It's been about four months since the U.S. International
Trade Commission announced its new program, Nurturing Excellence in
Trial Advocates, or NEXT Advocates, geared toward encouraging
junior attorneys to take on oral advocacy opportunities during ITC
investigations, and we are starting to see how the program is being
implemented.1
Based on this, we share some thoughts on how to make the program
work for firms and clients.
Program Overview
Under NEXT Advocates, administrative law judges will allow
junior attorneys, i.e., those with three or fewer substantive oral
arguments or witness examinations, to participate in substantive
oral arguments or to examine witnesses at trial with the assistance
of a more experienced attorney.