Law Imposter Syndrome

Do you sometimes worry that you are a law imposter, wearing a mask?

That they let you into law school or the legal profession by accident?

This is called imposter syndrome, and today I’ll discuss what it is and twelve things

you can do to fight it and remove the mask.

Also, if you stay until the end, you can learn about America’s imposter President from

a hundred years ago.

Hello lawlings, this is Professor Beau Baez

Imposter syndrome is defined as "the psychological experience of believing that one's accomplishments were not achieved through genuine ability but rather as a result of having been fortunate, having worked harder than others, or having manipulated other people's perceptions."

Taking and passing the bar exam was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever accomplished.

But for nearly twenty years, I occasionally would have this thought that the Board of

Bar Examiners made a tragic mistake and they're going to rescind my admission to the bar.

I imagined even receiving a letter telling me how sorry they were, but they had accidentally transposed

my name with someone who actually passed.

Thank God I don’t have that fear any longer.

Along this same vein, a few weeks ago some former students, now lawyers, were sharing

this exact same fear about themselves.

suffered from imposter syndrome

Here are a few other people who have suffered from imposter syndrome:

US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Albert Einstein, Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, and John Steinbeck.

Steinbeck, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 once said of himself “I am not a writer.

I’ve been fooling myself and other people.”

So if you are one of the millions of people who have imposter syndrome, here are my 12

P’s on how you can combat it.

Past.

Look back at a time when you didn’t think you could do it, but you succeeded.

Then confront your imposter thoughts with your past accomplishments.

Pause.

When you make a mistake, stop and reflect on how you can grow from the experience.

Many will dwell on the worst possible outcome, which almost never will happen and

is outside your control in any event.

Performance.

When you have self-doubts, write down the great things you have done and your failures.

If you find yourself focusing only on failures, force yourself to write down one positive

for each negative.

Then compare the two lists.

Seeing the wonderful things you’ve accomplished will help you defeat your self-doubt.

Perception.

It's critical to obtain frank input from other people.

When you ask for feedback, don’t say “Hey, how am I doing?”

That’s going to get you a “fine” or “great” response.

Instead, frame the question like this: I am trying to learn how to become a better communicator

and want to know how you perceive me in this area.

Can you tell me your thoughts on how I communicate and what I can do to be a better communicator?

This method may be applied to every aspect of your life.

Personalities.

Don’t ever forget all the successful people who have struggled with imposter syndrome.

You are in good company.

Prepare

In life we all need help, and there is no shame in seeking advice.

Find a mentor, life coach, a counselor.

Somebody to help you overcome your self-doubts.

And no need to wait till you hit rock bottom.

Start working on you now.

Pretend.

You’ve probably heard the phrase fake it until you make it.

This means trust in your abilities to get the job done, and soon you will get it done.

Progress.

The standard is not perfection, but progress.

Are you doing something that is improving your life and the life of others?

If you are, then you’re not an imposter and you are progressing in your journey.

Promises.

Don’t promise more than you can do.

Be clear about what you can do, and those things you are willing to learn to do.

You’ll find that others will let you try and provide you with the support you need

to learn a new skill.

Promote

When applying for a new job or promotion, don’t inflate what you’ve done.

Honestly and accurately share your accomplishments with others.

Not only can resume puffery come back to haunt you in the future, but it will also reinforce your

self-doubts as you create a mask to hide the real you.

We want to meet the real you.

Pronounce.

When we share our struggles and hear successful people share their imposter illusions, we

then understand we aren’t alone.

This is a common human experience.

Prospective.

When you aren’t sure if you can do something, add the word yet to it.

For example, when you start law school, say “I don’t know how to take a law school exam, yet.”

Or when looking for a job, say “I don’t know how to get a job, yet.”

Now, for today’s bonus law fact

World War I was over, and President Woodrow Wilson returned from the 1919 Paris Peace

Conference to get support for the Treaty of Versailles and his League of Nations.

But in October 1919, he had a stroke that left him largely paralyzed and bedridden.

Four years earlier, President Wilson had married Edith, a year after his first wife had died.

Edith was a wealthy widow from Virginia, and she decided to keep the extent of her husband’s

medical condition hidden from everyone, including the President’s cabinet.

She decided it was in her husband’s best interest not to resign because it would lead him into depression.

So she created a plan to mislead the American people.

She edited every medical communication, only allowing reports saying he needed rest

and would be working from his bedroom.

In Edith’s autobiography twenty years later, she referred to herself as the Presidential Steward.

During her husband’s final 17 months in office, she and the physicians were the only

people to see him.

When members of the President’s cabinet came to visit, she would ask them what they wanted,

she then went alone into the President’s bedroom, and came back later with some shaky notes,

which she claimed the President had written.

No one and nothing got past her.

In her autobiography, here is what Edith said about her Stewardship:

I made an effort to condense and provide the material to the President in tabloid form after carefully reading every item that the different Secretaries and Senators received.

I never took any actions involving the management of public affairs.

The only choices I had to make were over what to deliver to my spouse and when, as well as what was significant and what wasn't.

You might be wondering, what about legislation that needed the President’s signature?

Edith created a rubber stamp with the President’s signature, which she claims he used to sign the legislation.

But given his condition, it is unlikely that he had to ability to fully comprehend the legislation.

This has led many to claim that she, Edith Wilson, was our first female President,

or if you like, the imposter President.