The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is proud to recognize Kirton McConkie as a champion sponsor for the 2025 Sustaining Sponsorship. Through this sponsorship, Kirton McConkie provides critical groundwork in expanding legal access across the state and allows UCLI to advance opportunities within Utah’s legal profession.
As a founding sponsor in 2020, Kirton McConkie played a pivotal role in shaping UCLI’s vision and reach from the beginning. In the years since, the firm’s steadfast commitment to UCLI and its mission has gone beyond funding. They have opened their doors to share their expertise, and they lead by example of what Utah’s legal profession offers.
This year, Kirton McConkie’s generous contribution again reflects their deep-rooted commitment to building a more inclusive and accessible legal field. As our very first champion-level sponsor, Kirton McConkie has demonstrated consistent leadership, mentorship, and engagement with UCLI in ways that will continue to impact future attorneys. They consistently participate in UCLI’s certification program, helping promote best practices for belonging within law firms; host key UCLI gatherings, including events for the Pre-Law Fellowship program, providing space and support to diverse students looking to go into law; and support the annual UCLI fundraiser luncheon as an event sponsor.
Jonathan Hafen, UCLI Fiduciary Board member states, “Kirton McConkie continues to provide exemplary leadership in our legal community. They continually invest in people and organizations and create growth opportunities for all. UCLI is so fortunate to have such a consistent and reliable supporter.”
Kirton McConkie’s financial and practical support impacts the lives of real people, like Cecilia Abalos, a Kirton McConkie employee. Cecilia joined the firm during college and works as a receptionist at the firm’s headquarters in Salt Lake City. Since joining Kirton McConkie, Cecilia has caught the vision for what the legal profession can provide and the good it can do within the community. Cecilia shared:
Kirton McConkie is the reason I considered pursuing a legal career. For most of my life, law was never on my radar. In fact, if you asked me a year ago what I’d be doing after college, I probably would’ve said just about anything except law. No one in my family had even touched the idea of law school, so it felt like something that was simply always going to be completely out of reach. But everything changed when I started working at Kirton McConkie. I wasn’t even in a legal role—just a front desk receptionist, expecting to hold down a temporary job while finishing school. But the firm became more than a workplace. It became a window into an entirely new world. I found myself surrounded by attorneys whose passion and purpose sparked something within me. I met people who saw potential in me before I even saw it in myself.
At the recommendation of an attorney colleague, Cecilia decided to apply for the UCLI Pre-Law Fellowship program, one of the programs supported by Kirton McConkie’s generosity, and was accepted in 2025. Now a fellow within the program, Cecilia is working on her own law school application. She received free access to an LSAT study program and studies for 15 hours per week. She plans to take the exam in September. About her experience, Cecilia states:
At Kirton McConkie, I’ve never felt like “just” the receptionist. I’ve been encouraged, valued, and uplifted. I’ve felt seen, heard, and empowered. I’ve been aligned with opportunities and placed in positions to grow at every turn. My colleagues have shown me time and again that they are genuinely rooting for me to succeed and that they fully believe I can.
As a full-time employee since I was old enough to work, coming from an immigrant family and navigating countless socioeconomic obstacles, the firm’s support has been absolutely transformative. While balancing work and school, they prioritized my education, accommodated my schedule, and championed every opportunity for my personal and professional growth.
Kirton McConkie helped me realize that I belong in this space. The people I’ve met and the support I’ve received here have shaped not just my career path, but who I am as a person, and I couldn’t be more thankful.
Seeing real impact on real people drives Kirton McConkie’s engagement with UCLI and the willingness to continue supporting the organization. “Supporting UCLI is personal to us,” says Rob Walker, president of Kirton McConkie. “We want to help create a dynamic legal community of unique perspectives where everyone discovers and believes in an achievable path for success.”
We are proud to honor Kirton McConkie’s ongoing partnership, and we express gratitude for their generous support on many levels. Together, we look forward to continuing UCLI’s mission of building a legal profession that reflects the full talent and potential of our Utah communities.
UCLI Fiduciary Board Co-Chair Justice Christine Durham and UCLI Fiduciary Board Member Jon Hafen meet with Kirton McConkie President Robert Walker and Kirton McConkie Director of Administration Ken Olson for lunch on June 16, 2025.
Director of Administration Ken Olson presents at a 2024 Pre-Law Fellowship Seminar hosted at the Kirton McConkie offices in March 2024.
Cecilia Abalos, Front Desk Receptionist at Kirton McConkie & Utah Center for Legal Inclusion 2025 Pre-Law Fellow.
