The Value of Grit for Women Lawyers

I really was pleased to see an article titled “Grit & Mindset:  Implications for Women Lawyers” in the most recent edition of the National Association of Women Lawyers magazine, Women’s Law Journal.  I also was pleased to see from that article that the ABA Commission on Women has developed the “GRIT Project” as this year’s signature project for that group.  It is an interesting subject, and it this is not the first time that it has been addressed.

In fact, I wrote about the value of true grit in my second book, which came out in 2012. I had never seen those words in print within the context of success for women lawyers, but it just made good sense to me.  I am glad to see that it is making sense to others as well.

Chapter 10 of Best Friends at the Bar:  The New Balance for Today’s Woman Lawyer (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business 2012) is titled “You Really Need True Grit,” and it includes the following messages:

  • You must have True Grit to safeguard your professional life and survive.  That means getting tough when you have to and having courage;
  • True Grit also means protecting your turf.  Always protect your ideas and your work product, and if someone tries to pass your ideas or your work product off as his or her own, confront them about it;
  • True Grit also means protecting your future in the firm.  You always must strive for new clients, who will be loyal to you and follow you if you decide to relocate;
  • True Grit also means setting boundaries.  Do not overextend yourself to take on tasks that others do not want, especially if your motive is to be liked.  It will not end up working that way;
  • True Grit also can mean exercising restraint;
  • AND MUCH MUCH MORE.

Take a good look at that chapter of my book to put meat on the bones of these bullets and also to add extra meaning to what the Women’s Law Journal article has to say.  I will be discussing some of the themes of that article in my next blog.  So …

Stay tuned!

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One Response to The Value of Grit for Women Lawyers

  1. Pingback: True Grit for Women Lawyers | Best Friends at the Bar™

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