Conquering Fear In Your First Year Of Law School

One of the things that frequently grips new law students is fear. Fear of being called on in class. Fear of being seen as stupid in front of peers. Fear of writing poorly. Fear of tests and being tested. Fear of being unpopular. Fear of judgment, first by peers, then by profs, and ultimately the profession as a whole. This sounds a lot like eighth grade all over again.

Let me suggest to you that, unlike eighth grade, law school is a good place to OVERCOME your fears. The very definition of courage is overcoming your fears.

But first, let’s identify some of the common fears.

Public Speaking and Social Anxiety

You get called on in class. All of a sudden, your throat gets dry, you can’t think, and your breathing becomes shallow. You may giggle while you answer, or use a lot of “um….um….you know….”   You’re terrified of speaking in class. The reason you’re freezing is that you’re flooded with emotion. You can’t think, and you’re worried you are about to be judged.

Understand what is happening to you. The professor is seeking to train you to react under pressure. You are being trained to think on your feet, to be comfortable thinking on the fly. There is no better time to do that than in your first year of law school. At some point in your future, you’re going to have to speak to someone in a group, whether it is a senior partner, a client, or a judge in a courtroom.

Your colleagues may be judging you, but that’s because they don’t understand. They are calmer because they are not on call, so they can think more clearly. But when it is their turn, they may feel the same thing you did.

There are some people who, after a particularly poor performance by a colleague, may be gleeful and say, “OMG, that person is an idiot.” No, that isn’t true. What is true is the people saying that are incredibly insecure, so much so that looking down on others is the only way to bring themselves up.

Test Anxiety

Maybe your thing isn’t losing your voice in class. Maybe your thing is that you freeze on exams. Maybe you can’t find what you want to write. You stare at the test. Worse, you hear others typing already (ignore the fact they clearly didn’t spend enough time reading the question), and your breathing becomes shallow.

I suspect at that moment you’re picturing the professors reading the exam. They will think I’m stupid, you think to yourself. The “what ifs” are playing in your head. What if I’m wrong? What if I fail?

I have often told students with test anxiety to pretend they are just talking to me. Of course, that’s to get the thoughts out. Editing will have to follow. The images of me angrily crossing things out with a red pen aren’t true. If professors are being honest with themselves, they are there to teach you. If your class does poorly, we worry that maybe we did poorly.

Regardless, law school is a great time to get your test anxiety under control. Before the bar exam, and the tests of life hit.

Course Anxiety

As you become a 2L and 3L, you’ll get to pick your own courses. What will you pick? Let’s suppose there is a business finance course, but you fear math. Chances, are, you’ll avoid that class like the plague. Or let’s suppose you hate public speaking. You won’t sign up for trial advocacy.

Many students avoid picking courses that will help them because they fear the course itself or the consequence of the course: Their grade. Why take a course I’ll suck at and get a bad grade in, destroying my GPA? The answer is: Because that is your weaknesses talking. Your weaknesses need to be minimized, and the best way to do that is by building a set of skills around them.

A Guide to Conquering Fears

The first thing to do to conquer your fear is: Breathe. No, really. Walk away for a moment, sit down, and take deep breaths. Good self talk is helpful here. It may be funny to think about doing a Stuart Smalley moment, but it really helps.

Next, try baby steps before the big challenges happen. If you are afraid of being called on in class, try answering a question when not on call. Try volunteering if you feel comfortable with the material. Try asking a question. If your fear is writing, write out fully a practice exam. Ask if your professor would be willing to read the answer.

Meet your professors outside of the classroom. Some will show you they are human, like you. If they do not, realize that they too are not immune from fear, and may be putting on airs to conceal their own insecurity.

In other words, the way to eliminate fear is to gain exposure to that which you fear, until it no longer has the same hold on you.

What to Do When Your Fears Are Getting the Best of You

It may be the case that your fears run very deep, in which case you may need some help getting through them. You may need some help coping with anxiety, depression, or something else. That will mean therapy. Don’t be afraid of that help, embrace it. You are making it through law school while improving yourself for the better.

If you’re overwhelmed, then step away from that which is overwhelming you for a while. I’ve known students who have had great success using meditation to get through difficult experiences. Yoga helps too, with all that controlled breathing.

Anything that helped you relax in the past should not be thrown aside in law school. Definitely exercise. If you gave up reading fiction when you started law school, take it up again before bed. In short, you don’t need to lose your identity while going through law school.

Also, get some sleep. If you think, I’ll go to sleep after I read these 30 pages at midnight, forget it. You won’t retain it, adding to your anxiety. Get some rest, wake up, and THEN read it. You’ll be more productive in those hours after a good rest than you’d ever have been at midnight.

Finally, remember, 1Ls, that you’re all in the same boat. 2Ls and 3Ls will sometimes puff and boast about how they felt (now that they are through it), but don’t believe them. They were nervous. I saw them. They are trying to impress you.

Mostly, be kind to one another. Don’t foist your own insecurities on others if they are struggling to talk, struggling with a memo, or overwhelmed with law school. Don’t belittle, judge, or gossip, all of which are things that suggest you don’t belong in the profession and are hiding your own insecurities by tearing others down.   Don’t be dismissive, either. We may not feel the struggles the same way as others, but that doesn’t mean they are being irrational or they should just “suck it up.” Remember, as you’ve probably seen on Twitter, every person we’ve met is waging a war we don’t know about. Treat everyone with respect — during, as well as after, law school.

LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a top 100 law school. You can see more of his musings here and on Twitter (@lawprofblawg). Email him at [email protected].