December 4, 2025 at 10:45 AM ET
Please join us for, Failing Forward: How Lawyers Can Embrace Mistakes and Still Succeed, at the 2025 NALP Professional Development Institute in Washington, DC.
Speakers:
Kate Edwards, Consulting Partner, Greiner Consulting Group
Douglas Ebeling, Attorney Development Manager, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
James Moore, Director of Legal Talent, Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass
Melanie Heller, Career Advisor, Sullivan & Cromwell
Lawyers and their firms often equate mistakes with failure, perpetuating an environment where lawyers fear risk-taking and struggle with setbacks. But professional growth and innovation require resilience and adaptability. This session will explore how lawyers and other legal professionals can shift their mindset around so-called failure, use mistakes as learning opportunities, and continue advancing despite setbacks. It will provide practical tips for handling missteps in high-stakes environments without damaging credibility, how law firms and PD professionals can promote cultures where learning from failure is normalized, and strategies for developing resilience, emotional agility, and a growth mindset in a high-pressure profession.