Utah State Bar August eBulletin |
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The Bar Presents Great Opportunities for Connection and Growth |
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In 2009, I drove to my first day of work as an attorney at a small law office in Las Vegas. Not a faraway place to a kid from nearby St. George, but I don't know two places any more different than Sin City and Color Country in culture. Vegas was a hopping place, with an aggressive legal culture. Although I would get to know some practitioners and judges who I would work with regularly, it was a hard place to feel seen and heard in such a big, busy place at that time in my career. On the flip side, when I re-joined the legal community in St. George, I meshed with the down-to-earth, hardworking but courteous attorneys who knew the value of preserving relationships in a small legal economy. Ten years later, I am still here in St. George, hopefully contributing to the enjoyable culture our statewide legal community enjoys.
My entry onto the Bar Commission as the elected representative of the Fifth Division in 2015 further added to my enmeshment in the Utah legal community. The networking, relationships, discussions, and, yes, disagreements, have been an extremely valuable result of my participation in the Utah State Bar leadership system and educational programming. One challenge that Utah shares with other large states with disparate urban areas is how to best bring together a legal community that is spread out over a large geographic area. Of course, technology plays a large role, and helps us connect. But I still think we can do better. Whether it be moving our annual conventions around to different parts of the state, providing more social opportunities, or increasing visibility of the benefits of bar membership, my goal in thinking about these topics is to provide the opportunity to anyone in our state to attend and benefit, whether that attorney sits in St. George, Salt Lake City, Vernal, Logan or Moab.
In the coming year, I hope to present to you a plethora of opportunities to attend and participate in events, ranging from online CLEs, to in-person seminars and conferences that will hopefully be affordable and reachable for any attorney in our state. I would encourage you to re-emerge into this post-COVID world with more vigor for connection, networking, and association, and to take advantage of the opportunities the Utah State Bar will present to you this year. After all, life should be more than billing, and connection with our colleagues can greatly enhance our day-to-day forays into the adventures of law. As always, if you have feedback or suggestions for us, please reach out. Your voice is an important part of the Utah legal community that I am so proud to be a part of.
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New Bar Leaders Sworn in at Summer Convention in San Diego |
New Utah State Bar leaders were sworn in at the Bar Convention in San Diego. Kristin K. Woods was sworn in as the 2022-23 Bar President, with Erik Christiansen sworn in as Bar President-elect. Matt Hansen was sworn in as a Second Division Commissioner, Cara Tangaro and Beth Kennedy as Third Division Commissioners, and Tom Bayles as Fifth Division Commissioner.
Woods has been practicing law since 2009. The focus of her practice has always been to assist families and individuals with the legal issues that arise in day-to-day life.
Woods is a sole practitioner located in St. George, and focuses her practice on guardianship law. Woods has served as the Bar Commissioner for the Fifth Division from 2015-2022, and as a member of the Fifth District Judicial Nominating Commision. Currently, Woods is a small claims judge pro tempore for the Washington County Justice Court, and is a frequent community presenter on the guardianship process and the legal challenges of dealing with cognitive disabilities in adulthood.
Christiansen is a commercial litigation and trial attorney at Parsons Behle & Latimer. He is a past chair of the litigation section and the Utah Securities Commission.
Hansen is a trial attorney with over 20 years' experience in civil and criminal litigation. Currently, he is deputy county attorney for Davis County, where he prosecutes special victim cases and felony criminal matters.
Kennedy is an appellate attorney with Zimmerman Booher in Salt Lake City. She clerked for Chief Justice Matthew Durrant, and was a case investigator for the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center.
Bayles is an estate planning attorney. He has been a partner at ProvenLaw in St. George since 2003, and was president of the Southern Utah Estate Planning Council and Southern Utah Bar Association.
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Kristin K. Woods
2022-23 Bar President
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Erik Christiansen
2022-23 Bar President-elect
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Matt Hansen
Second Division Commissioner
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Beth Kennedy
Third Division Commissioner
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Cara Tangero
Third Division Commissioner
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Tom Bayles
Fifth Division Commissioner
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Lawyer Well-Being: Maintaining Your Well-Being During a Practice Transition |
Are you thinking about transitioning your practice to a different area? Heather White talks with Robert Denny of the Well-Being Committee about maintaining your well-being during periods of transition.
The well-being committee is dedicated to helping provide legal professionals with strategies to deal with the challenges inherent in the legal profession. Get more info at the well-being committee website.
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Assessment of Licensing Late Fees Began July 31 |
The annual Bar licensing renewal process has begun and can only be done online. An email containing the necessary steps to re-license online at https://services.utahbar.org was sent on June 6.
Online renewals and fees submitted after July 31 will be considered late and an additional $100 late fee will be assessed. Your license will be suspended unless the online renewal is completed and payment received by September 1. Renewal after suspension for non-payment will require an additional $200 reinstatement fee.
To receive support for your online licensing transaction, please contact us either by email or call 801-297-7021 .
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Understanding Your New CLE Compliance Cycle |
Two Year CLE Compliance
July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022
• 24 hours of accredited CLE, to include 2 hours of legal ethics and 1 hour of professionalism and civility.
The traditional live credit requirement has been suspended for
this reporting period.
Lawyers will have through June 30, 2022 to complete required CLE hours without paying late filing fees and through July 31, 2022 to file Certificate of Compliance reports without paying late filing fees.
Annual CLE Compliance
July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022
12 hours of accredited CLE, to include 1 hour of legal ethics and 1 hour of professionalism and civility.
The traditional live credit requirement has been suspended for
this reporting period.
Lawyers will have through June 30, 2022 to complete required CLE hours without paying late filing fees and through July 31, 2022 to file Certificate of Compliance reports without paying late filing fees.
A copy of the new MCLE rules can be found here.
For questions, please email or call 801.531.9077.
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Wheels of Justice 5 Canyon Challenge to Benefit "and Justice for All" |
Wheels of Justice is a local nonprofit working to put an end to child abuse, including by supporting the legal services offered by “and Justice for All.”
The Wheels of Justice’s annual 5 Canyons Bike Challenge will be held Saturday, September 17. The 5 Canyons Challenge has route options for every fitness level, including one of the most challenging bike courses in the country.
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Lawyer Well-Being: Bar Provider Blomquist Hale Helps Lawyers Be Their Best |
The Bar's Well-Being Provider, Blomquist Hale, is offering a series of workshops to address anxiety and connection. The online workshops are:
Topic: Motivating Employees to Engage
Date: August 10
Date: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. MT
Location: Online!
Topic: Parenting: Thinking Errors for Kids
Date: August 16
Date: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. MT
Location: Online!
For more information about these workshops or other services provided to Bar members by Blomquist Hale, visit their website or call (800) 926-9619.
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Utah State Bar Charity Partner of the Month: Utah Center for Legal Inclusion
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The Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the goals of equity and inclusion in Utah’s legal profession. By coordinating with the Utah State Bar and its affinity groups, legal employers, government agencies, educational institutions, and community partners, UCLI strives to enhance organizational inclusion, facilitate educational opportunities and professional advancement for students and attorneys with diverse backgrounds, assist in eliminating bias in Utah’s justice system, and track the progress of legal inclusion efforts throughout the state. UCLI invites all to participate in its inclusion initiatives, which will help strengthen Utah’s legal institutions in an increasingly diverse state. To support UCLI, check the appropriate box on your renewal form or visit their website.
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Bar Offers Marketplace Featuring Vendors Offering Services to Licensees |
The Utah State Bar has organized a Marketplace consisting of vendors offering services to Bar Licensees. These services are designed to help you in your practice. If you have questions or need additional information, please visit the Marketplace or contact the Utah State Bar.
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