General Information

The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion’s (UCLI) Community Outreach efforts build connections between Utah’s legal community and communities that have historically experienced barriers to opportunity, access, and representation. Through partnerships with nonprofit organizations, community groups, businesses, schools, tribal communities, and other organizations, UCLI works to identify needs and create meaningful opportunities for attorneys and other members of the legal profession to serve, learn, and build relationships.

UCLI’s outreach work has taken many forms over the years, from legal education and clinics to service projects, professional connections, community events, and partnerships designed to expand pathways into the legal profession. The specific projects evolve as community needs and opportunities change, but the goal remains the same: to bring the legal community into closer connection with Utah’s communities and to use the resources of the legal profession to help meet community needs.

Native American Tribal Partnerships

UCLI is grateful for its partnerships with Utah’s Native American and Tribal communities. In 2020, UCLI partnered with the Utah State Bar’s Indian Law Section and other organizations to collect food, hygiene supplies, and other necessities for Utah’s eight federally recognized tribes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, UCLI partnered with the Utah Tribal Relief Foundation on a donation drive benefiting the Gentle Ironhawk Shelter in Blanding. In 2023, UCLI deepened its engagement by participating in the Governor’s Native American Summit and the Four Corners Indian Country Conference and launching the Utah Tribal Intern Partnership, which connected a Native American law student with a legal employer specializing in Native American law. UCLI has continued supporting the legal community’s engagement with Indian Country, including support for the first Indian Law Conference in 2025.

Refugee and Immigrant Communities

UCLI has partnered with organizations serving Utah’s refugee and immigrant communities to provide legal education, professional support, and direct assistance. Beginning with the International Rescue Committee and its Spice Kitchen Incubator, UCLI attorneys have provided workshops addressing legal issues faced by refugee entrepreneurs, including business formation and employment law; UCLI also helped connect the program with eBay to strengthen those efforts. In 2023 and 2024, UCLI partnered with Women of the World to provide free legal workshops on issues including immigration, family law, workplace discrimination, housing, and navigating the law in daily life. UCLI also participated in the 2024 One Refugee Conference, sharing information about legal careers and law school applications with more than 300 students at this event. UCLI has worked with the University of Utah’s Dream Center, providing relevant information to students. 

Supporting Economic Opportunity

UCLI has worked with organizations supporting entrepreneurs and Utahns seeking to build economic opportunity. In 2021, UCLI strengthened its relationship with local Chambers of Commerce, including providing a class for the Hispanic Chamber covering business formation, workers’ compensation, and insurance as part of its business-certification program. UCLI has also partnered with the Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging in 2024 to provide an immigration legal clinic and Family Preparedness Kits, in addition to exploring ways to support underemployed Utahns who have legal credentials from other countries. These efforts reflect UCLI’s broader interest in using legal expertise and professional networks to help underserved entrepreneurs and professionals navigate barriers to economic participation. 

Service to Vulnerable Populations

UCLI has created opportunities for attorneys to serve communities facing significant economic and social barriers. In 2019, the Proximity Task Force organized opportunities for attorneys to prepare and serve meals at the Geraldine E. King Women’s Resource Center and the Youth Resource Center, bringing members of the legal profession into direct contact with people experiencing homelessness. The initiative was grounded in the belief that meaningful community engagement requires proximity to people and communities experiencing vulnerability. UCLI has continued this broader tradition of hands-on service through community drives, donation efforts, and partnerships with organizations working directly with underserved Utahns.

Women and Leadership

UCLI has partnered with organizations working to expand opportunities and improve outcomes for women and girls. UCLI has partnered with the Return Utah initiative, hosting a webinar for underemployed women and attending events to share scholarship opportunities and resources with their audiences, primarily women seeking to make a return to the workforce. In 2023, UCLI became a spoke leader for the Bolder Way Forward, a statewide initiative of the Utah Women & Leadership Project, and assumed co-leadership of the Sexual Harassment & Gender-Based Discrimination spoke. The initiative brings together partners from the legal and business communities to address workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. UCLI has also supported programming focused on women’s leadership and participated in an international workshop examining women leaders and equality in the justice system.

International Diplomacy

UCLI has used Utah’s legal community as a resource for international dialogue and professional exchange. In 2023, UCLI partnered with Utah Global Diplomacy to host three international delegations participating in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. The programs brought legal and other professionals from countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America to Utah to learn about the rule of law, the U.S. judicial system, and women’s leadership in the justice system. These exchanges gave Utah attorneys and legal professionals opportunities to share their experiences while learning from colleagues working in different legal systems and cultural contexts.

Community Partnerships

Many of UCLI’s outreach efforts are built around long-term partnerships with organizations that already have trusted relationships within their communities. In 2024 and 2025, UCLI also partnered with local schools and youth-serving organizations on back-to-school drives, distributing hundreds of backpacks and school supplies to students in need. Over the years, UCLI has developed connections with Women of the World, the International Rescue Committee, the University of Utah Dream Center, the West High Mock Trial team, University Neighborhood Partners, the Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging, Catholic Community Services, local Chambers of Commerce, the Boys & Girls Club, Mountain Mediation Center, Utah Global Diplomacy, and numerous other organizations. These partnerships have allowed UCLI to respond flexibly to community needs that range from legal workshops and immigration clinics to donation drives and diplomacy, all while connecting members of Utah’s legal community with communities they might not otherwise encounter.

If you have an idea for a community partnership or project, we would love to hear from you. Please contact UCLI at .