eBulletin I Alternate Pathway to Licensure, Judicial Evaluations, SLCBA Reception & More

Utah State Bar President Kim Cordova is joined by Michelle Oldroyd, the Bar's Community Outreach & External Relations Director/Director of Professional Education. You'll learn about the upcoming Fall Forum, Nov. 13 & 14th,
and how you can pitch a CLE. Click the video to watch now!

Expect Email for Judicial Evaluations

Two Pathways: One Standard of Excellence

The Utah Supreme Court has approved a new Alternate Pathway to Attorney Licensure, administered by the Utah State Bar. This skills-based option, available beginning January 1, 2026, complements the bar exam and provides law graduates with a practice-ready route to licensure.

Program requirements include:

240 hours of supervised legal practice under a qualified attorney,
Completion of required law school skills coursework,
A written performance exam administered by the Utah State Bar.

This pathway is designed to:

Better reflect real-world lawyering skills,
Reduce financial barriers to licensure,
Maintain rigorous standards of attorney competence.

The program was developed by the Bar Admissions Working Group, a 15-member body of judges, practitioners, and academics. It does not replace the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or the NextGen Bar Exam (to be administered in Utah starting July 2028), but instead offers candidates a choice aligned with their skills, learning style, and financial circumstances.

Utah joins a growing national movement to modernize attorney licensing and ensure new lawyers are well-prepared to serve clients effectively from the start of their careers.

Get More Details

Vacancy on the Standing Committee on Model Utah Criminal Jury Instructions

Learn more:

🔗 Committee Info: https://www.utcourts.gov/utc/muji-criminal/

🔗 Rules & Committees: https://www.utcourts.gov/committees/index.asp?comm=28

Utah Judicial Council Seeks Applications for Defense Attorney

Applicants must be criminal defense attorneys whose primary function is defending in criminal proceedings.

📝 Please submit by October 31, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. to Bryson King (brysonk@utcourts.gov):

Statement of interest
List of current/past court committee assignments (if any)
Resume

📍 Meetings are on the first Wednesday of each month (12:00–1:30 p.m.) at the Matheson Courthouse, with remote access available.

The United States District Court for the District of Utah has entered General Order 25-005 pertaining to the lapse of appropriations to the Department of Justice and many other federal agencies.

Under this General Order, all civil cases in which the United States or an agency, corporation, officer, or employee of the United States is a party and all civil cases within the District of Utah in which the United States Attorney's Office or the Department of Justice is counsel of record are stayed unless otherwise ordered by the assigned district judge. This General Order, however, does not affect immigration or other emergency civil matters.

Effective October 1, 2025, the Honorable Jill N. Parrish will begin her term as Chief U.S. District Judge for the District of Utah. As Chief Judge, she will oversee the Court's operations, including those of the Clerk’s Office, Probation Services, and Pretrial Services, while coordinating with local federal agencies, the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts, the Tenth Circuit, and the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Chief Judge Parrish succeeds the Hon. Robert J. Shelby in the role of Chief Judge. The Court is grateful for Judge Shelby's ethical leadership and guidance through difficult times.

What's New at the Bar?

Have a question?

Contact the CLE Department at CLE@utahbar.org for information.

Register for Fall Forum

The event will feature up to 10 hours of MCLE credit (including both ethics and civility, live MCLE credits) over a two-day agenda.

Confirmed topics and speakers at the event include practical and ethical uses of AI in your work, well-being and building resilience through challenges, Utah’s outlaw history, in addition to professionalism lessons from American civic and business leaders.

Distinguished CLE sessions will include discussion of the Utah Judiciary Strategic Plan, continuing the new CLE series “Your Bar Commission Speaks,” and sessions featuring both the Utah State Courts and the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, as well as Utah’s lawyer legislators.

Attendees will receive 1 Regular E-Verified CLE Credit (pending approval). Login details will be sent to registrants the evening before the event. Register online by October 9, 2025.

YLD Decisis Training CLE

The Young Lawyers Division is offering a free virtual CLE on Decisis Training on October 10, 2025, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. Learn how to optimize your legal research using Decisis, a powerful legal research platform provided at no cost to all Bar licensees. The session will be led by Ethan R. Basham, Esq., who brings extensive experience in legal research and technology.