Dear Women in Law UAE Community,

I’ve been listening to Sia’s “Courage to Change” on repeat this week, and I can’t get one line out of my head:

“You’re not alone in all this, and together we can do anything.”

It’s a simple line. But it captures everything I believe about what we’re building together.

THE COURAGE QUESTION

The legal profession asks a lot of us.

It asks us to be technically excellent. To be resilient in the face of setbacks. To keep showing up even when we’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or burning out.

But here’s what it rarely asks:

Do you have the courage to change?

The courage to leave the toxic environment that’s wearing you down.

The courage to speak up when you’ve been overlooked for partnership again.

The courage to walk away from the six-figure salary that’s draining your soul.

The courage to ask for what you’re actually worth.

The courage to set a boundary and mean it.

The courage to build the career you actually want, not just the one you think you’re supposed to have.

These aren’t small things. They’re the decisions that reshape our lives.

And they require a kind of courage that doesn’t come from willpower alone.

WHERE COURAGE COMES FROM

When I started Women in Law four years ago, I was navigating my own version of this question.

After 17 years in the Middle East—moving across Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and finally settling in the UAE—I’d built a successful career. On paper, everything looked fine.

But I was carrying something I couldn’t quite name. A sense of isolation. A feeling that I was supposed to have it all figured out, but I didn’t. A question that kept nagging at me: Is this it?

I needed community. I needed women who understood what it’s like to navigate this profession—the politics, the pressure, the unspoken rules, the constant proving yourself.

So I created what I couldn’t find.

I sent an email to a dozen lawyers. Then it became a WhatsApp group. Then monthly gatherings. Then formal programming. Then a network of over 600 women across the UAE.

And here’s what I’ve learned in those four years:

You’re not alone in all this.

That feeling you have—that you’re the only one struggling, the only one questioning, the only one who doesn’t have it together?

You’re not.

The partner who looks perfectly composed? She’s questioning too.

The in-house counsel who seems to have it all balanced? She’s struggling too.

The colleague who just made GC? She’s dealing with imposter syndrome too.

We all are. We just don’t talk about it enough.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE COME TOGETHER

When we stop trying to do it all alone, something shifts.

The courage shows up.

Not because we suddenly become fearless. But because we realize we don’t have to be.

When you’re surrounded by women who’ve left toxic firms and thrived, leaving doesn’t feel impossible anymore.

When you hear someone else negotiate successfully for what she’s worth, asking feels less terrifying.

When you watch another woman set a boundary and survive, doing it yourself feels achievable.

When you see proof that there’s another way—a better way—the path forward becomes visible.

This is the power of community.

It’s not just emotional support (though that matters). It’s practical proof that change is possible. It’s seeing someone else do the thing you’re afraid to do and realizing: If she can do it, maybe I can too.

SO HERE’S MY QUESTION FOR YOU

What would you do if you had the courage to change?

Would you finally have that conversation with your managing partner about workload?

Would you start looking for a new role that actually aligns with your values?

Would you launch the side project you’ve been thinking about for years?

Would you set a boundary around weekends and actually stick to it?

Would you ask for the promotion, the raise, the flexibility you need?

Would you just… stop accepting things the way they are?

I’m not saying any of this is easy. Change is hard. Courage is uncomfortable. Growth requires risk.

But here’s what I know for certain: You’re not alone in all this.

Whatever you’re carrying, whatever you’re questioning, whatever you’re considering—there are hundreds of women in this community who’ve been there, who are there now, or who will be there soon.

And together? Together we really can do anything.

WHAT’S NEXT

If this resonates with you, here’s what I invite you to do:

1. Join us on December 19 at 1pm for our session on rituals with Crina Ancuta. We’ll explore how to build practices that ground you, sustain you, and help you show up as your best self in 2026.

2. Reach out to someone in the community you’ve been meaning to connect with. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Just send the message.

3. Ask yourself the courage question: What’s one thing you’d change if you knew you weren’t alone? Write it down. Then take one small step toward it this week.

You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to know exactly how it will work out.

You just need the courage to take the first step.

And the reminder that you’re not doing it alone.

With courage and solidarity,

Laura Reynaud
Founder, Women in Law UAE

P.S. — If you need to hear it today: You belong here. Your questions are valid. Your struggles are real. And your courage—even when it doesn’t feel like courage—is enough.