Panel

I've been asked to be part of the panel to speak with the new hires of the LADA's office. The following are the questions that will be asked of me:

1. What was your first day like?
2. What does a bad day look like?
3. How did you deal with your anxiety?
4. What advice would you give?
5. What was your interaction with court staff like?
6. With defense attorneys?
7. What, if anything would you do differently?

These are my answers:

1. What was your first day like? 

Answer: Terrifying. Nerve wrecking. Crazy. Exciting. 

Terrifying because I didn't know what I was doing. 

Nerve wrecking because everybody was watching me, and judging me: The judge, defense attorneys, defendants, colleagues, civilian witnesses, victims, law enforcement witnesses, court staff, and supervisors. Even though I had no idea what I was doing,  I had to "fake it until I make it." 

I woke up, said a little "God, get me through this day" prayer, wore a black suit, and took a deep breath. I went into court with a stack of cases (approximately 60) for that day. I was as prepared as I could be (I read all the reports) and I had my handy dandy offer sheet (A list crimes with our standard offers for those crimes). I sat down at the counsel table. And was swarmed by defense attorneys wanting offers, wanting to "wheel and deal;" with witnesses who were subpoenaed and wanted to talk about restitution, wanting to drop charges, saying that they had to leave because they were missing work, asking why it was taking so long; and the judge calling the cases on calendar. It was a mental juggling act...Doing 50 things at once...Multi-tasking at it's best. 

Exciting because in the midst of all the chaos...This was exactly what I always wanted to do...Do justice as best as I could. 

2. What does a bad day look like? 

Answer: Days when you're so busy that you don't have time to eat or drink...Days where you barely have time to go to the bathroom, and you only go because you have to go. Then you go home and have prepare for the next day barely getting sleep. You sleep only because you have to sleep. Then the next day, you start all over again. 

3. How did you deal with your anxiety? 

The best way to combat anxiety is to be as prepared as you can possibly be. This is how to combat the "unexpected" as much as possible. The more prepared you are and the more you know, the better equipped you will be to handle issues that may come up. The more prepared you are, the more confident you feel, which in turn lessens anxiety. 

4. What advice would you give? 

Answer 1: Pray. 

Answer 2: When you feel self-doubt: Surround yourself with good friends and good people that you can trust in the office. We deal with really serious and scary stuff. We are surrounded by people who are/appear to be so poised in the middle of utter chaos. But at the end of the day we are all human. No one is perfect. 

You're going to have good days and bad days, and there is nothing better than to have friends to laugh with and commiserate with. For example: A colleague was really busy (juggling of course) and she ran to court in a rush in the morning. At the end of the day she went back to her office and realized that she was wearing a different shoe on each foot but was too busy to notice. We all laughed together. Another colleague bent down to pick something up and her skirt ripped in the back exposing her underwear in front of the entire court. We commiserated together. 

A good support system is worth more than gold or silver. 

Answer 3: Don't lose sight of the ultimate goal: Justice. 

Answer 4: In everything you do, shoot for doing an extraordinary job instead of just an ordinary job. The difference between "extraordinary" and ordinary is just a little "extra." 

5. What was your interaction with the court staff? 

Answer: Great. Treat them with respect and kindness. They work hard. You need them and they know it. 

6. What was your interaction with defense attorneys? 

Answer: Depends. Depends on the case and how they are. But no matter what, keep it professional. 

7. What, if anything would you do differently? 

Answer: I can't think of anything right now. Ask me again in five-ten years. I may have a different perspective.