Courtroom Equality Statement

Although the Court is aware that the choice of who presents an argument to the court is for the lawyer and the client, the following judges of the 7th Judicial District support and encourage the participation of junior members of legal teams in oral argument and in trial presentation. The court recognizes the lack of opportunity to train young attorneys in oral advocacy and seeks to encourage those young attorneys to actively participate in courtroom proceedings. These judges are amenable to, among other measures directed to creating an opportunity for a junior lawyer to participate, considering increased oral argument time and permitting more than one lawyer to present oral argument. We hope that a collaboration between the bench and bar will provide valuable experience for young litigators. It is the way one generation will teach the next to present argument and try cases. In this way we will ensure that our district’s reputation for excellence in trial practice continues.

Participating Judges