On Thursday, March 6, 2025, the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion partnered with All Rise Utah to host a Spring Social for law students at the Salt Mine in Sandy. The event was also open to judicial officers participating in the 2025 Judicial Mentorship Program, as well as attorneys participating in the 2024-2025 Utah Law Student Mentoring (ULSM) program. We were pleased to see attendees from both of Utah’s law schools, as well as judges and attorneys from various practice areas.
The Spring Social featured two incredible speakers, Jontrell Roquemore, MBA and Simón Cantarero, JD, as well as great networking opportunities for students. Jontrell has developed his own company teaching others how to sharpen thinking, enhance performance with confidence and clarity, and foster self awareness. In his presentation, he discussed the importance of mindfulness and how being in tune with mind and body can improve your profession and life. This discussion was very interactive and allowed for each attendee to identify their unique challenges and learn better mechanisms in addressing them. These are just a few of the topics Jontrell shared with attendees; ultimately he left us with the empowering message that self awareness and intentional practices can enhance change and personal and professional growth, and that all factors are within our control. Simón Cantarero, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Priority Dispatch Corp., shared with attendees his powerful story of navigating imposter syndrome and how to continue moving forward despite harboring feelings of inadequacy. Simón also fielded questions from law students about how to overcome the idea of not performing as well as you expected in law school, comparing yourself to others, and feeling incapable in your career after law school. It was incredible to hear from someone who has been through the challenges of law school and a legal career, and has found success personally and professionally.
The goal of the Utah Law Student Mentoring (ULSM) program is to facilitate mentoring opportunities for law students in the state of Utah. Similarly, the All Rise Utah program is an ongoing collaborative effort directed by the Utah State Courts, to build a pathway of students and attorneys who will one day seek judicial appointments in Utah. The program helps law students and attorneys begin to see themselves as future judges. It will also provide mentorship opportunities at both the law school and attorney level to help individuals prepare for and apply for judicial openings. All Rise Utah is led by Judge Diana Gibson of the Utah Third District Court, and Jonathan Puente, Director of the Utah State Court’s Office of Fairness and Accountability. Supporting organizations include: the Utah State Bar, Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA), LGBT and Allied Lawyers of Utah (LALU), Women Lawyers of Utah (WLU), The Young Lawyers Division of the Utah State Bar (YLD), The Disability Law Center (DLC), and the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI). We extend our special thanks to UMBA for the generous donation they provided for this networking event.
We look forward to continuing to help plan and support events for both law students and attorneys through ULSM and All Rise Utah. If you have questions or would like to be involved in either program please contact .
