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Policy Encouraging Opportunities For Attorneys Who Are Less Experienced Or From Under-Represented Groups

The Court is committed to supporting the development of the next generation of federal practitioners appearing in the United States District Courts. The Court strongly encourages parties to provide opportunities for attorneys who are less experienced or from historically under-represented groups to participate actively in the proceedings such as by arguing a motion or examining a witness at trial.

A number of individual judges have standing or pretrial orders expressing their commitment and providing an incentive to parties who provide such opportunities. Please refer to the judges’ web pages for judges’ standing orders. All Northern District judges will consider permitting multiple lawyers to argue a motion for one party if it would create an opportunity for less experienced attorneys to participate.

Additionally, the Court reminds counsel that the Federal Pro Bono Project provides excellent opportunities for attorneys to obtain experience representing litigants that would otherwise be unrepresented. The representation is, of course, pro bono, and may be limited in scope (such as for a deposition, settlement conference, or summary judgment motion) or for all purposes through final judgment. View information about the Federal Pro Bono Project.

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