Tackling Imposter Syndrome: with James McFarlane
As coursework season draws ever closer, SULS will be hosting an incredibly valuable event to help support law students who may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed this Autumn.
The Stirling University Law Society are delighted to be joined by James McFarlane to discuss the important topic of imposter syndrome. James is a solicitor at Burness Paull LLP and Mental Health First Aider, so this is a great opportunity for students to hear how he has dealt with this issue in his own life.
The event will take place on Wednesday 12th October, 6pm-7pm, on Zoom. Tickets are free and open to all law students at the university. You can sign up for your free ticket here.
Who is James McFarlane?
James McFarlane is a solicitor in the Dispute Resolution team at Burness Paull LLP, working in the firm's Contentious IP and Tech practice. James is also a Mental Health First Aider and advocate for mental health awareness within the legal profession. He is part of a core group of solicitors in Scotland who have set up a wellbeing group for men in the industry, providing a safe space for male professionals to discuss mental health issues and help remove the stigma around the topic. You can find out more on James' LinkedIn.
Outside of his legal work James is a mentor on the MCR Pathways mentoring program, as well as a keen musician. You can listen to his music, which he writes and performs alongside his cousin, Jamie, on Spotify here. We are big fans of the pair here at SULS!
Why is this event running?
As a Society we are very much aware of the stress and pressure our members are under. Whether you are a first year preparing to submit your first piece of coursework, or a third year tackling honours modules for the first time, it can be all too easy to feel overwhelmed and question whether you have what it takes to succeed on your course (spoiler - you do!). As such we wanted to bring James in to speak to us all about his experiences with imposter syndrome and how, even when he faced self-doubt, he managed to carve out a very successful career for himself at a top tier commercial law firm.
What will the event involve?
The event will run for one hour, between 6pm-7pm, comprising a 30-40 minute speech from James, with the rest of the allocated time spent as a Q&A session whereby attendees can ask James any specific questions they may have.
The SULS committee are incredibly grateful to James for volunteering his time and for being so keen to help out the next generation of legal professionals in Scotland. We cannot wait for the event and hope to see many of our fellow students there!
Sincerely,
SULS Committee