Project Litigate

Inspired by Justice Christine Donohue of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and led by Pittsburgh trial attorney John P. Gismondi, Project LITIGATE (Lawyers Initiative To Improve next Gen Attorneys’ Trial Experience) is an initiative supported by Pennsylvania law firms and judges which promotes career training of young lawyers who aspire to become courtroom attorneys. The program, which was formally announced in the Spring of 2023, emphasizes the need for firms to provide new associates with early exposure to common litigation tasks such as witness preparation, taking depositions, presenting oral argument, questioning of witnesses in court, and eventually handling a full jury trial from start to finish. 

The core of the program is a written pledge - - - The LITIGATE Pledge- - -  signed by law firms in which they agree to make reasonable efforts to adopt specific, firm-wide practices which give young associates that sort of initial experience at an early point in their career, and then gradually over time increase their responsibility for handling essential aspects of trial practice.

The program seeks to address a hard reality in the legal profession: Due to a sharp decline in the number of civil cases going to trial, it is becoming increasingly difficult for our next generation of trial attorneys to get adequate training in basic advocacy skills. This problem not only impacts the career development of young attorneys, but it also affects the quality and range of legal service available to the public.

Support for Project LITIGATE comes not only from law firms but also from trial judges across Pennsylvania. In July 2023 the Pennsylvania State Conference of Trial Judges - - - thanks largely to the work of Judge Christine Ward of Allegheny County and Judge Terry Nealon of Lackawanna County, both of them Past Presidents of the Conference - - - not only endorsed Project LITIGATE but they went further and passed their own resolution encouraging trial judges statewide to adopt courtroom procedures which would incentivize law firms to give young lawyers greater opportunities to participate in motions, oral arguments, and actual trial of cases. Click here to read a copy of the judges' resolution.