and writing it off as “luck” reinforces feelings that you don’t belong and aren’t worthy of praise. Consider instead keeping an electronic or physical folder where you store the praise you receive for work you did, and revisit it periodically to remember the good work you have done recently and the praise you received for projects you worked hard to complete. epidemic in the legal profession, and describes the experience of highachieving individuals who feel fraudulent, and have difficulty internalizing their success and achievements. (Oregon State Bar Bulletin 36, Sept. 2017). This is a common phenomenon among women and diverse attorneys, as well as young new attorneys. Differing in any way from your peers - whether by race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or some other characteristic – can fuel the sense of being a fraud. How can we shake that imposter feeling that sneaks into our subconscious? I offer four suggestions. Don’t deflect praise, embrace it: Studies have shown that when receiving If you’re there, you deserve a seat at the table: Women and minorities often feel they need to “work harder” than their counterparts to fit in or prove their capabilities. That mentality can become a hindrance because they feel as though their efforts will never be enough to show that they truly belong. Those feelings may be deep-rooted in our upbringing, if in fact we did have to work harder, more hours, and later nights to get to the same point that our counterparts did. However, find comfort in the fact that if you are called into an important meeting, asked to go to court, or are accepted to work at your law firm, then you are worthy of a seat at the table. You earned that spot and are valued as a contributor, or you wouldn’t have been asked to take on that role, right? Resist the urge to compare Continued on next page... January/February 2019 | 21
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CMCP Diversity Matters - January/February 2019

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