The participation of relatively inexperienced attorneys in all court proceedings—including conferences, oral arguments, hearings, and trials—is strongly encouraged.

Of course, any attorney who appears in court should have the authority and experience necessary for the proceeding.  For example, an attorney attending a scheduling conference should have the authority to commit his or her client to a schedule and should be prepared to address other matters likely to arise, such as whether the Court should schedule a settlement conference before the assigned Magistrate Judge.  And when a relatively inexperienced attorney needs supervision at a court proceeding to ensure that the client is represented competently, a supervising attorney should be present.

But the Court will permit—and encourages—relatively inexperienced attorneys to handle or participate in proceedings on their own or supervised by more experienced attorneys, as appropriate.  Toward that end, the Court will permit split arguments, with both a relatively inexperienced attorney and a more experienced attorney allowed to speak.