Kaitlyn Pieper, Executive Director

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is guided by a mission to expand opportunity, cultivate belonging, and strengthen Utah’s legal community for everyone in the state. Advancing this work depends on the dedication and generosity of volunteers, legal professionals, and philanthropic partners who share a commitment to these values.

UCLI is grateful to receive support for the first year ever from the Jennifer and Scott Huntsman Family Fund. This grant was administered by the Community Foundation of Utah at the recommendation of the Jennifer and Scott Huntsman Family Fund – CFU. By connecting charitable giving with initiatives that create meaningful impact across the state, the Community Foundation of Utah plays an important role in supporting stronger Utah communities, and UCLI appreciates its partnership in this process. As this grant was pledged during UCLI’s Fundraiser Luncheon campaign, it was subject to a double match – making its impact even greater. 

This funding provides valuable general operating support for UCLI’s efforts throughout Utah’s legal educational landscape. Flexible support of this kind allows UCLI to maintain and expand initiatives such as the PLEDGE Program (Promoting Legal Education to Diverse Groups Everywhere), which offers mentoring, academic guidance, and scholarship opportunities to students from elementary school through law school. It also helps advance UCLI’s broader mission of increasing access, opportunity, and connection within the legal profession.

UCLI sincerely appreciates the support of the Jennifer and Scott Huntsman Family. Together, we are helping create a more inclusive, engaged, and informed future for Utah’s legal community.

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is delighted to announce a new initiative, the Utah Legal Inclusion Award. This award celebrates an individual or organization in Utah’s legal community that leads with purpose and compassion to expand inclusion and opportunity in the law. It will be awarded every year in conjunction with the annual UCLI Fundraiser Luncheon, which takes place annually in the spring.

In 2026, we are proud to announce that the Intermountain Health Legal Department has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Utah Legal Inclusion Award. Intermountain Health was selected in recognition of their meaningful action and innovative efforts to promote a more welcoming legal profession, including through the implementation of the Utah Legal Inclusion Fellowship in collaboration with Kirton McConkie and UCLI. The Fellowship is a truly impactful program that has been improving professional opportunities for law students since 2022. Intermountain Health’s engagement in initiatives such as the UCLI Certification Program, the UCLI Sustaining Sponsorship, and many mentorship programs have also been meaningful and inspiring to others in the legal community.

UCLI had the opportunity to honor Intermountain Health’s Legal Department at the annual Fundraiser Luncheon: Building Impact Together. This event was held on April 22, 2026 at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek. In addition to providing the award to Intermountain Health’s Chief Legal Officer, Greg Matis, UCLI also premiered a brief film featuring members of the team and highlighting the efforts that led to this recognition. This film may be viewed here. 

We are deeply grateful for Intermountain Health Legal Department’s continued engagement and leadership within Utah’s legal community, and congratulate them on the service-oriented, people-focused work they do.

Jon Hafen presents the 2026 Utah Legal Inclusion Award to Greg Matis, Chief Legal Officer at Intermountain Health.

Members of Intermountain Health’s Legal Department celebrate their award.

Members of Intermountain Health’s Legal Department stand for recognition as the 2026 Utah Legal Inclusion Award recipient at the UCLI Fundraiser Luncheon.

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion is proud to announce the legal employers that participated in and completed all requirements for the 2025 Certification Program. Through the Certification Program, legal employers statewide participate in a program that gives them resources to create their office culture effectively and deliberately. The program provides a five-requirement certification process for legal employers that allows them to set goals regarding their workplace strategies and practices, support meaningful causes in the broader community that help improve mentorship and retention, and evaluate their current performance through an annual survey. Additionally, the program provides training on relevant topics for legal employers for CLE credit. In all, we offer this program in order to commit to the mission of greater access and opportunity in the Utah legal field. 

Last year, 62 legal employers participated in the program, 17 completed all five requirements for certification. Many other employers completed some but not all of the goals. As an organization, we are grateful for the dedication and commitment expressed by all the legal employers who participate in the program.

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion would like to congratulate the following firms for completing the 2025 UCLI Certification Program. Your efforts have never been more important or meaningful.

2025 UCLI Certified Organizations: 

Fabian VanCott

Greenberg Traurig

Holland & Hart

Intermountain Health

Keller Preece

Kirton McConkie

Kunzler Bean & Adamson

Maschoff Brennan 

Michael Best & Friedrich 

Parr Brown Gee & Loveless

Parsons Behle & Latimer 

Ray Quinney & Nebeker 

SF Firm

Spencer Fane

Strong & Hanni 

Utah Association for Justice

Workman Nydegger

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is grateful to be a first-time recipient of a generous grant from the Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL Foundation). Like UCLI, the ACTL Foundation is dedicated to the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. The ACTL Foundation supports initiatives that strengthen the legal profession by advancing advocacy excellence, ethical practice, and the administration of justice through education and outreach.

This first-time award will support a new, one-time initiative within UCLI’s educational outreach program, Promoting Legal Education to Diverse Groups Everywhere (PLEDGE). PLEDGE provides free resources and opportunities for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds at the K-12, undergraduate, and law school levels, reaching around 500 individuals across Utah each year. The grant will fund the creation of a statewide outreach video, “See Yourself As A Lawyer,” aimed at middle- and high-school students in public schools throughout Utah, along with a podcast focused on pre-law resources and pathways to law school for high school and undergraduate students. Together, these tools will help demystify the legal profession and provide practical guidance for students interested in pursuing a legal career.

UCLI is honored to be selected as a grant recipient in 2025 and is deeply grateful to the Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers for their partnership. Through their support, more young people in Utah and across the nation will be able to see a future for themselves in the law. As students of all backgrounds attend law school and become legal professionals, the legal profession will become more robust and better capable of administering justice.

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) could not accomplish its mission without the dedication of community members who volunteer their time and expertise, and without the generous donors and foundations who provide vital financial support.

For the fourth consecutive year, UCLI is honored to receive a grant from the B.W. Bastian Foundation. The Foundation works to build community and understanding by supporting both local and national institutions, with a particular focus on the arts and educational outreach. It places a strong emphasis on programs and organizations that advance equality, uphold individual rights, and promote inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. UCLI and the B.W. Bastian Foundation share a common vision of a legal profession that is welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ+ individuals, and UCLI is deeply grateful to be among the Foundation’s 2025 grant recipients.

Like the B.W. Bastian Foundation, UCLI is committed to preserving and enhancing the rights, equality, and fair treatment of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Thanks to this grant, UCLI will continue its LGBTQ+ outreach through the PLEDGE Program (Promoting Legal Education to Diverse Groups Everywhere). Over the past year, these funds have supported networking events for LGBTQ+ law students in Utah and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) opportunities for attorneys focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion. In 2026, this grant will enable UCLI to continue hosting networking events for LGBTQ+ law students, expand CLE offerings on related topics, and provide direct support for an LGBTQ+ participant in the 2026 Pre-Law Fellowship program.

We are grateful to continue this important work and extend our heartfelt thanks to the donors who make it possible. Thank you to the B.W. Bastian Foundation for your meaningful contributions to our community and your generous support of UCLI’s mission.

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is driven by a mission to expand opportunity, foster belonging, and build a stronger legal community for all. These goals can only be achieved through the generosity and partnership of volunteers, legal professionals, and philanthropic organizations that believe in this shared vision.

UCLI is honored to be a first-time recipient of support from the Henry W. & Leslie M. Eskuche Foundation. Established to advance Henry and Leslie Eskuche’s legacy of generosity, the Foundation seeks to enhance quality of life by supporting initiatives in education, health, human services, and the arts. Its guiding philosophy emphasizes compassion, lifelong learning, and meaningful impact – all values that strongly align with UCLI’s work across Utah’s legal and educational landscapes.

With this grant, UCLI will continue its PLEDGE Program (Promoting Legal Education to Diverse Groups Everywhere), which provides mentoring, guidance, and scholarship opportunities to students from elementary school through law school. This support enables UCLI to open doors for Utahns from all backgrounds to pursue legal education and professional success.

UCLI is deeply grateful to the Eskuche Foundation for its investment in education and inclusion, and for its commitment to creating lasting change in the community. Together, we are helping build pathways toward a more inclusive and informed future for Utah’s legal profession.