Shatz Elected to California Academy of Appellate Lawyers January 24, 2017 Manatt's Ben Shatz, co-chair of the firm’s appellate practice, was elected this month to the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers. Founded in 1972, the Academy is the nation’s oldest lawyers’ organization dedicated to appellate practice. The organization comprises California lawyers with substantial appellate experience, who are elected to membership after scrutiny of their skill in advocacy before the appellate courts. A frequent author and lecturer, Shatz has briefed hundreds of civil appeals, writs and petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals, California Supreme Court and California Courts of Appeal, covering areas of law including anti-SLAPP, entertainment, copyright, trademark, employment, land use, banking, insurance, punitive damages, class actions and unfair competition. In order to qualify for admission, an attorney must have been lead counsel in at least 25 appeals. Among other requirements, the candidate must have presented oral argument in at least 15 appeals. The membership committee reviews the candidate’s appellate briefs in prior appeals (together with their opponents’ briefs and the court’s decision), and obtains recommendations from former opponents as well as co-counsel and judges. The committee’s recommendations are presented to the full membership at one of the Academy’s three annual meetings. Roughly 200 attorneys have been admitted to the Academy in its four decade history.
