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Aileen Vargas, Intern

The Pre-Law Fellowship Continues

By News

On Saturday April 13th, UCLI held the second Pre-Law Fellowship Workshop at the SJ Quinney College of Law in Salt Lake City. This session was crafted to provide Fellows with an understanding of the components of a law school application, the admission process, and the typical daily experiences of a law student. Additionally, Fellows had the opportunity to tour the premises and engage in a panel discussion. 

At the beginning of the session, Fellows embarked on a brief tour of the premises to acquaint themselves with the school’s offerings. Following the tour, Paula Gluzman, with Spivey Consulting, took the floor to discuss the intricacies of the law school application process. Throughout her presentation, Fellows got insights into the CAS report, recommendation letters, and how to submit applications on LSAC. Following this segment, UCLI interns Urah Goh and Christina Rodriguez facilitated a panel discussion featuring Isabel Moreno, the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at SJ Quinney College of Law; Dean Reyes Aguilar, the Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid; along with law students Bree Spaulding and Nate Bramhall. Post-discussion, Fellows had the opportunity to ask questions to the panelists. 

After the panel, a brief “get-to-know-you” session was conducted for those who couldn’t attend the initial Pre-Law Fellowship workshop. Following this activity, Fellows enjoyed lunch and had the chance to network with the panel members for the remainder of the workshop. 

We would like to thank the SJ Quinney College of Law for providing the venue for the workshop and for attending. Thank you to Paula Gluzman for her presentation on the law school application and the panel members. We also extend our gratitude to our sponsors Kirton McConkie, University of Utah Office of General Counsel, LSAC DEI Pipeline, Utah Bar Foundation, and Family Law Executive Committee Bar Section for their invaluable contributions to this program.

Third Annual UCLI Fundraiser Luncheon, “Mentorship Matters”

By News

On March  21st, 2024, the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion held its Third Annual Fundraiser Luncheon: Mentorship Matters at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek. We were grateful to be joined by nearly 250 guests, representing numerous law firms across the state, as well as Utah’s courts, and other organizations. We were also grateful to be accompanied by Ray Quinney & Nebeker and Parsons Behle & Latimer as our Impact Sponsors, as well as our incredible guest speakers. 

The event began with co-chair board member Fran Wikstrom, welcoming all attendees and introducing this year’s fundraiser theme “Mentorship Matters”, the importance of mentorship, and the work UCLI is continuing to do in supporting mentorship. Fran then segued into introducing the first Impact Sponsor, Nichole Briceno representing Ray Quinney & Nebeker as well as the second Impact Sponsor, Christina Jepson representing Parsons Behle & Latimer. After short words from the Impact Sponsors, sixth grade teacher Mr. John Arthur was introduced onto the stage. There was an epic chest bump and a standing ovation before he was even through with his speech. After Mr. Arthur’s inspiring words about mentoring the students in his classroom and UCLI’s Meadowlark Mentoring Program, attendees were then introduced to Utah State Bar President Erik Christiansen, who spoke about why one should choose to donate to support UCLI and how all donations would be met 1:1 by a matching grant from the Florence J. Gillmor Foundation. After Erik Christiansen, Noami Botchway, a current BYU Law Student and recipient of the Utah Legal Inclusion Fellowship (sponsored by UCLI, Intermountain Health and Kirton McConkie), took over the stage with her wisdom and experiences with mentorship. Following Naomi’s words, attendees were presented on a video filmed and edited by current UCLI Interns Aileen Vargas, Urah Goh, and Christina Rodriguez. This outreach video is titled “Voices of the Rising Generation”. The short video captured different individuals on their perspective on mentorship. The video can be found here

After the video, keynote speaker Dr. Christy Glass was introduced. Dr. Glass is a professor of sociology at Utah State University. She offered profound perspectives on mentorship and its significance, emphasizing her key message: unlocking mentorship’s transformative power benefits both others and ourselves. You may view her inspiring and practically helpful presentation here

The Luncheon also featured a silent auction with 25 different items. Items including Utah Jazz 360 club tickets, Snowbird lift passes, tickets to the Leonardo, and other exciting items. We are very grateful for everyone that contributed to the silent auction. 

Thank you to all who attended the 2024 UCLI Fundraiser Luncheon and for your generous donations and support. The individual donations and silent auction bids – when matched by the Florence J. Gillmor Foundation – will total $26,000. All of these funds will go towards advancing UCLI’s mission, providing mentorship and resources to students as they make it and to and through law school and beyond. We are grateful to have another successful event and to have guests be able to attend and support UCLI’s mission. Without each individual, organization, and law firm, UCLI would not be where it is today. 

 

Thank you to our Impact Sponsors

Ray Quinney & Nebeker 

Parsons Behle & Latimer

 

Thank you to our Scholarship Sponsors

Kunzler Bean & Adamson

Rocky Mountain Advisory

Keller Preece

 

Thank you to our Table Sponsors

Strong & Hanni

TraskBritt

Foley & Lardner

Kirton McConkie

Snell & Wilmer

Greenberg Traurig

And Justice For All

Holland & Hart

Workman Nydegger

Young Lawyers Division

Spencer Fane

Parr Brown

UMBA

Lowenstein Sandler

 

Thank you to our Silent Auction Donors

Brighton Ski Resort

Chef Arturo Thompson

Clark Executive Detailing

Natural History Museum of Utah

Snowbird

The Leonardo

Utah Jazz

Utah Olympic Park

Cactus and Tropical

Hale Center Theatre

Healing Mountain Massage

Kings English Bookshop

Centerpointe Legacy Theatre

Downtown Alliance

Kelly Fletcher Jewelry

Tuacahn

Utah Symphony/Utah Opera

Caffe Molise

Ballet West

First Annual UCLI Fundraiser Luncheon

By News

On March 24, 2022, the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion held its First Annual Fundraising Luncheon at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek. Over 200 guests attended the event, representing large and small law firms across the state, Utah’s courts, and other organizations. It was wonderful to be together in person as members of the legal community and to hear from MCs Justice Paige Petersen and Kristen Olsen, as well as from the many excellent speakers.

The program began with an introduction to UCLI’s mission statement, partnerships, and current programs, including the Certification Program, PLEDGE, and Tracking Progress initiatives. Several guest speakers shared information about UCLI’s current mentorship programs and their positive effects. Mr. John Arthur, 2021 Utah Teacher of the Year, shared the progress and development of his sixth grade students at Meadowlark Elementary School, who have been mentored each week by volunteer lawyers to help them with their critical thinking and writing skills. Arin Perkins, a 1L at the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney College of Law, and Wayne Latu, a 3L at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark College of Law, spoke about their experiences as law students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, and how the Utah Law Student Mentoring program has encouraged them and helped them make meaningful connections in the legal community. Guests then heard from the keynote speaker, Justice Christine Durham, who served as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1982 to 2017 and as Chief Justice from 2002 to 2012. She spoke of her experiences as one of the first women in Utah’s legal community, the challenges she had to face, and the progress in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion that has been made and is yet to be made in the state. You may view a recording of her keynote address here. We are grateful for her attendance, her inspiring presentation, and her life-long service to the people of Utah. 

At the close of this event, UCLI announced a new scholarship in Justice Durham’s honor: the Justice Christine M. Durham Equity Scholarship. This scholarship is intended to facilitate the legal education of an individual who shows a demonstrated commitment to and great potential for pushing forward the cause of justice, equity, and inclusiveness in Utah’s legal profession. Someone who, like Justice Durham, will make the legal field a better place for all who follow. We invite you to donate towards this scholarship fund here

The Luncheon also featured a silent auction with over thirty items; nearly $4,000 was raised from the auction items alone, and we are very grateful for the kind support of everyone involved. The silent auction and ticketing proceeds will contribute to the UCLI programming that benefits current and future lawyers in our state. UCLI is grateful to all the guests that attended, spoke, and donated at this year’s luncheon, and looks forward to future events and the progress that will continue to be made toward change, justice, and equal representation within the legal profession in Utah.

Thank you to our Event Sponsors

Ballard Spahr

Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School

Dentons

Disability Law Center

DOJ

Dorsey Whitney

Fabian VanCott

Greenberg Traurig

Jones Waldo

Keller Jolley Preece

Kirton McConkie

Lowenstein Sandler

Mountain Mediation Center

Parr Brown

Parsons Behle

Ray Quinney & Nebeker

Rocky Mountain Advisory

Snell & Wilmer

Strong & Hanni

TraskBritt

Utah Bar

Utah Legal Services

Women Lawyers of Utah

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

Young Lawyers Division

Zimmerman Booher

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