Banishing Imposter Syndrome Masterclass with AIPLA’s Women In IP

Banishing Imposter Syndrome Masterclass with AIPLA’s Women In IP

Last week our Head of Social Media Carys Bello went to the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Women in IP Global Networking Event hosted by Lucy Coe and Victoria Coleman at Mewburn Ellis LLP’s Manchester office. The event then took part in a masterclass about alleviating imposter syndrome and empowering confidence by a certified and ICF–accredited Coach from Stretching the City.

Carys Bello shares some key elements she learnt from the master class on imposter syndrome…

What is Imposter Syndrome?

There are many ways to define what imposter syndrome actually is but according to Stretching the City, imposter syndrome’s main factors are feeling an “inability to internalise accomplishments” and holding the belief that “success came about through chance, charm, connections or luck”. Imposter syndrome typically occurs when facing new challenges, entering a new role, and during times of transition – either job specific or other key roles such as relationships or parenting. Stretching the City also pointed out that it can likely occur “when we are not representative of our peers or colleagues in: education, race, background, style or diversity.”

The outcomes of Imposter Syndrome

Stretching the City named seven different outcomes we are more likely to experience if we suffer from imposter syndrome:

• Not speak up
• Not go after big opportunities
• Feel insecure about our abilities
• Attribute successes to others
• Be overlooked
• Miss out on earning more money
• Never develop our full potential

We then explored the five susceptible personality traits of people that make them more likely to suffer from imposter syndrome, and some helpful mantras to tackle each trait.

• The Perfectionist “My worth is not connected to the quality of my work.”
• The Natural Genius “My worth is not determined by how smart I am.”
• The Expert “My worth is not determined by how much I know.”
• The Individualist and The Superwoman “Just because I can do it, doesn’t mean I have to.

Women and Imposter Syndrome

Stretching the City revealed that women are more susceptible to imposter syndrome for a number of reasons, including:

• Cultural conditioning
• Challenges of praise and perfectionism
• Hormones

“The Hewlett Packard study unearthed that: Women applied for roles, far less often and only when they felt like they fit 100% of the qualifications. Conversely, men applied if they fit only 50–60% of the qualifications. They were comfortable that they could just learn on the job.”

Here are 3 methods that Stretching the City shared to banish imposter syndrome.

1. Ask five people

Ask people whose opinion you value.

• What one word or phrase best describes me?
• What do you think is my greatest achievement?
• What do you value most about me?
• What one thing could I change for my own benefit?
• What do you believe to be my greatest strength?
• When I am at my best, what do you see me doing?

When you get the answers, take some time to reflect.

• • What themes do you notice?
• • What about the responses surprised you?
• • What makes you feel good?
• • What can you take and internalise as evidence of your capability?

2. Change your inner voice

Start speaking differently to and about yourself.

• My greatest achievement is...
• My greatest strength is...

3. Log your successes

• Keep a log of all your ongoing and everyday achievements and wins, big or small. This will help you look back with a healthy sense of pride.
• Don’t wait for others to acknowledge you. This can also help you better understand your skills, and what type of work you most enjoy.

By doing the above, your body releases endorphins that reinforce a feeling of competence

Who would you be without your imposter syndrome?

Carys Bello

IP Inclusive AGM Roundup

IP Inclusive AGM Roundup

Fellows and Associates has been a keen member and participant of the IP Inclusive community since the early days of its conception; attending many of their networking events both virtually and in person, contributing articles to their website and even sitting on their Advisory Board. The initiative is an award-winning network of IP professionals working together to make the community more inclusive, diverse, open and fair. We recently had the pleasure of attending their AGM discussing updates and achievements over the past year and participating in breakout sessions highlighting areas further focus was needed in the coming year.

The meeting began with a brief overview of the year by Andrea Brewster, including the expansion of the executive team, the pending appointment of four new members, and the successful introduction of an intern – something they’re looking to continue with again this year. The year has also seen the establishment of some exciting new additions to the IP Inclusive tool belt including:

• Inclusivity Unlocked!, a scheme offering events and resources focused on workplace inclusivity following Covid-19 lockdowns
• The Careers in Ideas Summer of IP campaign, hosting a variety of events and opportunities over Summer 2023 for individuals to experience what a career in IP might look like
• A new community for menopause support established late last year under the Inclusivity Unlocked! banner
• Further focus and resources assigned to how the initiative can impact and help other non-fee earner members of the community such as IP paralegals

We then heard from each of the IP Inclusive communities, offering an insight into the fantastic work each group has achieved over the past year.

IP & Me

Monifa Phillips and Josh McLennon covered the year’s updates, having really invested in breathing life back into the group, with new roles established, new members joining and a series of successful events including a coffee morning series – the next one being on Friday 12^th May.

IP Ability

It’s been an incredibly busy year for IP Ability with webinars, collaborating on events with other IP Inclusive communities, and writing articles on compelling and important subjects. The group also challenged the current EQE structure, proposing changes and pushing for candidates to sit their exams in a more enjoyable setting. The work received a really encouraging and positive response, which is fantastic news for those preparing for their exams in the coming future. Upcoming events will hopefully include arranging a series of coffee dates to help normalise conversation and the review and release of their survey data. Marianne Privett led the update, announcing that they are looking to streamline the community structure given that, although positively the committee has grown quite rapidly to include a broad range of members, it is difficult to coordinate in its current state.

IP Futures

The group for early-stage IP professionals has also celebrated a year filled with events. Group advocate Sanam Habib is hopeful that, although most have been hybrid, more in person meetups will be organised in the future. The virtual element will also remain to facilitate the impressive number of international attendees. One of IP Futures success stories of their past year is the ‘What I Would Tell My Younger Self’ series in which more experienced members of the profession pass on advice and wisdom based on how their career has developed. They also collaborated with Jonathan’s Voice, a mental health charity affiliated closely with the IP community, and ran events with a number of other IP Inclusive groups.

IP Non-Traditional Family Network

Janine Swarbrick updated the group on the community for people in solo parent families, blended families, adoptive families, LGBTQ+ families, other non-traditional families in the UK IP professions, and their allies. The network is keen to organise joint events with other groups in order to lend their perspective and help challenge the narrative on what it means to be part of a non-traditional family.  Janine explained that members fit in more than one diversity box which can be difficult to separate out, so it would be a great idea to join forces with the other communities.

IP Out

Tom Leonard was the representative for the community for LGBTQ+ and their allies, which ran a successful charity pub quiz raising around £1,000 for Outside Project - something they plan to put on again. They are also championing trans people and their rights, with Darren Smyth drafting a piece which received almost universal support and they are also planning another trans event this year based on this current success and momentum.

Women in IP

The group ran their first successful hybrid annual event and chose to have an overarching theme to run across all of their events over the past year. The theme was based on the book ‘The Authority Gap’, informing the main panel, book club and a series of coffee dates. Susi Fish revealed this year’s draft theme is ‘Back to Basics’ focusing on women during their Early, Mid and Senior career stages.

The pandemic and the resulting hybrid working setup for most IP firms resulted in the regional networks struggling to organise a huge amount for their calendar this year. Jen Unsworth, representative for the Midlands network, and Rachel Gillan, representative for the Scottish network, highlighted how they have been trying to provide support to professionals outside of London. Jen talked about their collaborations with other IP Inclusive communities and mental health charities Jonathan’s Voice and Illuminate, holding a mental health refresher course which had a healthy attendance from both large and smaller firms. Rachel said that the Scottish network focused on an extremely successful in-person event, as well as hybrid events and hopefully future collaborations which help broaden the networks of people who came into the profession during lockdown. Both hoped for more hybrid events in the future, allowing for greater attendance, and pushed for ideas on how we can reach out to the regional communities.

We next heard from Carol Nyahasha from the Careers in Ideas Mentoring Hub, which is a fantastic scheme whose objective is to support groups who are currently underrepresented and under supported trying to enter the profession. It is going from strength to strength; however, Carol did highlight a further need for volunteers working in trade marks or as an IP barrister.

Jane Wainwright introduced the group to one of the newest additions to IP Inclusive, focused on menopause support. The group currently sits under the Inclusivity Unlocked! banner given it can apply to members across all communities. They have organised two events, a coffee date and a webinar, but are hoping for more over the coming months. It is a fantastic support scheme for those trying to find their voice with a difficult subject to navigate. They have an upcoming coffee date next Tuesday 25^th April – please join if you can, the more the merrier!

It is important that EDI is championed from the highest levels, is not delegated down the ranks, and creates conversation between all members of the profession. Gwilym Roberts explained why the IP Inclusive Senior Leader’s Pledge is a great way of giving structure to this directive, organising advisory sessions known as Pledge Prattle discussing EDI requirements, how we can tailor systems to individual internal working structures, and what challenges might arise along the way.

IP Advisory Board

The IP Advisory Board works as a guide, support, sounding board and critical friend. They pass on thoughts on best practice from a range of perspectives, as well as speaking at events and acting as an ambassador when required. It was questioned how they may align themselves and further engage with the IP Inclusive communities outside of the official calendar, and become more visible and active between calendared meetings. Ben Buchanan stressed how they don’t always agree, very much a benefit of the committee diversity where they are able to challenge and break down group think.

The AGM finished with a brief voting session and breakout rooms where issues were discussed in a more intimate setting. Following the breakout rooms, we came back together as a group to highlight the main points that arose including:

• Encouraging other countries to adopt the IP Inclusive mentality
• Further transparency on hybrid working, social events, and working culture for younger members who joined during the pandemic
• Challenging the lack of community for underrepresented backgrounds entering, or attempting to enter, the profession
• Highlighting religion, the older generation in the industry, and the non-attorney community
• Redefining the regional communities, removing the focus on a specific location and encouraging smaller groups to get together
• Stressing the importance of data gathering and the need for allies, and how they can impact the success of the initiative moving forward

The meeting was thought provoking and a welcome change to a normal Tuesday morning, with around 75 participants logging on – a fantastic effort given the initial technical difficulties courtesy of Eventbrite!

This review was put together by Fellows and Associates Principal Consultant, Phillipa Holland. Phillipa will be attending the AIPLA global Women in IP networking event next Thursday 27^th April which is supported by IP Inclusive, click here for more information and to sign up.

The Fellows and Associates annual Salary Survey 2023 will be live shortly, please keep an eye out for further details

Is branding and social media important in legal services?

Is branding and social media important in legal services?

Social media and powerful company branding are inconsistent in the legal services sector. For every firm crushing it on

 Twitter, LinkedIn or TikTok there are many more with neglected profiles and inconsistent messaging. Perhaps you think that social media just isn’t for the legal sector? That creating a strong online brand for your company is a waste of time?

But social media can reflect who you are as a firm and deliver that message to wider network.

Social media is ubiquitous. When you accept that and tap into it for your company, it can really play to your benefit. It is essentially a whole other world in which you have the opportunity to enhance your company and reach people you may never have reached before.

Interested piqued? Carys Bello, Fellows and Associates’ Head of Social Media, elaborates…

Company branding:

Branding is very important when it comes to social media. Your branding is essentially your reputation and your visibility. It is about how your target audience sees you, it is not only your logo but the entire feel and look of your company. Branding is a great tool because you have the chance to visually communicate your company values, visions and expertise. Having a strong corporate identity builds trust from your audience as they can instantly recognise what your company is about and they now know who you are collectively. If you think of it like online dating, you usually would pick the profiles that say a lot about that person and you can tell if they are your kind of match before even messaging. It’s unlikely that you would message a profile that leaves you unsure of anything about that person. Creating a unique and standout brand that is consistent and in line with your values will set you apart from other competitors that may get lost in a sea of companies due to little branding. Here are some reasons why it can help enhance your company.

1. Charge more

A study by Professional Services Marketing, by Mike Schulz, John Doerr and Lee W. Frederiksen shows that the price advantage of a strong brand in the legal sector can be around 50%. This means that well branded firms are able to charge substantially higher prices than competitors.

2. Talent

Generations Y and Z arguably care about social media and a company’s brand more than those that preceded them because they have grown up with it and are usually the most immersed in it. Therefore, if you want to attract them, you are going to need to grab their attention in a world in which they have every company accessible to them digitally jumping out at them. Be the firm that draws their eyes and be a company that they want to get behind.

3. Winning referrals

When your company has a strong brand, this will help you retain your existing clientele and attract new clients.  Why? Because it creates forums for clients and potential clients to discuss your firm and ensures your name is prevalent in the discourse. A clear branding often increases referrals from satisfied clients and those referrals, when supported by your great branding, enhance your credibility.

Carys Bello