Anastasia Volkova
In my previous article, I explored the psychological reality of what international trade lawyers are facing: not just career uncertainty, but a profound identity reconstruction. The crisis at the WTO isn’t just changing your job – it’s challenging who you are professionally.
Understanding the problem is step one. But understanding alone doesn’t pay the bills or ease the 3 a.m. anxiety about your career trajectory.
So let’s talk about what actually helps. These aren’t generic ‘be resilient’ platitudes. These are concrete strategies I’ve seen work with trade lawyers who are successfully navigating this transition – not by pretending it’s easy, but by actively building something new.
Four Practical Strategies for Rebuilding Your Professional Identity
Strategy 1. Reframe Identity Reconstruction as Evolution, Not Replacement
You’re not destroying who you were to become someone completely different. You’re evolving.
Think of it like this: A butterfly doesn’t reject being a caterpillar. It transforms. The caterpillar’s experiences inform the butterfly’s existence.
Your years as a WTO specialist are the foundation. Now you’re building the next floor, the next story.
Try this: Create a ‘skills inventory’ that lists everything you’ve learned through your work as a WTO specialist:
- Advanced drafting skills
- Complex legal analysis
- International negotiation
- Cross-cultural communication
- Dispute resolution strategy
- Client crisis management
- High-stakes decision-making
These skills transfer to sanctions law, regional trade agreements, arbitration, trade compliance – anywhere international commerce exists. You’re not starting from zero. You’re starting from a position of deep expertise that needs to expand outward.
Strategy 2. Address the Shame of Not Being the Expert
Many lawyers struggle with identity reconstruction because it requires them to admit they don’t know something. After years of being the expert in the room, asking basic questions can feel humiliating.
This shame keeps you stuck because it makes the alternative, learning something new, feel unbearable.
But here’s the truth: The discomfort of being a beginner is temporary. The regret of staying stuck because you were too proud to learn is permanent.
- Try this: Deliberately practice being a beginner in a low-stakes environment. Take a cooking class. Learn a language. Try a sport you’ve never played. Experience what it feels like to not know, to ask questions, to make mistakes – and survive it. Your brain needs evidence that you can be competent even while learning.
One senior lawyer I worked with started taking pottery classes. She told me: ‘Watching my hands fumble with clay while the instructor corrected me – it was excruciating at first. But after a few weeks, I realized my value isn’t contingent on being the expert at everything. That freed me up to start asking questions about trade compliance without feeling like I was admitting defeat.’
Strategy 3. Build Your New Identity Actively, Not Reactively
Don’t wait for the WTO to fix itself. Don’t wait for your employer to tell you what to do. Don’t wait until you feel ready. Start constructing your evolved identity now.
- Try this:
- Pick one adjacent expertise to develop: Spend 2 hours a week learning about regional trade agreements or trade compliance. Not ‘when you have time.’ Schedule it like a client meeting.Create a new professional narrative: Practice introducing yourself not as ‘a WTO lawyer’ but as ‘an international trade lawyer specializing in cross-border disputes and regulatory compliance.’ Notice how this framing is both truthful and adaptable – it doesn’t depend on any single institution.
- Find identity models: Connect with lawyers who’ve successfully navigated similar transitions. How did they reconstruct their professional identity? What did they struggle with? What helped?
One lawyer told me: ‘I started attending conferences on economic sanctions law – something I’d never focused on before. At first, I felt like an imposter. But I forced myself to ask one question at each session. Within six months, I’d written an article on sanctions compliance for companies with WTO exposure. That article became my bridge – it connected my old expertise to new territory. Now I’m getting client inquiries I never would have had if I’d just stayed in my WTO lane.’
Strategy 4. Rebuild Your Sense of Purpose
Ask yourself: Why did you become a trade lawyer in the first place?
Maybe it was the intellectual challenge of complex regulations. Maybe it was helping businesses navigate international markets. Maybe it was being part of global commerce.
Those underlying motivations probably haven’t changed. But the path to fulfilling them might need to shift.
Move your focus from what’s being taken away and shift to ‘How can I still fulfill this purpose, even if the landscape has changed?’
- Try this: Write down your answer to ‘What impact do I want to have?’ without mentioning specific legal systems or institutions. For example:
- Instead of: ‘I want to help companies resolve disputes through the WTO system’
- Try: ‘I want to help companies navigate complex international trade conflicts and protect their cross-border interests’
The second framing preserves your purpose while freeing you from dependence on a single system.
One lawyer realized: ‘My purpose was never really about the WTO itself. It was about helping clients avoid catastrophic trade disruptions. That’s still possible—maybe even more important now. I just need different tools to do it.’
That realization transformed her from feeling trapped to feeling motivated. She’s now building expertise in trade compliance and supply chain restructuring. Same purpose. New methods.
Bonus Strategy: Create Psychological Safety While You Transition
Uncertainty is exhausting. Your brain needs to feel secure to embrace change.
- Try this:
- Build a financial buffer: If possible, build a 6-month emergency fund so you’re not making decisions from pure financial panic. Creator consciousness requires mental space – hard to achieve when you’re terrified about next month’s rent.Form a learning community: Find 2-3 colleagues also navigating this transition. Share resources, frustrations, and small wins. Knowing you’re not alone reduces the psychological burden significantly.
- Engage a therapist or coach: This isn’t a sign of weakness. When the rules of your profession fundamentally change, having psychological support is strategic. You wouldn’t represent a client in a complex case without research support – don’t try to reconstruct your professional identity without psychological support.
The Path Forward
One lawyer put it perfectly: ‘I used to introduce myself as a WTO specialist. Now I say I’m an international trade lawyer who helps companies navigate regulatory uncertainty. It’s a small change in wording, but it represents a massive shift in how I see myself. I’m not defined by one system anymore. I’m defined by the value I create—and that’s something no trade war can take away from me.’
Anastasia Volkova is a mental coach and HCPC-registered psychologist specializing in supporting legal professionals. She is a LawCare Activist and writes regularly for Chronicle Law on mental health issues affecting lawyers. If you’re navigating career uncertainty, identity reconstruction, or experiencing burnout, Mental Gym offers confidential support specifically designed for legal professionals. Learn more at www.mentalgym.life