2007 “Spring Convention in St. George” Award Winners
Irene Warr
Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award
For the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession
Irene Warr, a native of Erda, Tooele County, Utah, began her law-related career as a legal secretary for the Utah State Tax Commission Inheritance Tax Division on March 1, 1949, after graduating from Tooele High School. She enrolled in Westminster College in 1950, when she also began working in the law office of the late Dan B. Shields. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1954, cum laude in biology, chemistry and pre-med., and then entered the University of Utah College of Law, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1957. Since 1957 she has been engaged in private practice in Salt Lake City.
She has served the Utah State Bar in several capacities, including terms on the Fee Arbitration Committee and Discipline Committee. She has maintained membership in the Utah State Bar, Salt Lake County Bar, and the American Bar Association, belonging to several sections. For more than forty-eight years Irene has been a member of the National Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy Association, where she has served as Regional Vice President.
Irene has served as a Trustee and President of the Legal Aid Society and as a Trustee and President of the Sarah Daft Home and has been a board member on numerous other community charities and civic organizations. She is a member of the Murray Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow.
Upon initiation of that program by the College, in 1998 she received the first Distinguished Alumni Award presented by Westminster College of Salt Lake City. She was recognized among the first 100 women admitted to practice law in the State (she was the 38th admittee). She holds the oldest active license among Utah’s women lawyers. In July of 1999, the Utah State Bar designated Irene the “Distinguished Lawyer of the Year” for the State of Utah.
JUDGE GLENN K. IWASAKI
Raymond S. Uno Award
For the Advancement of Minorities in the Legal Profession
Judge Glenn K. Iwasaki was appointed to the Third District Court in July 1992 by Gov. Norman H. Bangerter. He serves Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele counties. Judge Iwasaki graduated in 1971 from the University of Utah College of Law and served as a Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney. He was also trial attorney for the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association and was a partner in the law firm of Collard, Pixton, Iwasaki & Downes. Judge Iwasaki has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Utah and has served on the Board of Trustees, University of Utah College of Law Alumni Association and chair of the Youth Parole Authority. During his tenure as deputy Salt Lake County Attorney, he served as Unit Chief for the Special Victims Prosecution Unit. Judge Iwasaki has served as a member of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Judicial System, and the Committee on Improving Jury Service. He presently serves on the KUED Board and is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.