On Tuesday February 10th, the Utah Legal Center of Inclusion (UCLI) was excited to host an LGBTQIA+ student networking event at Canyon Peak Events Center. The event was centered around attorneys, law students, and pre-law students with the hope of showing them the strength of community in the state of Utah.
The event began with the guests socializing with one another, giving law students and pre-law students the chance to network with other individuals in the legal field. Our main hope for this event was not only to demonstrate the strength of the community, but also to showcase many of the different and inspiring stories of LGBTQIA+ and allied attorneys. The conversation was accompanied by dinner as more students and guests joined.
At the event, we were honored to hear from esteemed guest speaker Professor Daniel Aaron, Associate Professor of Law at S.J Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. He opened his talk with “I was told I was supposed to make this ‘inspiring’,” as he did while sharing his experience as an out and proud gay attorney. His speech detailed the importance of representation. He touched on the many ways that the media has shaped the way that LGBTQIA+ community is viewed and how many, younger and older, have felt seen. He shared the importance of having representation in the legal field as many attorneys, like him, can often feel isolated or limited due to their orientation. Professor Aaron shared his hope that slowly but surely the legal profession will build that representation, and that others will be able to relate to and continue their own journey to the law.
Following Professor Aaron’s talk, the conversation opened up to our other guests; they engaged thoughtfully on political issues and discussed ideas for ensuring that everyone in the community can feel included in our state. This met our goal of community engagement, and we were glad attendees felt comfortable enough to network and engage with the community.
Towards the end of the networking section of the event, pre-law and law students were asked to shift to various tables giving them a great opportunity to network with new attorneys as well as learn about their peers that they hadn’t had the chance to meet before. This was the perfect transition to the raffle, where everyone participated in a game of chance to win three incredible prizes to finish up the night.
We honor all those who joined us to have a conversation about the LGBTQIA+ law community in Utah. We especially want to thank Professor Daniel for taking time and effort to share his wonderful talk with us. We also express gratitude to the B.W. Bastian Foundation for providing a generous grant that allows us to devote time and energy to these community events.
Networking activity including attorneys, pre-law, and law students.
Attendees of the event including UCLI staff, attorneys, pre-law students, and law students.
