There is a quiet but growing problem in our profession: too many young lawyers want to be trial lawyers, yet too few ever get near a trial.
That’s not a knock on them. It’s a structural reality. Cases settle. Clients are risk-averse. Firms are cost-conscious. And the traditional training ground, years of incremental courtroom exposure, has eroded. Yet we still hold up “trial lawyer” as a gold standard. We still market courtroom experience. We still expect lawyers to step up when a case doesn’t settle.
That disconnect matters a lot.
Trial experience isn’t just about standing in front of a jury. It teaches judgment, decisiveness, accountability, and perspective. It forces you to live with outcomes instead of endlessly revising drafts. It sharpens instincts in ways no memo ever will, even lawyers who never try a case benefit from the discipline that trial experience imposes.
So, if you’re a young lawyer who wants trial experience, and most litigators should, you have to be intentional. You have to pursue it. It will not be handed to you.
Here’s how it actually happens.
First, Understand Why Trial Experience Is Different
Trial work compresses time, stakes, and responsibility. There is no “I’ll fix it later.” There is no hiding behind email chains or redlines. Decisions are made in real time, often with incomplete information, in front of judges and juries who don’t care how many hours you billed preparing.
That environment changes you. It teaches you how to prioritize. It teaches you how to simplify. It teaches you how to read people, not just cases. And it teaches you that perfection is a myth, as clarity and credibility matter far more.
You can’t learn that secondhand. You have to feel it.
Start Small, and Say Yes More Than No
Young lawyers often think trial experience starts with opening statements. It doesn’t. It begins with covering hearings, arguing motions, handling evidentiary issues, and examining minor witnesses.
If someone asks you to cover a hearing on short notice, say yes. If a partner asks whether you’re comfortable handling a non-critical witness, say yes. If an opportunity looks small or inconvenient, say yes anyway.
Those early reps matter. Judges remember who shows up prepared. Partners remember who doesn’t panic. And trust compounds quickly once you’ve demonstrated competence under pressure.
No one hands meaningful trial responsibility to lawyers who have never stood up in court. Standing up early and often is how you earn the next opportunity.
Find the Equivalent of Open Mic Night
Every craft has low-stakes environments where you learn by doing. Musicians have open mic nights. Comedians have small clubs. Trial lawyers have equivalents, too; you have to find them.
Traffic court. Small claims court. Administrative hearings. Pro bono matters. Volunteer opportunities through legal aid or bar associations. These are places where you can develop courtroom instincts without the pressure of a seven-figure verdict.
You might bomb. You probably will at least once. That’s the point.
Better to stumble in a small room with low consequences than freeze later when the stakes are real. Skill is built through repetition, not observation.
Be the Associate Who Wants the Courtroom
Many young lawyers quietly hope someone will notice their interest in trial work. That’s not how it works.
You have to say it out loud, respectfully, and consistently.
Tell partners you want to try cases. Tell them you want to handle witnesses. Tell them you’re willing to do the work to prepare. Then back it up by being excellent at everything else you’re assigned.
No one gives trial work to lawyers who miss deadlines, blow details, or treat preparation casually. Trial lawyers trust people who make their lives easier, not harder.
Credibility earns opportunity.
Preparation Is How You Buy Confidence
Here’s a hard truth: nervousness doesn’t come from inexperience alone. It comes from being unprepared.
When young lawyers get trial opportunities, they sometimes underprepare because they assume the assignment is minor. That’s a mistake. Treat every courtroom appearance as if it matters, because it does.
Know the file cold. Anticipate questions. Rehearse out loud. Think about how your argument sounds, not just how it reads. Judges and juries don’t experience cases on paper; they experience them through people.
Preparation doesn’t eliminate fear, but it gives fear less room to operate.
Learn From Trial Lawyers, Not Just Litigators
Not all litigators are trial lawyers. That distinction matters.
Trial lawyers think differently. They simplify earlier. They care about themes and storytelling. They obsess over how things look and sound to non-lawyers. Spend time with those lawyers. Watch how they prepare. Listen to how they talk about cases.
Ask questions. Most trial lawyers are generous with younger lawyers who show genuine interest and humility. They remember how hard it was to get reps.
And if your environment doesn’t offer access to trial lawyers? Find mentors outside your firm. Bar associations, Inns of Court, and trial lawyer organizations exist for a reason. Use them.
Accept That Trial Experience May Require Tradeoffs
If trial experience is significant to you, you may have to make choices that aren’t purely economic or prestigious.
That could mean taking a job at a smaller firm where you get courtroom time earlier. It could mean doing pro bono work on nights or weekends. It could mean staying later to prepare for a hearing no one else wants to handle.
There is no free version of this path. Experience costs time, effort, and occasionally money. But it pays dividends over an entire career.
Don’t Romanticize Trial Work — But Respect It
Trials are stressful. They are exhausting. They are unpredictable. Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn’t tried many cases.
But they are also clarifying. They strip away noise and force you to focus on what actually matters. That clarity makes you better at everything else you do as a lawyer: advice, strategy, negotiation, and judgment.
Even if you never become a career trial lawyer, trial experience will shape how you think and practice. It gives you credibility with clients and colleagues alike. And it grounds you in reality.
Final Thought
If you’re a young lawyer waiting for permission to get trial experience, stop waiting.
Seek it out. Ask for it. Prepare for it. Earn it.
The profession still needs lawyers who can stand up, speak clearly, think on their feet, and own outcomes. Those skills don’t develop by accident. They develop because someone decided they mattered and acted accordingly.
If you want to be that lawyer, start now.
Frank Ramos is a partner at Goldberg Segalla in Miami, where he practices commercial litigation, products, and catastrophic personal injury. You can follow him on LinkedIn, where he has about 80,000 followers.
The post How Young Lawyers Get Trial Experience (And Why It Still Matters) appeared first on Above the Law.