Walking away from this week’s conversation I have a new theory:
If time-machines existed, a lot of attorneys would still be trying their first case.
We’ve talked before about how perfectionism runs deep in the legal profession, but the concept of Anxious Advocacy as a root cause for this trait is something I hadn’t run across until preparing for this latest episode.
It’s also the reason for my time-machine theory.
No matter if you win or lose, as a trial attorney, you are always doing a post-mortem on a case.
Why didn’t something work?
What can be done better?
What did we miss?
And while those are valuable questions to ask, all attorneys, but especially young attorneys, can get so worried about what they might do wrong that they suddenly believe they can’t do ANYTHING right.
And while these are my words, not her’s, I think Anxious Advocacy might best be described as a self-induced imposter syndrome.
To talk about this and a whole lot more, I’m joined this week by Renée Pardo.
A practicing attorney with over 25 years of trial experience in both the public and private sectors, she has been an Assistant District Attorney in both Texas and New York.
And as of February 2024, she is also the founder of Renée Pardo Coaching which provides coaching for attorneys, particularly women, struggling with anxious advocacy, helping them to navigate new spaces and advocate for themselves.
We talk about the challenges (both old and new) faced by women in the law, Renée’s skeptical embrace of self-improvement models, and why lawyers in particular seem to fall for the illusion of control.
Enjoy the Show