The first two Rs’ were relax and rehearse. The third R is the ability to react. I had lunch with a civil lawyer a couple of weeks ago. The conversation turned to civil trials. He commented on there are no surprises in a civil trial .Everyone knows what is going to be said and done.

Last week , a young lawyer had a first court appearance . Fear seeped in after years of college and law school . Uncertainty was the mood of the day . Few law schools truly prepare a lawyer for their first court appearance . I was lucky. I clerked for a Nashville trial judge and felt comfortable