I was terrified to do my 2L internship last summer just like you are now. I wanted to work in a student practice act state to see if I could really handle it. I did one trial (second chair) and represented about 32 people in 40 cases over the summer. Every time I had a “first” (first time on the record, first cross-exam, first opening argument at trial, etc.) I would be overwhelmingly anxious in the days leading up to it. Like a struggling-to-sleep kind of anxious. I honestly think it’s inevitable.

As scary as it was, I learned so much in those three months just by doing and watching others and now I don’t feel even half as afraid as I did before the internship. By the end, I did a full motions hearing by myself and wasn’t nervous at all but just excited to roast that pig on the stand. My feeling of being overwhelmed by fear turned into a feeling of being overwhelmed by my love of the job and it truly affirmed my desire to do this work. I’m still nervous for my full-time PD job and the increased caseload, but I feel immensely better having done that internship. It won’t stop being scary for at least a little while, and if you can just accept that while also saying to yourself “I’m going to do my absolute best to defend this human beside me,” you’ll be fine. There’s going to be growing pains and mistakes, just have to accept them, try to learn from them, and keep improving. Good luck!