Scroll to find short clips from judges, attorneys and law students providing helpful insight on their law journeys and how it can apply to you!
Shorts
Justice Paige Petersen's Advice to First-Generation Students!
Justice Paige Petersen was appointed to the Utah Supreme court in December 2017 by Governor Gary Herbert. Before joining the Supreme Court, she was a district court judge in the Third Judicial District, which serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties. Justice Petersen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah in 1995, after first obtaining an associates degree from the College of Eastern Utah in Price. She received her law degree from Yale Law School in 1999. After graduation, she clerked for two years in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Read full bio here.
Criminal Defense attorney, Jesse Nix, talks about what he did in law school that helped the trajectory of his career.
Jesse began his legal career working for the Salt Lake District Attorney in 2008, but quickly learned that he’d rather defend someone who made a mistake rather than put an innocent person in jail. His interest in helping people at their worst moments comes from his belief that every person, regardless of their background or crime, deserves the best defense. He joined the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association (LDA) in 2012 where he excelled at achieving excellent results for his clients, despite at times having the highest caseload of any attorney. Read full bio here.
Sarah Calvert talks about what inspired her to become an attorney!
I am a rising 2L at BYU J. Reuben Clark Law School. I aspire to be a lifelong learner and a change-maker. I am passionate about serving others and establishing genuine connections with the people around me. I graduated in 2022 from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in business. I completed my major’s professional writing and communication track and have extensive training in writing, rhetoric, and public speaking. Additionally, my business minor provided me with various skills in areas such as statistics, marketing, and database management. I presented papers at multiple conferences in 2021–2022 and was also an editor for the BYU Prelaw Review.
Immigration attorney, Geidy Achecar, talks about how her background influenced her career choice!
Geidy A. Achecar is the Education Committee Co-Chair for the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion. Ms. Achecar received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Utah in 2003 and her Juris Doctorate from J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU in 2014. After graduating and passing the Utah Bar Exam, Geidy worked in a Salt Lake firm before bringing her talents to the Fillmore Spencer team. Geidy’s family immigrated to the United States when she was a child, and she grew up in New York City. Being raised as an immigrant in a native Spanish speaking home in New York City provided Geidy with life experiences allowing her to relate to and help her clients in an extraordinary fashion. Read full bio here.
Dani Hawkes, a family law attorney, uses her experience to better represent the LGBTQ+ community.
Danielle is a founding attorney at Hawkes Quam, LLC. She practices family law exclusively. Danielle frequently gives presentations on family law topics and LGBT rights in Utah. In 2021-22, Danielle developed and advocated for an inaugural year-long series of family law education sessions for judges around the state, a program that has been extended for at least a second year as of 2023. Once the judicial education sessions were approved, she created and led a subcommittee of the Family Law Executive Committee through the full implementation of the series. In 2015, she spoke in front of approximately 200 Utah judges, giving a legal update on LGBT issues at the Utah Judicial Institute. Read full bio here.
