Fear of the Coutroom

(Image from Wikimedia Commons at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wayne_County_Courthouse_(Nebraska)_courtroom_1.JPG#filelinks)

I have wanted to be a lawyer since my eighth birthday, when I was allowed to watch my first episode of Law and Order. In my young mind I was determined to take A.D.A Carver's job. As I got older I started to take as many public speaking opportunities as I could to prepare myself. I even started a moot court club in my high school (even though we only had about 5 members). So when I got my first internship that would give me the opportunity to sit in an actual courtroom I was beyond ecstatic.

I walked into the courtroom filled with so much excitement, and watched the proceedings at the edge of my seat. I thought the attorney's job was to argue the case, destroy the opposition, and then wait for the judge to make a ruling. Sadly that was not at all what happened in this case. It was all going smoothly (or so I thought) until the judge interrupted the defense, because of an incorrectly posed question, and started to utterly demolish the man. She rattled off question after question and made a ton of comments, most of which were hidden insults.

By the time she was done belittling these attorneys (one of which was held in contempt, twice), I had tapped into my inner turtle and retracted into my little shell. I sunk into the chair, praying to become invisible so that I wouldn't be next on her list. It was then that I realized that I was body numbingly afraid of the courtroom.

Knowing how badly I wanted to become a lawyer, my mentor decided that there was only one cure for my fear: more exposure. She said that the more time I spent the courtroom the less likely I would pass out at the thought. Thankfully, she turned out to be right. The more differences I saw in how judges operate the better I felt. Now I will happily go to court as long as I am not a client in the case.

Here is a link that provides helpful tips on overcoming fear http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Fear.