Utah Bar Journal

As the new Chair of the Paralegal Division, I am pleased to introduce the Paralegal Division’s new Officers and Directors for 2008-09. They are all talented, professional, and highly motivated paralegals who have chosen to serve you, the members of the Paralegal Division. They give their time and efforts to further the Division’s goal to serve the legal profession by promoting and advancing professional competency and excellence. We look forward to working with our members and the Utah State Bar to continue in our goal to make a difference in our profession. Please feel free to contact any member of the Board and visit the Paralegal Division’s website at http://utahparalegals.org.

Chair and Ex-Officio Member of the Bar Commission, Representing the Paralegal Division, Julie L. Eriksson – Julie has been a paralegal for 16 years, the last nine with Christensen & Jensen, specializing in personal injury and civil litigation. She received an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from Phillips Junior College in 1992. She has chaired the Division’s Continuing Legal Education Committee for the past two years and is a past president of the Legal Assistants Association of Utah (LAAU).

Director-at-Large, Chair-Elect, Governmental Relations Committee, Aaron Thompson – Aaron is a paralegal and Ad Hoc Risk Manager employed by the in-house legal department of Headwaters, Inc., in the areas of business and commercial law as well as contracts. He earned his degree in Paralegal Studies from Westminster College. Aaron has been involved in local and national Democratic Party politics for several years and has worked on political campaigns of Al Gore and Bill Richardson. As Chair-Elect, Aaron is set to take over as Chair of the Paralegal Division for 2009-10.

Region I Director, Community Service Chair, Young Lawyers Division Liaison, Carma Harper – As Region I Director, Carma serves the counties of Davis, Morgan, Weber, Rich, Cache, and Box Elder. She works for Strong & Hanni in the areas of insurance defense, personal injury, construction litigation, and product liability. She received her paralegal certification from Wasatch Career Institute in 1989. Carma has been very active in the Paralegal Division’s Community Service Committee, having worked on Wills for Heroes as well as the Women’s Professional Clothing Drive.

Region II Director, Membership Lead Co-Chair, Thora Searle – As Region II Director, Thora serves the counties of Salt Lake, Tooele, and Summit. She has worked in the legal field since 1972 and is currently a Judicial Assistant for the Honorable William T. Thurman at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah. She previously worked for Judge Thurman for 21 years while he was practicing at McKay, Burton & Thurman.

Region III Director, Membership and Utilization Task Force, Heather Finch – As Region III Director, Heather serves the counties of Daggett, Uintah, Duchesne, Wasatch, Utah, Juab, and Millard. She is with Howard, Lewis & Petersen, where she works in the areas of civil litigation, plaintiffs’ medical malpractice, plaintiffs’ personal injury, and plaintiffs’ product liability. Heather has been a paralegal for 18 years and earned her degree in Paralegal Studies from Wasatch Career Institute. She is also a member of LAAU.

Region IV Director, Paralegal of the Year Chair, Ethics, Suzanne Potts – As Region IV Director, Suzanne serves the counties of Carbon, Sanpete, Sevier, Emery, Grand, Beaver, Wayne, Piute, San Juan, Garfield, Kane, Iron, and Washington. Suzanne has been a paralegal for over 15 years and is currently with Clarkson Draper & Beckstrom in St. George, working primarily in civil litigation. Suzanne is also a mediator and serves in this capacity for the Juvenile Court Victim Offender Mediation Program. She has served as Southern Regional Director for LAAU.

Director-at-Large, Community Service Co-Chair, YLD Liaison, J. Robyn Dotterer, CP – Robyn has worked as a paralegal for almost 20 years and is currently with Strong & Hanni, specializing in insurance defense. She earned her Certified Paralegal (CP) designation in 1994. Robyn is a past president of LAAU and has served in many capacities in the Paralegal Division, including overseeing its first salary survey.

Director-at-Large, CLE Co-Chair, Sanda Flint, CP – Sanda is a par
alegal at Strong & Hanni, working primarily in the areas of insurance defense, personal injury, construction litigation, and product liability. She graduated from the School of Paralegal Studies, Professional Career Development Institute with a specialty in litigation, and achieved her CP designation in 1998 from the National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). Sanda is a past Chair of the Paralegal Division and has served in many other capacities. She has presented seminars on civil litigation practice for paralegals and teaches preparatory courses for CP exams.

Director-at-Large, CLE Lead Co-Chair, Anna Gamangasso – Anna has spent much of her paralegal career in government service, first with the Utah Attorney General’s Office and now with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, where she screens adult criminal cases. She received her Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from Phillips Junior College in 1992.

Director-At Large, Finance Officer, Job Announcements, Bonnie K. Hamp, CP – Bonnie began her legal career in 1978 and is currently with Parsons Kinghorn Harris. She attained the designations of Certified Legal Assistant and CP from NALA. Bonnie is beginning her third year as Finance Officer.

Director-at-Large, Membership and Utilization Task Force, Cheryl Jeffs, CP – Cheryl is a paralegal at Strong & Hanni, where she works in insurance defense and personal injury. Cheryl has been a paralegal for 15 years, having received her Paralegal Certificate from Wasatch Career Institute in 1990. She earned her CP designation from NALA in September 2005.

Director-at-Large, Secretary, Marketing & Publications Chair, Salary Survey Co-Chair, Karen McCall – Karen works at Richards Brandt Miller & Nelson in the areas of asbestos litigation and insurance defense, and she has been a paralegal for eight years.  She is beginning her second year as Secretary and serves as the paralegal representative on the Bar Journal Committee. She has had one Bar Journal article published and hopes to do more in the future. Karen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from California State University, Fullerton and received her Paralegal Certificate from Fullerton College in December 1998.
Director-at-Large, JoAnna Shiflett, CP – JoAnna has worked as a paralegal at Strong & Hanni since 2005 in the areas of litigation and insurance defense. She has spent over 20 years in the legal profession, working as a legal secretary, legal assistant and firm administrator. JoAnna holds a degree in Political Science and received her CP designation from NALA in February 2008.

Parliamentarian, Deborah Calegory – Deborah works for Durham Jones & Pinegar in St. George. She has worked in the legal field for 27 years and has vast experience in litigation, business and transactional law, and real estate. Deb became certified as a paralegal in 1986 through the American Paralegal Association. She has held several leadership positions in the Paralegal Division, including serving as a past Chair. Deb was selected as the 2008 Distinguished Paralegal of the Year.

Ex-Officio Director (Immediate Past Chair), Sharon M. Andersen – Sharon has been a paralegal/legal assistant for 17 years and is currently with Strong & Hanni. She graduated from the Legal Assistant Program at Westminster College in 1990 and spent several years working for the in-house legal departments of several corporations. Sharon served for two years as Co-chair of the Paralegal Division’s Continuing Legal Education Committee and participated in several Bar conventions.

Utah State Bar Paralegal Division Announcement of 2008 Salary Survey