UCLI Welcomes New Interim Executive Director Aida Neimarlija
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) welcomes Aida Neimarlija as its new interim executive director.
“We are thrilled that Aida has accepted this position,” said Kristen Olsen, UCLI co-president. “She brings a new energy and perspective to our efforts to advance equity and inclusion in the legal profession in Utah.”
Aida immigrated to the United States as a refugee in 1994. After a brief stay in New York City, she and her family took a three-day train ride and moved to Utah. Aida has called Utah home since, completing both her undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Utah.
After earning her Political Science and Economics degrees, Aida was a legislative intern with the Utah Attorney General’s Office where she worked with the Attorney General in promoting legislation benefitting minorities and the underprivileged members of the Utah community. During law school, she interned at the Securities and Exchange Commission, served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge William A. Thorne, Jr. in the Utah Court of Appeals, and was a part of the prosecution team at the Special Department for War Crimes of the Prosecutor’s Office in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina.
As an attorney, Aida has litigated various cases in both state and federal courts, including commercial and business disputes, intellectual property disputes, real estate disputes, catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, and legal malpractice cases. She has conducted bench and jury trials both as first and second chair and has obtained significant results for clients. Before becoming UCLI’s Executive Director, she was a partner at Gross & Rooney and at Burbidge Mitchell and Gross where she practiced for eight years. Before that, she also practiced at an international litigation firm Howrey LLP where she worked in the areas of Securities Litigation and Commercial Trial, focusing on complex commercial matters such as accountant’s liability defense, copyright infringement litigation, and contract disputes.
Aida’s biggest professional passion has long been promoting minorities, women and other disadvantaged groups both in her community and the legal field. She most enjoys her time with her toddler and husband, whether it is traveling the globe or playing at home.
The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the goals of equity and inclusion in Utah’s legal profession. By coordinating with the Utah State Bar and its affinity groups, legal employers, government agencies, educational institutions, and community partners, UCLI strives to enhance organizational inclusion, facilitate educational opportunities and professional advancement for students and attorneys with diverse backgrounds, assist in eliminating bias in Utah’s justice system, and track the progress of legal inclusion efforts throughout the state. UCLI invites all to participate in its inclusion initiatives, which will help strengthen Utah’s legal institutions in an increasingly diverse state.
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