Lawyer Launcher - Behind the Bar

About Lawyer Launcher - Behind the Bar

Law school teaches you the law. This podcast teaches you how to succeed inside a law firm. Lawyer Launcher – Behind the Bar is for law students and newly called lawyers who want to thrive and build confidence when they start practice. Hosted by Susan Van Dyke, a trusted advisor to law firms and a guide for new lawyers navigating their first year, this show offers an insider perspective from the other side of the hiring table. With over 30 years of experience working with law firms and their leadership teams, Susan knows exactly what firms expect from new hires—and what they rarely explain. This podcast fills that gap, with practical advice, candid conversations, and tools to help you build confidence, credibility, and competence from day one. New episodes drop every two weeks. Because landing the job is just the beginning.

Publisher

Susan Van Dyke

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Oct 2025

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Oct 2026

   The Confidence Gap in Law: Stop Waiting to Feel Ready

   You earned your place in law school or at a law firm. So why does it still feel like someone might discover a mistake? Former litigator and now counsellor, Bena Stock, joins Susan Van Dyke and Johanna Mills to talk about the confidence gap, perfectionism and the habits that make anxiety louder. Bena brings 24 years of litigation experience and practical tools for the moments when your inner critic starts drafting its own factum. What law students can take into practice: • Treat a mistake as information. Tell the right person promptly, help fix it, and ask what you can learn. • Catch the familiar mental route from one piece of criticism to “I do not belong here.” Check the evidence before you accept that story. • Write down one thing you did well each day and why. Keep kind feedback in a folder you can revisit on a difficult day. • Do not wait for a busy senior lawyer to notice every win. Share your contribution clearly. • Before a difficult ask, name the facts, your thoughts, your feelings and what you need. Choose the right person and time, then agree when to check back. The goal is excellent work and steady learning, not a flawless performance that keeps you from starting. Lawyer Launcher links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/lawyerlauncher/ (https://instagram.com/lawyerlauncher/) TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lawyerlauncher/ (https://tiktok.com/@lawyerlauncher/) YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LawyerLauncher-BTB/ (https://youtube.com/@LawyerLauncher-BTB/) LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanpvandyke/ (https://linkedin.com/in/susanpvandyke/) Chapters: 00:00 Bridging the confidence gap 02:43 Bena’s early career and imposter syndrome 05:01 Why success can feel like luck 05:59 The perfectionism trap 10:53 What research says about mistakes 13:38 Choosing excellence over perfection 15:51 How to own a mistake at work 18:17 Building a growth mindset 21:19 “Cow paths” and anxious thinking patterns 27:04 Countering negativity bias with visualization 28:32 Record your wins and keep a kudos folder 32:02 The tiara syndrome: making your work visible 34:14 Using positive self-talk under pressure 35:44 Asking for what you want 40:08 A framework for difficult conversations 45:46 Debrief: the cost of avoiding risks 48:53 Recovering from mistakes 51:08 Finding a human connection at work 53:47 Final takeaways

2. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Reframing the narrative of your professional toolkit

   Your next professional connection could start with two minutes by the coffee machine. Susan Van Dyke, founder of Lawyer Launcher, joins Tanya Martinez-Gallinucci, Executive Director of the Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, New York City Bar Association, on Building Belonging, a podcast from the New York City Bar Association and its Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to unpack networking, mentorship, and the unspoken rules of a legal career. Susan and Tanya explore how to build a community of mentors, colleagues, and future clients through curiosity, listening, and finding ways to be helpful. They discuss why networking can feel uncomfortable even for extroverts, how brief “micro moments” can lead to meaningful relationships, and what it looks like to take responsibility for your professional growth. You’ll also hear how a successful litigator worked through his anxiety about small talk with a few simple, practiced questions. Whether you’re entering law school, starting at a firm, or strengthening your professional relationships, this conversation offers practical ways to find your people and keep those connections growing. Lawyer Launcher links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/lawyerlauncher/ (https://instagram.com/lawyerlauncher/) TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lawyerlauncher/ (https://tiktok.com/@lawyerlauncher/) YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LawyerLauncher-BTB/ (https://youtube.com/@LawyerLauncher-BTB/) LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanpvandyke/ (https://linkedin.com/in/susanpvandyke/) -- Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Building Belonging & ALI 01:22 Meet Susan Van Dyke 04:50 Seeing the Bigger Picture Inside a Law Firm 06:08 Trust, Leadership & Belonging 07:23 The Gap Between Law School and Practice 10:02 Why Mentorship Needs Better Communication 12:01 Taking Responsibility for Your Career 14:09 Building Your Circle of Mentors 15:20 Adjusting to Life Inside a Law Firm 16:43 Introducing Lawyer Launcher 18:24 Law Firm Economics & Career Development 19:51 Making the Unspoken Rules Explicit 20:21 When Networking Feels Uncomfortable 22:55 Bringing Curiosity to New Connections 24:40 Networking Through Helpfulness & Listening 27:01 Finding Your People 29:36 Making the Most of Micro Moments 31:58 Turning Brief Conversations Into Follow-Ups 34:23 Helping a Senior Lawyer Get Comfortable With Small Talk 36:04 Connecting Legal Pipeline Programs & Resources 39:04 Learning From Different Voices in the Profession 40:08 Building Relationships Over Time 41:19 Closing Remarks Opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the New York City Bar Association.

3. 

   10 Sept 2026

   "That's Not Normal" The Conversation That Woke Up Pauline Chan

   Guest: Pauline Chan, called to the bar in 2010, now leading lawyer experience for a national network of 700+ Canadian lawyers. Pauline's résumé reads like a success story: Big Law, in house, a solo practice, a fitness studio business she built with partners, and now a national leadership role. But this conversation isn't about the résumé. It's about what was happening underneath it: the 2 a.m. phone checks that spiked her heart rate before she was even fully awake, the bladder infections from refusing to leave her desk, and the afternoon she caught herself envying a colleague whose broken arm meant a month off work, thinking nothing of it. Pauline and Susan trace the moment that "normal" stopped being normal: the outside conversation (with a husband, then two mentors) that finally named what her environment couldn't see. From there, Pauline walks through the messy, non linear path to in house to founding her own studio to a fractional practice, and what she learned at each stop about the difference between hard but meaningful work and work that's just hard because something's wrong. This is a candid conversation about burnout culture in law, the myth of the "one right path," how to actually find (and use) a mentor, and why saying "I don't know, yet" might be the most powerful four words in a junior lawyer's vocabulary. If you're articling or interning, a few years in, or quietly wondering whether the grind is sustainable, this one's for you. Guest links: LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/paulinepochan/ (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/paulinepochan/) Goodlawyer: https://www.goodlawyer.ca/ (https://www.goodlawyer.ca/) Lawyer Launcher links: Instagram: https://instagram.com/lawyerlauncher/ (https://instagram.com/lawyerlauncher/) TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lawyerlauncher/ (https://tiktok.com/@lawyerlauncher/) YouTube: https://youtube.com/@LawyerLauncher-BTB/ (https://youtube.com/@LawyerLauncher-BTB/) LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/susanpvandyke/ (https://linkedin.com/in/susanpvandyke/)

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Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.