The Court is committed to supporting the development of our next generation of trial lawyers.  Judge Jantz therefore encourages counsel and the parties to staff their matters with diverse attorneys, and to provide these attorneys and junior lawyers with a meaningful role in important aspects of the litigation and settlement of cases, including status hearings, depositions, and settlement conferences, preferably under the active supervision of lead counsel. In the case of diverse attorneys, including attorneys of color, women attorneys, and LGBTQ attorneys, counsel and client will often find that their inclusion adds value, as does the inclusion of junior attorneys. These attorneys often bring a fresh perspective to the case. Also, senior counsel may also find that including diverse and junior attorneys on a case, and giving them meaningful experience, yields other benefits, including the development of experienced and effective counsel who are available to service the firm’s long-term clients, particularly in an era in which clients are often expecting greater leveraging of their invoices and greater inclusion of diverse attorneys. In cases in which clients may not be able or willing to pay the cost of adding another lawyer to a particular task, counsel are encouraged to consider including these lawyers without charging their clients.

Judge Jantz has no way of enforcing this request. But the parties should consider the optics, for example, of showing up at a complex hearing or settlement conference or trial with a large team of lawyers who all or virtually all are non-diverse. And in general, passing on knowledge and skill to younger or less-experienced lawyers is one of the most important (and fun!) additions senior lawyers can make to the development of our profession.