9 Tips to Succeed as a Woman in Law

If 2017 was the year of women in legal tech, three months into 2018 there is no slowdown in sight. In fact, yesterday’s inspiring Ignite Talks at the ABA Center for Innovation-organized LegalXX event, organized by the amazing Sarah Glassmeyer, proved that we are doubling down on women leading the way forward in law.

Today, on International Women’s Day, we’re inspired by these 9 crowdsourced tips for how to make a splash as a woman in law:

1. Focus on people and processes, then product. Before you build a product, you have to acknowledge people and processes affected by the problem. If you’re not getting their buy-in and input along the way, and ensuring they have access to it once released, it’s not going to be helpful.
   — Irene Mo, NextGen Fellow at the ABA Center for Innovation
2. Make your expertise your competitive advantage. Your insights and experiences are unique to you, so be sure to share your knowledge with others and educate them. Occasionally, you may have to put your foot down on important decisions, but that will serve to recommit your purpose and knowledge.
   — Stephanie Solera, Chief of Staff at Rise Interactive
3. Kick imposter syndrome to the curb. Why is it that men seem so confident while women tend to question themselves? Realizing that confidence ≠ competence and that experience ≠ ability is key to feeling less intimidated. Push back and ask questions of others to get the root of their analyses.
   — Kelly Marsh, Product Owner/Consultant at LexPredict
4. Take responsibility for your career. Constantly make precise career goals and follow through ‘with focus, efficiency, and self-reflection’. Push yourself and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. The more uncomfortable you are, the more comfortable you are with being uncomfortable, right?
   — Chandra Critchelow, Associate at Mayer Brown
5. Lead by example. There’s no substitute for hard work, and practically speaking, bringing in clients will give you power and influence to usher in change. Use that power to surround yourself with others who share and promote diverse values, find allies to support inclusion, and seize opportunities to educate others.
   — Megan Lopp Mathis, Partner at Stahl Cowen Crowley Addis LLC
6. Don’t be afraid to self-promote. You’ve worked incredibly hard to get to where you are and are already making change in your workplace. You deserve to be recognized, so embrace it and be proud!
   — Olivia Luk Bedi, Partner at Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
7. Support women in legal tech programs. Women are still underrepresented in legal tech programs increasingly offered by law schools and related organizations. As a community, we should be making a concerted effort to raise awareness of these programs among junior lawyers and law students, promote each other for speaking engagements, and recognize each other as experts.
   — Faye Jones, Professor at University of Illinois College of Law
8. Be encouraged by our impact! Women-led organizations like the team at Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) are making incredible strides in automating justice and legal education. For example, between just two states, IL and NY, the CALI team has served over 250,000 individuals in need through their A2J guided interviews. Within CALI, women write more projects than men, and that is only growing!
   — Deb Quentel, Director of Curriculum Development & Associate Counsel, and Jessica Frank, A2J Author Project Manager
9. Allow yourself to be empowered, and empower others. Realize that this is not about competition, but collaboration. “There is enough space in this tower. Let your success and nurturing inspire this day (and every day).”
   — Helen Bukulmez, Director of Engagement and Corporate Counsel at ConsultWebs

Happy International Women’s Day to all the women in law out there — onwards and upwards!