Utah Bar Journal

The recognition of the First 50 minority lawyers admitted to practice in Utah is at once a celebration of the accomplishments of each of the 50 individuals and an honoring of the contributions made by institutions central to the success of minority lawyers within the state. As one who arrived on the legal scene shortly after the final few members of the First 50 entered practice in 1980, I have been privileged to know and work with many of them, to learn from their examples, and to understand both the enormity of the challenges they have faced and the immense importance of their accomplishments in the face of those challenges. It is not appropriate here to elaborate upon the stories of each of those individuals - that was already done at the First 50 banquet, there are too many to include in this limited space, and selecting a small number to focus on would be something of an affront to many deserving others. Instead, I choose one man to serve as a sort of representative of all. That choice is easy because his individual history is highly representative of the challenges and accomplishments of the group, and is closely intertwined with the particular institution I wish to focus on.

It is also a safe choice, because no one who has ever worked alongside him, or has even a minimal familiarity with his work, can disagree about his importance. He has personally borne an inordinate share of the burden of bringing us to our present state of progress and can aptly be described as a hero among us. From his overcoming the humblest of beginnings - including the World War II years spent in the Heart Mountain Wyoming relocation center, and his fatherless family living in poverty on the rough streets of post-war Ogden - through his pursuit of education including professional degrees in social work and law, his years of law practice, his groundbreaking election to become the first minority in the state judiciary and the subsequent long service on the bench, and always through his community activism - including energetic voluntary service in such organizations as the local and national Japanese American Citizens League and more recently the Utah Minority Bar Association - he has modeled every important facet of what our First 50 mean to us. It is appropriate that our state Bar has already recognized the stature of Number 8 on our list of 50 by establishing the Raymond S. Uno Award for those who contribute to the advancement of minorities in the legal profession.

To Number 8 - and the other 49 you serve here to represent - we now recognize you as our "greatest generation." Those of us who followed closely behind you extend to you our greatest measure of respect and gratitude. The only appropriate means by which we, and the next generations, can repay the debt we owe to you is to continue in the traditions you have established - to build upon your progress, and in particular to ensure that the doors you held open for us will not close when you have left the scene, and that other entryways, closed to most of you, will be opened by our own hard work.

The most effective way we can do that is by involvement with crucial institutions. As a scholar and community activist, I have both studied and experienced some of the ways in which a few institutions have played critical roles in developing the 50 individuals we now recognize and in enabling their hard work to be channeled to the benefit of our communities. Those institutions have included the long established law school of the University of Utah where the largest number of the First 50 were educated, the much younger law school of Brigham Young University whose contributions have come later, the state bar and state and federal courts, and for the past 15 years, the Utah Minority Bar Association. As with the individuals, I choose one institution to focus upon, as an example of the past and future contributions of all.

With apologies to any whose memories might differ, I trace the beginnings of the Utah Minority Bar Association ("UMBA") first to discussions I recall from 1988, when a few of us involved with the then Utah Hispanic Bar Association considered whether it was feasible to create an organization bringing together all of the significant minority groups (following the model set a few years earlier by our law student groups - the U of U Minority Law Caucus and the BYU Minority Law Students Association). At that time, we decided it was not feasible, primarily because there were still so few lawyers from other minority groups. Two of the First 50, Robert Archuleta, and Solomon Chacon, along with U of U Professor John Martinez, led those discussions.

We reconvened the discussions in 1991, involved others, and by the end of that year had concluded that the time was right. Perhaps most critical to the change of circumstances was that we were joined by Number 8. Ray Uno co chaired our formation meetings and then served as the first President of the UMBA. I was not at all sure that our fledgling organization would succeed if he had not agreed to do so, at great personal sacrifice, considering that he was trying to learn how to cut back on community involvement and enjoy a more leisurely life. He failed to learn that lesson, and we are all the better for his lack of success in that endeavor (and fortunate that he was absent on the day we nominated and elected him to the Presidency!). With the credibility he brought, we were able to draw in most of the more civic minded minority lawyers, including many of the still active First 50 (such as pioneers Number 6 & 11, Jimi Mitsunaga and Ken Hisatake).

A small number of the most dedicated members led by Ray nursed the organization through its early years. And, from the beginning, there has been a joining of generations within the UMBA. Those earliest meetings had members of our revered First 50 at the core, surrounded by very recent graduates and current law students. And as the years have passed, those younger participants have moved in and shouldered the burden. Some who were students at the time of the initial meetings have gone on to hold various UMBA offices or otherwise contribute to the work in recent years.

In the 15 years of the UMBA's existence there has been remarkable progress on a variety of fronts. The UMBA has been both a contributor to and a beneficiary of that progress. Its growing resiliency and capability is due in large part to the growth in numbers of minority lawyers (for which we owe much to the local law schools and the close ties we have maintained between UMBA and the law students) and to the extent to which those minority lawyers have moved into influential positions in other important institutions, including most recently some major law firms, and the leadership of the Utah State Bar.

There were certain doors that the First 50 were never able to enter, but which have begun opening for those of us have followed. As one who has observed and participated in a bit of the history of minority lawyers in Utah, I know well that such recent gains must be attributed in significant part to the work done by our First 50 - such as our hero Ray Uno, and to the core institutions, including our increasingly effective Utah Minority Bar Association.

- Professor Robert L. Flores

Less than a century ago, not one single minority had become a lawyer in Utah. In 1980, less than three decades ago, only fifty minority attorneys had been admitted to practice law in Utah. However, in the past twenty-five years, minority participation in the Bar has improved dramatically. In fact, there are several hundred minority attorneys practicing law in Utah today. Minority attorneys are currently involved in every aspect of the legal profession - from government agencies and public interest organizations to corporate counsel and private practice. Just as importantly, they have reached positions of prominence. Minority attorneys are law professors, shareholders in some of Utah's largest law firms, and members of the Utah judiciary. And, in a course of events that no one could have imagined twenty-five years ago, a minority attorney, Gus Chin, will be the next President of the Utah State Bar. Today, there exist more opportunities for young minority attorneys than ever before.

However, the opportunities of today would never have existed without the hard work and perseverance of the First 50. When they graduated from law school, the First 50 faced a bleak and uncertain future - job opportunities were scarce and mentors were almost non-existent. Nonetheless, the First 50 not only persisted in the face of these adversities, they flourished. Members of the First 50 are prominent members of Utah's legal community and have reached levels of success that once seemed unattainable. They have provided invaluable guidance and leadership to those following in their footsteps. And they have created opportunities for diversity that would otherwise never have existed. But, most importantly, the First 50 have provided the inspiration and hope for diversity to succeed in Utah. They have shown us that hard work, perseverance, and time are sufficient to overcome all obstacles.

While the legal profession in Utah is more diverse than ever before, the statistics show that there is still much progress to be made. Minorities are still under-represented among new admittees to the Utah State Bar. Many talented young minority attorneys still leave Utah in search of better job opportunities and more diverse legal communities. There are still prominent positions within the legal community that minority attorneys have not attained. However, the goal of a truly diverse legal profession in Utah becomes more attainable with every passing year. On a national level, influential groups such as the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity are pushing for diversity. On a state level, the Utah State Bar and the Utah Minority Bar Association are committed to achieving diversity and a framework for focusing efforts towards this goal. But, in the end, it is the efforts of interested individuals, whether they belong to a minority group or not, that have and continue to determine the course of diversity in Utah.

The significance of the First 50 is lost if they only inspire the minority attorneys of Utah. Instead, the First 50 should inspire each and every member of the Utah State Bar who has an interest in having a diverse legal community. Every effort to encourage diversity, no matter how small, makes a difference. And the First 50 inspire all of us to make that effort - to increase enrollment diversity in law schools, to retain a diversity of attorneys in our state, and to promote diversity in our work environments. Diversity in the legal profession may seem a difficult and challenging goal but, as the First 50 have shown us, it is a goal that can not only be attained, but attained in the near future. I hope you will join the Utah Minority Bar Association's efforts in achieving this goal.

- Karthik Nadesan

Thank You!
The Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA) wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the many generous sponsors and all others who supported the First 50: Celebrating Diversity in the Law event. Without each of you, we would not have been able to pay the First 50 the tribute they deserve. Lawyers of minority background, in addition to all others in society who benefit from the richness of diversity in the legal profession, owe much to the First 50. These courageous men and women helped break down barriers and create opportunities for those following in their footsteps.

The opportunities created by the First 50 laid the foundation for the creation and growing expansion of UMBA. UMBA strives to promote diversity in the legal profession and provide opportunities for minority law students and minority lawyers, and advocates for legal services and education within minority communities in Utah.

Underwriter Sponsors ($10,000+)
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
Parsons Behle & Latimer

VIP Sponsors ($2,500)
American Express
Holland & Hart, LLP
Holme Roberts & Owen, LLP
Smiles for Diversity Foundation (Dr. Dan Fischer of Ultradent)
Snow, Christensen & Martineau
Utah State Bar
Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy
Wells Fargo Bank

VIP Sponsors In-Kind ($2,500+)
ABA Commission on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
Digital Bytes Production and Design
Reagan National Advertising
Utah Law & Justice Center
Vanguard Media Group

UMBA Angel ($1,500)
Chapman & Cutler, LLP
Christensen & Jensen
Dewsnup, King & Olsen
Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough
Kipp & Christian, P.C.
Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar
Manning Curtis Bradshaw & Bednar, LLC
OC Tanner
Ray Quinney & Nebeker P.C.
Richards, Brandt, Miller & Nelson
Snell & Wilmer LLP
Stoel Rives, LLP
Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Young Lawyers Division of the Utah State Bar

UMBA Friend ($1,000)ATK
Bendinger, Crockett, Peterson, Greenwood & Casey, PC / Howrey, LLC
Callister Nebeker & McCullough
Durham Jones & Pinegar
Fabian & Clendenin
Honorable Raymond S. Uno (Ret.)
Iron Mountain Information Management
J. Reuben Clark School of Law (BYU)
Japanese American Citizens League
Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation
LDS Foundation
Law Offices of Blake Nakamura
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
Parr Waddoups Brown Gee & Loveless
Robert J. DeBry and Associates
Salt Lake County Bar Association
Siegfriend & Jensen
S.J. Quinney School of Law (University of Utah)
Strong & Hanni, PC
Unishippers Association, Inc.
Utah State Bar
Utah Trial Lawyers Association
Women Lawyers of Utah
Workman Nydegger, PC
Zions First National Bank
Anonymous

UMBA Patron (up to $999)
Clayton A. Simms, LLC
Community Mediation Center, George A. Lopez & May R. Romo
DPR Communications LLC
Modern Display
NAACP
National JACL Credit Union
Pure Shadow Innovations
Rite Way Alarms, Inc.
Salt Lake Community College
Snow, Jensen & Reece
Strindberg Scholnick & Chamness, LLC
Greg Sueoka
Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce
Utah Attorney GeneralÕs Office
Utah Paralegal Division
Working Rx

"Celebrating Diversity in the Law"Souvenir Program Brochures still available
The Utah Minority Bar Association has a limited number of programs available from the First 50 event. The 52-page program includes biographical information on each of the First 50 with photographs, comments from many of the First 50 about their mentors in the legal profession and careers and quotes regarding their experiences in the practice of law. Please send $5 to cover shipping and handling to Utah Minority Bar Association, c/o Utah State Bar, Law & Justice Center, 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3834