I Don’t Belong… Impostor Syndrome & Attorneys

Brian S. Quinn was a young lawyer.  Fresh out of law school.  What started as an exciting day with his mentor at trial – ended with Brian watching his mentor leave the courthouse in a body bag. Worse yet, fellow attorneys then taunted Brian to the point he lost his confidence he eventually felt like he didn’t belong – to the point he developed impostor syndrome and began to self-medicate.

Radiohead’s Creep – An Impostor Anthem

“I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo. What the hell am I doing here? I don’t belong here.”  Poignant words penned by Thom Yorke of Radiohead while at university in the late 1980s – and possibly the most eloquent expression of impostor syndrome.

Impostor Syndrome & Substance Abuse

When the feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence overwhelmed him, it led to theft from clients, stints in jail and the eventual loss of his law license. Brian shares his story and will talk about three main subjects: normalizing help, Impostor Syndrome & attorneys and trauma centered Impostor Syndrome. To access the course please click here: I Do Not Belong: Impostor Syndrome in the Legal Profession.

In this CLE Brian will cover:

* Lawyer Assistance Programs

* Confidentiality

* Ethical Exceptions

* Studies on mental health & impairment

* Causes

* Frequency

* The 5 personality types

* What law firms & attorneys can do

* Stress vs. distress

* A chance for success

* Being resilient

Brian S. Quinn – Lawyer’s Concerned for Lawyers

Brian S. Quinn maintains a private practice and currently serves as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for LCL of Pennsylvania, Inc., a Lawyers Assistance Program established in 1988 for the purpose of helping lawyers, judges and law students recover from alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health disorders.

This CLE course is offered in the following states:

* Alaska (AK)

* Alabama (AL)

* Arizona (AZ)

* California (CA)

* Connecticut (CT)

* District of Columbia (DC)

* Illinois (IL)

* Maryland (MD)

* Massachusetts (MA)

* Michigan (MI)

* Missouri (MO)

* New Hampshire (NH)

* New Jersey (NJ)

* New York (NY)

* North Dakota (ND)

* Pennsylvania (PA)

* South Dakota (SD)

* Vermont (VT)

Pennsylvania CLE

Attorney Credits offers CLE for attorneys in Pennsylvania and around the country. For more information about CLE in Pennsylvania please click the following link: PA CLE.