Manatt appellate partner Benjamin Shatz authored an article for Daily Journal about how California and federal courts address the issue of missing appellate attorneys during oral arguments. In the article, Shatz noted that the “oral argument is the climax of the appellate process,” and that while absences are rare, they have been known to occur. He also pointed out that while it’s exceptional for appellate attorneys to miss oral arguments, the federal appeals court has promulgated specific rules outlining how hearings can proceed in the event of an absent attorney, and that the California Supreme Court has a policy of issuing sanctions against attorneys that do not appear before the court for oral arguments.