Book of letters from women attorneys inspires others

The American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession has published “Grit, the Secret to Advancement: Stories of Successful Women Lawyers” to help female lawyers use grit and growth mindset to blaze their own trail to success in the legal profession.

How many times have you asked yourself, what separates successful individuals from those who are not?  Research on the intangible concept now known as “grit” has shed light on this vexing question and has shown that grit and a growth mindset were two traits shared by highly successful women lawyers.

Initial research, conducted by Milana L. Hogan, Ed.D., served as the inspiration for the Grit Project, one of the Commission’s key initiatives since 2013.

“The Grit Project was an immediate success,” said past Commission Chair Michele Coleman Mayes. “We realized that the concepts of grit and a growth mindset struck a nerve among women lawyers.  It was clear that women in environments beyond BigLaw were interested in these principles.  We wanted to know more – we needed to know more.”

Working with Hogan, the Commission in 2015, under Mayes’s leadership, embarked on an expanded second study that covered all legal work environments:  solo practice; small, medium, and large firms; corporations; government; and nonprofit.

“Grit, the Secret to Advancement” reviews the findings of this research and digs deeper to hear from women for whom grit and growth mindset were important to their careers and their success. The result is the collection of 47 letters from a diverse group of women contained in this volume.

“The research contained in these pages provides practical, solution-driven ways to advance women in the practice of law,” said Hogan. “I’m so honored to have been involved in this important project and to have worked alongside so many gritty women who inspire me each and every day.”