by John A. Adams
For the past quarter-century, the Young Lawyers of the Utah State Bar have always been at the forefront of innovative, service-oriented programs and have been a fertile training ground for future leaders of the Bar. Because of their unabashed enthusiasm and willingness to pitch in, the Young Lawyers have brought a "Midas touch" to almost every endeavor they have undertaken. Both past and present Young Lawyers speak with fondness of what they have helped accomplish and the friends and acquaintances they have made in being part of the effort.1
The exact year the Young Lawyers Section of the Utah State Bar was formed is uncertain. Colin King served as president in 1983-84, but he remembers that he was not the first president of the Section. He is reasonably sure that one or two others preceded him. If he is right, then the Young Lawyers may well be celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. In the years Colin, Cecelia Espenoza and John Adams served as president, the Section leadership consisted mainly of the Section officers serving as part of a small executive committee. Paul Durham and those who followed him (Stuart Hinckley and Jerry Fenn) were primarily responsible for creating a larger executive committee and fully functioning committees.
Paul Durham included the following information in his President's Report in the September/October 1986 edition of the Section's publication, The Barrister:
The Young Lawyers Section of the Utah State Bar is alive and kicking! Three years ago it was languishing at death's door with only four officers and minimal programming. Today it has four officers and a nineteen-person Executive Council with fourteen fully staffed committees addressing concerns such as bridging the gap between law school and law practice, child advocacy, the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and the needs of the elderly, to name a few.
At the Annual meeting of the ABA in New York City last month, I was privileged to receive, on behalf of the Section, two First Place Awards in the ABA Young Lawyers Award of Achievement Competition. These awards represent national recognition of the outstanding programs and community service provided by the Section during the past year.... The Section received the First Place Award in the Single Project category for its Lawyers Compensation Survey Project.... The Section also received the First Place Award in the "Comprehensive" category, which covers all of the projects undertaken by the Section during the 1985-1986 year. These include the Meet-A-Lawyer Project, the Library Lecture Series, the presentation of the Liberty Bell Award, the Sub-for-Santa Project, the Blood Donor Drive, the Child Advocacy Project, the High School Speakers Bureau, the Mock Trial Competition, the Bridge-the-Gap Project, the Brown Bag Lecture Series, the preparation of a Long-Range Plan for the Section, the Lawyers Compensation Survey, the By-Laws Revision Project, the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, the Barrister, and the Rocky Mountain Outreach Project.
In addition to organizational changes, the Section became poised to wield real influence when all Young Lawyers (defined as those members under 36 years of age or anyone who has been in practice less than three years) automatically became members of the section. This change alone swelled the membership ranks from hundreds to approaching a couple of thousand. With increasing numbers has come increasing influence within the Bar. In 1990, the Bar Commission, recognizing the valuable projects and initiatives being undertaken by the Young Lawyers, raised the Section's budget from $5,000 to $25,000. The Young Lawyers Section became the Young Lawyers Division in May of 1993. A section generally raises its own funds through dues, whereas a division has the advantage of a line item budget from the Bar itself. Gaining the status of a division brought increased continuity of the Young Lawyers' programs and functions, and ensured that Young Lawyers would be a permanent fixture within the Bar at large.
The Young Lawyers have been a fruitful training ground for future leaders of the Bar. The president of the Division has historically served as an ex-officio member of the Board of Bar Commissioners. Charlotte Miller was Young Lawyers president in 1991-92 and was the second woman to serve as President of the Utah State Bar (1997-98). John Adams served as Bar President in 2002-03. Three former Young Lawyers presidents currently serve as Bar Commissioners (Nathan Alder, Steve Owens and Christian Clinger).
Not only have Young Lawyers presidents made their influence felt within the State Bar, but Marty Olsen (1995-96) became heavily involved in the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association. From 2000-03 Marty served as the Young Lawyers Division Representative to the ABA's Board of Governors. Only five Utahns (George H. Smith, General Franklin Riter, Calvin Behle, Judge J. Thomas Greene and James B. Lee) have served as members of the ABA's Board of Governors. It was a rare distinction for our state, and for the Bar, to have both James Lee and Marty Olsen affiliated with the ABA Board of Governors at the same time.
The real strength of the Young Lawyers Division, however, is the many members who cannot be named here who over the years have provided the energy and commitment to staff the programs, initiatives and service projects of the Division. No other section of the Bar has been as innovative and persistent in its programs as the Division. The Bar Commission has four times (1989, 1997, 2002 and 2004) honored the Division with its annual outstanding section/division award.
The Young Lawers have been the heart and soul of the Tuesday Night Bar program since May of 1988. Steve Owens considers Tuesday Night Bar "the single most important Bar program to directly help the public." Tuesday Night Bar is a free legal clinic that is sponsored, organized and staffed largely by the Young Lawyers. Tuesday Night Bar is held most Tuesdays of the month at the Law and Justice Center. Individuals that attend the clinic receive a free one-on-one consultation with a volunteer attorney. Approximately 45 to 50 appointments are scheduled for each Tuesday Night Bar.
In connection with the Bar's 1996 Annual Meeting at Sun Valley, the Young Lawyers introduced and staffed an immediately popular Kid's Fair as part of the barbecue/picnic. The Kid's Fair has become a mainstay of that annual event. Having attended a number of other states' annual meetings, I have seen nothing comparable. Bar leaders from other states who have attended our annual meetings as guests routinely comment on the distinctive "family atmosphere" at the picnic. Although the Young Lawyers took a brief break from organizing the Kid's Fair this year at Newport Beach (due to the fact that Disneyland, the most famous "kid's fair" in the world, was so close by) it will return as part of the upcoming annual convention in Sun Valley, Idaho.
In 2004 the Division was a major sponsor of the 50th anniversary celebration of Brown v. Board of Education. Under Christian Clinger's leadership, the Young Lawyers participated in elementary classroom discussions, a statewide film festival, the Law Day dinner with ABA President Robert Grey, Jr., and the Jackie Robinson Appreciation Weekend. Not to be forgotten is the Young Lawyers' longstanding role in promoting Law Day, the Law Day Run, and "And Justice For All."
In addition to legal education and community awareness programs, the Young Lawyers have also focused on making a difference for individuals and children. The Young Lawyers for a number of years have sponsored "Law Suit Day"-where they gather lightly-used professional clothing for young people needing assistance as they enter the business world. Three past presidents listed the Young Lawyers' partnership with, and the hands-on re-landscaping of the Children's Justice Center as one of the most memorable and meaningful projects. Charlotte Miller recalled the Young Lawyers' participation with the Salt Lake County Bar Association to bring about the Pro Bono Domestic Violence Project as a significant initiative.
Always seeking to expand its programs, the Young Lawyers are currently developing a new program, tentatively named "On Demand Mentor", for its website. Attorneys will be able to choose from a variety of legal topics on the website, click a button, and view a short video presentation by an experienced attorney or judge on that topic (e.g., rules of evidence, courtroom etiquette, brief writing, etc...). Filming has already begun and the Young Lawyers hope to begin making the tutorials available on its website by the end of the year.
1. This article represents a compilation of information from a number of past presidents of the Young Lawyers as well as from Richard Dibblee and the Bar staff. Thanks to each for his/her contributions.
Young Lawyer Presidents
The following is a list of those who have served as president of the Young Lawyers Section/ Division of the Utah State Bar. For each person listed is a group of others who served with them as officers, executive committee members, committee chairs and members who have added to the proud tradition of the Young Lawyers. Thanks to all for caring enough and taking the time to make a difference in our profession and communities.
2006-07 David R. Hall
2005-06 Debra Griffiths Handley
2004-05 Candice Anderson Vogel
2003-04 Christian W. Clinger
2002-03 Victoria C. Fitlow
2001-02 Nathan D. Alder
2000-01 Stephen W. Owens
1999-00 Mark C. Quinn
1998-99 Brian W. Jones
1997-98 Michael L. Mower
1996-97 Daniel D. Anderson
1995-96 Martin N. Olsen
1994-95 David J. Crapo
1993-94 Mark S. Webber
1992-93 Keith A. Kelly
1991-92 Charlotte L. Miller
1990-91 Richard A. VanWagoner
1989-90 Jonathan K. Butler
1988-89 Jerry D. Fenn, Jr.
1987-88 Stuart W. Hinckley
1986-87 Paul M. Durham
1985-86 John A. Adams
1984-85 Cecelia Espenoza
1983-84 Colin P. King