News

Women Lawyers of Utah (WLU) and the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) were pleased to co-host an evening discussion with Justice Durham and friends on the future of diversity and inclusion in Utah, particularly as it relates to the retention of women in the legal profession. The event was held on July 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Federal Courthouse, in the Jury Assembly Room. Before beginning, WLU presented the Christine M. Durham Woman Lawyer of the Year Award to Jacey Skinner. This award recognizes an outstanding woman in the legal profession who exemplifies professionalism, excellence, and a dedication to furthering the opportunities for women in the law. Jacey Skinner has held a variety of senior leadership roles in Utah state government, and her expertise includes all areas of government related legal issues. In accepting the award, she spoke about the importance of having a supportive community and thanked WLU for providing that to her throughout her legal career.

Following the presentation of this award, Justice Durham introduced the topic by highlighting some of the grave issues Utah faces today in the context of equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging – particularly in the legal profession. The panel was comprised of an incredible line-up of presenters which included Mickell Jimenez, Partner at Holland & Hart; Christina Jepson, Shareholder at Parsons Behle & Latimer; Andrea Martinez, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney; and Kim Cordova, Partner at Brass & Cordova. Each panelist in turn spoke to the topics, highlighting that despite the challenges and legal action that law firms are being threatened with, there is still a lot that we can all do. They reiterated the business case for DEI, and spoke to the ways that incorporating equitable programs and initiatives can benefit all employees. They talked about the need to push ourselves and step outside of our comfort zones in order to be in places of influence and create better outcomes for other people. The panel was inspiring and left event attendees with great information and lots of resolve to continue to help Utah’s legal profession reach its full potential.

Christina Jepson provides information about the state of DEI in Utah’s legal profession

Justice Christine Durham engages with audience members

Jacey Skinner is presented with the Woman Lawyer of the Year Award

Andrea Martinez shares her insights during the panel

UCLI is excited to kick off a back-to-school drive to support and empower students from underserved backgrounds. We are partnering with the Boys and Girls Club to provide school supplies for K-12 students across Utah. The schools involved range from Provo, Orem, and North Utah County to South Utah County, Beaver County, Iron County, Wasatch County, and Washington County; see the complete list of schools affiliated with the Boys and Girls Club here.

Students at these schools are in need of backpacks, basic school supplies, and hygiene items. All donations will be organized by UCLI volunteers and dropped off to the Boys and Girls Club, who will distribute the items to elementary, middle, and high school students in need. We are accepting donations until August 9th. 

To donate, you may either:

• Purchase your item directly from the Amazon UCLI Back-to-School Drive link; your item will be shipped directly to UCLI
• Donate to UCLI using this link; we will ensure that the funds received go directly towards the highest-priority items

Your generous donations will make a significant impact by ensuring that students start the school year with the necessary tools to succeed. Your support is not just a donation but a powerful tool that can change the trajectory of a student’s academic journey. Providing these supplies helps to level the playing field, giving every student a fair chance to excel academically, regardless of their socioeconomic background. Thank you for supporting this drive and contributing to a culture of empathy, collaboration, and respect. You are playing a crucial role in fostering an inclusive environment where all students feel valued and supported, which is essential for their personal and academic growth and essential to creating an equitable society. We hope the recipients of this drive can thrive academically and join other UCLI pipeline initiatives down the road – maybe even joining Utah’s legal community someday! 

Thank you for your commitment to making a difference in the lives of Utah’s students. If you have any questions or issues, please reach out to .

Session 2 of the 2024 UCLI CLE Series was held on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 via Zoom. The CLE was titled, “Procrastinator Series – What Affects a Lawyer’s Competence?: A Discussion of Rule 1 and Its Comments”. The panel discussion was part of the Utah State Bar’s June “Procrastinator Series” to coincide with the approaching CLE compliance deadline, and was moderated by Jonathan Hafen of Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless. Jonathan is also a UCLI board member and is also chair of both the UCLI and Utah State Bar CLE committees. He was joined by five panelists Jacob Kent, Director of Litigation, Utah Legal Services, Aida Neimarlija, General Counsel, Larry H. Miller Real Estate, Jessica Ramirez, Attorney, Kirkland & Ellis, Olivia Rossi, Attorney, Office of Guardian ad Litem, and Erin Strahm, Attorney, Utah State Court Self-Help Center. The event was attended by over 800 attorneys who were able to hear from the panelists and their rich variety of work experiences and environments about how to manage well-being and build a sense of community and belonging in our legal workplaces. Managing these aspects of our environment is vital to an attorney’s competence to practice law.

The starting point of the discussion is comment nine to rule 1 of the Utah Rules of Professional Conduct published in 2023 which states: “(9)Lawyers should be aware that their mental, emotional, and physical well-being may impact their ability to represent clients and, as such, is an important aspect of maintaining competence to practice law and compliance with the standards of professionalism and civility. Resources supporting lawyer well-being are available through the Utah State Bar.” Each attorney shared about their workplaces, the unique opportunities and challenges in each setting, and the things they are doing to help support attorney wellbeing and community building.

Jacob Kent shared about Utah Legal Services and the important work they do. This work involves clients in crisis, many of whom are also experiencing domestic violence and other traumatic circumstances. The struggle for attorneys in this setting is to not let that trauma become transitive to the attorneys’ personal lives and mental and emotional well-being. For supervisors in this setting, regular check-ins with attorneys are key to staying on top of morale and well-being. They also hold regular get togethers outside of work to connect on non-work topics and hobbies.

Olivia Rossi shared similar sentiments working in the Guardian ad Litem’s office with clients who are all in various degrees of crisis. She mentioned how this setting requires another level of competence to meet the needs of clients who are often young and unable to advocate on their own behalf. In her experience it is key to have other outlets to release stress. Crafting is a go to for many attorneys outside of work hours to keep balance and wellbeing.

Jessica Ramirez presented the challenges and rewards of working in BigLaw. Ironically, these offices with hundreds of attorneys across several offices can sometimes create environments of isolation and loneliness. The Salt Lake office of Kirkland & Ellis has done a great job to combat this and create teams that operate collaboratively. Among other things, they provide opportunities for young attorneys to take ownership of parts of cases to begin to gain experience and competence as their careers progress.

Erin Strahm highlighted the great work attorneys at the Utah State Courts Self-Help Center (Center) provide to the State of Utah, and unrepresented litigants in particular. The Center also works with many who are in crisis. They also have the added dynamic of all working remotely from various places throughout the Wasatch Front. This work setup has the potential to be isolating. The Center does a good job in their work structure holding multiple check-in meetings each week, and a running group chat to provide ways for attorneys to stay connected. This has been vital for team cohesiveness and morale, providing means for attorneys to ask questions and provide encouragement to one another.

Aida Neimarlija shared her experience in her current in-house position, and also had the chance to share about her time as a solo practitioner earlier in her career. A similar refrain in each of these work settings is they often present a workplace with few attorneys to readily reach out for help and camaraderie. Aida has found it very helpful and rewarding to get involved with bar committees and other legal affinity groups and associations as a way to give back, and to build a supportive community of attorneys to turn to in times of need. Aida also shared a great analogy of plastic and glass balls to explain prioritization and balance in career and life. We are constantly juggling responsibilities and sometimes we need to make sure certain things don’t fall, and also let some things drop at times. The key is to discern what is less important (plastic) and what is non-negotiable (glass). This is different for everyone, and it’s important for every attorney to figure out which is which.

The panel provided an enriching and timely discussion for all attendees to focus and refocus on wellbeing and competence. Jonathan Hafen concluded by echoing a comment from the audience to remember that although we work in an adversarial system, attorneys do not need to be adversaries. This is a good reminder to not only be aware of our own well-being, but also help attorneys around us be their most healthy and competent selves. We extend a large thank you to our moderator, panelists, and the Utah State Bar CLE office for the great CLE. We also extend our thanks to the overwhelming number of participants who joined us. We hope you will join us for our next CLE on August 20, 2024. This session will help to demystify the judicial application and selection process. We look forward to seeing you then.

In our joint endeavor to foster equity and inclusion, UCLI and Mountain Mediation have been collaborating. The impact of Mountain Mediation’s distinctive approach, which focuses on community cohesion across Summit and Wasatch counties, is truly remarkable. Their diverse strategy, encompassing mediation services, landlord-tenant programs, communications training, and Community Conversations, has significantly bolstered the stability and harmony of our community. Notably, MMC’s comprehensive eviction diversion program is a testament to their unwavering commitment to ensuring the local workforce remains housed, further highlighting its unique approach.

Mountain Mediation’s outreach strategy is comprehensive, involving partnerships with over 15 community centers and collaborations with organizations like the Christian Center of Park City’s mobile food pantries. These partnerships deliver crucial education and resources in the parking lots of local apartment complexes, aiming to educate tenants and prevent conflict when possible.

Recognizing the powerful role of effective communication in creating healthy communities and trusting relationships, Mountain Mediation offers tailored communication training. This training is designed to address and improve both organizational and personal communication needs, demonstrating the tangible impact of their programs.

UCLI is proud to support MMC’s internship program for the third year in a row through a monetary donation, which directly benefits interns like Lance Rothchild, and supports the rising generation of students with an interest in the law. We also want to express our deep appreciation for Gretchen Lee, a pivotal contact who not only facilitates our collaboration but also plays a significant role in the success of our partnership. Her dedication and hard work are truly instrumental, and we are deeply grateful for them! Additionally, volunteers form the cornerstone of MMC’s outreach efforts, contributing their time and skills.

As we continue our partnership with Mountain Mediation, UCLI not only celebrates our shared commitment to empowering individuals, fostering understanding, and building resilient communities but also renews our dedication to this noble cause. Together, we can make a difference! Check out Mountain Mediation Center’s website here.

Mountain Mediation’s Outreach Coordinator Valeria Jimenez shares information and tenant resources at a Park City Mobile food pantry event. These outreach events occur throughout the summer and across Summit & Wasatch Counties.

Valeria and Mountain Mediation volunteer & attorney, Shannon, presented the basics about lease agreements at a Tenant Education Workshop in partnership with US Bank.

UCLI would like to congratulate and welcome our Durham Fellows for the 2024-2025 school year, Aliza Murad from the University of Utah SJ Quinney College of Law and Madelyn Poston from the Brigham Young University Law School. The fellowship is named in honor of Justice Christine Durham, former Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, current attorney at Wilson Sonsini, and UCLI Co-chair. This fellowship is intended to help facilitate the legal education of law students who show a demonstrated commitment to furthering the cause of justice, equity, and inclusiveness in Utah’s legal profession. Someone, who, like Justice Durham, will make the legal profession in Utah better for future generations.

The Durham Fellowship is awarded to two law students who serve for the duration of a given school year. One student is chosen from each of the two law schools in Utah. It includes a stipend which may be used toward tuition, housing, and other living expenses. Fellows partner with UCLI staff and committees to facilitate and improve law school programs and scholarships. We had a great group of applicants again this year which is a reflection of the quality of law schools we are lucky to have here in Utah.

We thank the many firms, organizations, and individuals who donate to Utah to make the Durham Fellowship, and other UCLI programs possible.

Please read more about Aliza and Madelyn below:

Aliza Murad, 2L, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

Aliza Murad is an incoming 2L at S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, and currently a summer associate at Ballard Spahr LLP. As a Pakistani American immigrant who came to the U.S. at age 10, Aliza’s experiences have profoundly shaped her commitment to service, inclusion, and community engagement. At S.J. Quinney, Aliza is actively involved in the Minority Law Caucus, the Student Litigation Society, and the Social Justice Initiative. She is honored to be elected Vice President of both the Minority Law Caucus and the Federal Bar Association. This Fall, she will also intern for Judge Kimball at the Utah Federal District Court. Through these experiences and the Durham Fellowship Aliza plans to build a future career in civil rights and social justice law. She also plans to mentor and support future law students from diverse backgrounds, helping to pave the way for a more inclusive legal profession.

Aliza Murad

Madelyn Poston, 2L, Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School

Madelyn is a law student at BYU Law going into her second year this fall. She holds a BFA in Graphic Design with minors in Spanish and Environmental Sustainability from the University of Utah. She was born and raised in Utah with proud Guatemalan and Mexican American heritage. Fluent in Spanish and English, Madelyn constantly aims to blend her cultural roots with her professional endeavors.  She is committed to advancing the needs of her community through dedicated advocacy and impactful legal work. In her free time, Madelyn enjoys being outside, reading novels that have nothing to do with the law, and doodling. 

Madelyn Poston

Expert Guidance and Mentorship for Law School Applications

Our fourth UCLI & Kirton McConkie Pre-Law Fellowship Workshop, held on Saturday, June 1st, was a unique experience! We were hosted by the Disability Law Center in the And Justice for All building in downtown Salt Lake City, providing an excellent venue and lunch for everyone in attendance. Special recognition goes to Mary Anne Davies, the Supervising Attorney at the Disability Law Center, for coordinating the event and taking time out of her weekend to join us.

We kicked off with a fun get-to-know-you activity, followed by a special guest, Paula Gluzman, a consultant and the director of Diversity & Inclusion at Spivey Consulting Group. The workshop delved into the intricacies of diversity and personal statements for law school applications, offering our Fellows a one-of-a-kind opportunity to gain detailed guidance on these crucial components. The diversity statement, a key element of the law school application, has often been misunderstood. However, its significance was amplified in June 2023 when the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions that altered race-conscious admissions policies. This prompted law schools to reevaluate how they address diversity in their applications, making our workshop’s focus on this topic particularly timely and relevant. As a result, diversity statements now vary widely from school to school. Thus, we are incredibly grateful to Paula for clarifying this evolving process and guiding each of our Fellows through the challenging task of writing these essential parts of their law school applications.

After receiving personalized feedback, the Fellows worked with mentors to apply their learning to their writing. Our mentors included Briggs Matheson from the US Attorney’s Office, Juliana Yee from Munger, Tolles & Olson, Zachary Scott Roemer from Kirkland & Ellis, Justin Ly from  Keller Preece, and Melinda Bowen from Spencer Fane. We are deeply grateful to the attorneys who generously volunteered their time to join our workshop last week, demonstrating their commitment to improving our community. The Fellows’ monthly seminars, held at different venues each time, offer a unique opportunity to interact with a variety of legal professionals and environments. If your firm is interested in hosting Fellowship meetings in the future, we would be thrilled to hear from you!

We extend our immense thanks to Paula Gluzman and the attorneys for their contributions to the 2024 Pre-Law Fellows. We also sincerely appreciate the support from our program sponsors, Kirton McConkie, the University of Utah Office of General Counsel, LSAC DEI Pipeline, Utah Bar Foundation, and the Family Law Executive Committee Bar Section, for making this event possible.

The 2023-24 school year marked the fourth year of UCLI’s mentoring program with Mr. John Arthur’s 6th grade class at Meadowlark Elementary. Meadowlark is located in the Rose Park neighborhood on the west side of Salt Lake City. This is one of the oldest and most rewarding programs UCLI has been involved in. The program grew out of necessity during the pandemic. Mr. Arthur, or “Captain” as his students affectionately refer to him, noticed a need to help his students to remain engaged and on pace during the remote learning period of the early COVID-19 pandemic. He turned to his good friend Melina Shiraldi, who is an attorney in the Salt Lake City US Attorney’s office. Together they developed the idea to bring attorneys into the classroom via Zoom to mentor students with their writing skills. The program was immediately effective and popular.

The program was so successful that Mr. Arthur decided to continue it after his students returned to the classroom. UCLI has been partnering with the class ever since. On most Fridays during the school year, 20-30 attorneys Zoom into the classroom to help students improve their creative and persuasive writing skills. In the past few years attorney mentors have also taken the opportunity to visit the classroom, or to have the class visit their law firm offices. Last year’s class was also lucky enough to visit the Utah Supreme Court and meet several of the Justices.

This year was no different. The mentoring was successful and enjoyable for all involved. The year’s mentoring ended in mid-May with a kickball and cupcake party. Mentors were able to help students craft the perfect message for their Mothers Day cards. The group then had cupcakes and donuts and enjoyed a rousing game of kickball where the mentors faced off against the mentees.

UCLI is grateful for Mr. Arthur and his wonderful students. This truly is one of the most rewarding programs. The next round of mentoring will begin in the Fall with the 2024-25 school year. If you are interested in participating as a mentor please contact UCLI Associate Director, Jon Wayas, .

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) was able to reach thousands of attorneys both in Utah and nationally through the broad array of CLE offerings in 2023. May of 2024 marks the beginning of UCLI’s offerings in CLE for the year, and has already seen a continuation of the trends set in 2023. UCLI and other partner organizations were able to deliver three great presentations in the month of May.

First, on May 6 UCLI partnered with the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar, Parsons, Behle & Latimer, and the University of Utah SJ Quinney College of Law to present an “Overview of the Bystander Initiative”. The Bystander Initiative at the S.J. Quinney College of Law is led by Professor Amos Guiora and a team of 10 student research assistants dedicated to the work of criminalizing bystanders and enablers of abuse. The Initiative is undertaking numerous projects including a book, law review articles, and legislative efforts that focus on the role of the bystander and enabler in the U.S. and globally. Acknowledging the entire systemic framework around sexual and other abuse is central to the Initiative’s efforts to prevent and prosecute abuse.

The goal of the Bystander Initiative is to:
– Hold enablers and bystanders accountable
– Work with legislators around the world on criminalizing bystanders and enablers
– Engage in widespread education on the harm caused by bystanders and enablers

This event provided the Initiative a platform to present their goals and research findings to the Utah State Bar at large. Professor Guiora was joined by two of his students who have been instrumental in the Initiative, Anna Hall and Diana Pogosyan. The hybrid event was well attended.

The second event on May 7 was the first session of the UCLI 2024 CLE Series. This was titled, “The Great American DEI Discussion”. This was delivered virtually by UCLI Co-President, Christina and her fellow Parsons, Behle & Latimer Shareholder, Michael O’Brien. The two delivered an in-depth discussion of the ramifications of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling in SFFA v. Harvard/UNC. They also discussed the recent bills discussed and passed in the 2024 Utah Legislative session. The narrative centered around what these decisions and laws do now, and what the potential next steps will be legislatively that will likely affect attorneys and the practice of law more directly. The online audience totalled more than 600 attendees who provided lively feedback both for and against the current state of DEI.

The last event was held on May 20 as part of the annual conference of the National Consortium for Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. This year the Utah State Courts and the Office of Fairness and Accountability (OFA) were asked to host this national conference. The conference was held in downtown Salt Lake at the Little America Hotel. The conference and Consortium are concerned with studying and furthering diversity and fairness in state and federal courts across the country. UCLI Associate Jon Wayas was asked by OFA Director Jonathan Puente to convene a panel of the Utah State Bar affinity groups to discuss efforts to build inclusion and opportunities for attorneys of all backgrounds in Utah. The panel included Jessica Ramirez, President of the Utah Minority Bar Association, Amber Stargell, Secretary of the Utah Black Lawyers Association, Brit Merrill, President of the Women Lawyers of Utah, and Anaya Gayle, the President of the LGBTQ+ and Allied Lawyers of Utah. The panel gave these leaders a chance to highlight the successful programs they have established to serve their members and the Utah State Bar as a whole. There was also discussion of the challenges they are facing, and how they are working together to find innovative solutions. This was a successful event which provided another opportunity to highlight the important work these groups are doing with a national audience.

This is just the beginning of the UCLI’s 2024 CLE offerings. Our next session will be an ethics CLE on June 25 as part of the Utah State Bar’s “Procrastinators Series”. There will also be a session on August 20 as part of the Utah State Bar’s Virtual Summer Convention. This session will focus on the judicial application and nomination process in the Utah State Court system. We will have more sessions in the Fall, with more details coming toward the end of the summer. UCLI would like to share our deepest appreciation for all participating CLE faculty members and planning committee, as well as to our partners and sponsors for these recent and future CLE events. We hope you will join us in these discussions for the remainder of 2024.

On Saturday May 11th, UCLI held the third UCLI & Kirton McConkie Pre-Law Fellowship Workshop. Parsons Behle & Latimer kindly offered to host us in their law offices in downtown Salt Lake City, providing a beautiful venue and a great lunch for all participants. Special thanks to Parsons Behle’s Chief People Officer, Nicole Farrell, who made all the necessary arrangements and took time out of her weekend to join us in person for the event. 

We were honored to be joined by Paula Gluzman, a consultant and the director of Diversity & Inclusion at Spivey Consulting Group, who flew to Salt Lake City from California to join us for the day. This workshop was the first of three that Paula will conduct in person to focus exclusively on law school applications, walking the Fellows through the process and helping them hone their application materials. The focus of this first workshop was resumes, letters of recommendation, and addenda. Fellows received targeted, specific information about how to be successful with each of these components of the law school application, then sat down with a mentor to implement the principles they learned about. 

Utah is full of incredible attorneys who routinely sacrifice their time to make our community a better place to be, and it was inspiring to see the four who joined our workshop this past week. Nicole Farrell, beyond facilitating the event logistics, also provided an introduction to her firm and her own legal journey for Fellows, then assisted them one-on-one with their resumes. Her colleague Monica McCann, an associate attorney at Parsons Behle, volunteered to join and not only worked with Fellows individually but also provided an impromptu presentation during lunch that described her own journey to a legal career in Utah and provided additional pointers on successful resume characteristics. Two of the Fellowship’s formal mentors joined on Saturday as well, Maria Cruz, Legal Counsel at Intermountain Health, and Scarlet Smith, a shareholder at Strong & Hanni. Each had helpful, practical advice for the Fellows and powerful personal examples of how to combine professionalism and a people-driven passion in their careers.

We thank Paula Gluzman and each of the attorneys for their time and effort on behalf of the 2024 Pre-Law Fellows. We also extend our gratitude to program 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 contributions that have made all of this possible.

Maria Cruz, attorney at Intermountain Health, assists Sophie Gordon with her resume

Monica McCann, an attorney at Parsons Behle, discusses resume pointers with University of Utah student Iradukunda Esperance

Strong & Hanni attorney Scarlet Smith looks over law school application materials with Utah Valley University senior Victoria Roberts

The 2024 UCLI & Kirton McConkie Pre-Law Fellows with attorney volunteers on May 11, 2024

*This project received funding from the Law School Admission Council, Inc. (LSAC).  The opinions and conclusions contained in this document are the opinions and conclusions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of LSAC.

Each spring secondary schools across Utah hold career fairs to expose students to professionals from various careers. UCLI had the opportunity to participate in a number of these fairs to share with students the incredible opportunities available to them in the legal profession. UCLI Associate Director, Jon Wayas, was able to attend three of these events in March and April.

The first event was March 8 at the Utah Military Academy in Lehi, UT. This charter school focuses on career and college readiness with an emphasis on pursuing military service upon graduation. The school serves grades 7-12. This tabling event was a great way to connect with students and educate them on the ways attorneys serve all sectors of our society, including through military service.

Utah Military Academy

On April 10, Jon attended the career fair at Canyon View Junior High in Orem, UT. This fair was a breakout session style event. 8th grade students were able to pick from a variety of careers and were able to attend 30 minute presentations. This style was a great chance to elaborate more in-depth on what attorneys do, and what is needed to become an attorney. It also gave the students a chance to ask great questions about the legal profession. This format provided the chance to talk to over 125 students during the 3 hour event.

The final event on April 26 was with the Utah International Charter School based in South Salt Lake, UT. This was the third year we have been able to participate in this event. The school is open to all students. However, the student body is made up primarily of new immigrants and refugees. These students come from all over the world, with many coming from the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America. Despite some language barriers the event is a great chance to expose students to the legal profession, and to consider it an option for their future.

Utah International Charter School

We are honored to be asked to attend these events. They are extremely rewarding. We appreciate the chance to connect with students who are interested in the law, or who are open to learning more about the profession. UCLI is always looking to extend our reach to more students. If you are interested in having us come to the next career readiness event at your school contact us at . We look forward to sharing more with students in the 2024-2025 school year.