Utah State Bar News & Announcements

Spring Convention Next Week

Coming up next week ( March 9th - 11th ) is the 2006 Utah State Bar Spring Convention in sunny, warm St. George. There is still time to register! Complete information is available at: secure.aros.net/%7Eutahbar/cle/springconvention/Welcome.html.

Professional Counseling Services Now Available for Active Utah Lawyers

The Utah State Bar has contracted with Blomquist Hale Consulting to provide confidential, professional counseling services free of charge to active status lawyers and their immediate family members. Effective March 1, 2006, you and your family will have immediate access to trained counselors for face-to-face help with family problems, stress, depression, anxiety, personal cash management difficulties, elder care challenges, assessment of drug/alcohol dependence, and any other issues impairing your work or personal lives. For more detailed descriptions of services as well as useful articles and links to a vast array of other helpful information and services, go to the Bar's website, www.utahbar.org or log on directly to Blomquist Hale at www.blomquisthale.com.

The Lawyers Helping Lawyers program will continue to provide assistance for lawyers in distress who are struggling with difficult circumstances through lawyer-to-lawyer help and peer counseling. You may contact them at (801) 579-0404.

Survey on Potential Judicial Applicants

In an effort to better understand how lawyers decide to apply for judicial positions; the Bar is conducting an online survey. This survey will only take a few minutes and will help the Bar gather useful information on the judicial application process. We thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this survey. It is all done online and the results will be made available for review at a later date. To access the survey, go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=181831825548. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Toby Brown at communications@utahbar.org or (801) 297-7027.

New U of U Law School Dean Named

Hiram Chodosh has been offered and accepted the position of Dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. You can learn more about Dean Chodosh at: www.law.utah.edu/news/02282006_ChodoshDean.php. The search committee extends a thank you to bench and bar representatives who helped in this process, especially Chief Justice Christine Durham and Randy Dryer. Dean Chodosh will assume this role on July 1, 2006. The College of Law expresses its sincere appreciation to the current dean, Scott Matheson, Jr., for his wonderful accomplishments and for his many years of dedicated service in that capacity.

Casemaker Update

Casemaker has added SuperCODE to the Federal Library. This new feature automatically displays a listing of all session laws that have been enacted since the legislature’s last unification of the code. Casemaker, the free online legal research service, through recent additions is up to 29 state libraries and 2 that are nationwide. You can access this service by following the Casemaker link off of the Bar’s homepage at www.utahbar.org. If you need your login and password, please send a request to onlineservices@utahbar.org. You will need to have an e-mail address on record with the Bar to access this service.

Bar News and Practice Tips Available

On the Utah State Bar’s News Site (www.utahbar.org/news) there is now available the Practice Management Tip of the Week. These tips are provided by expert Practice Management Advisors from around the country. The tips are on a broad range of law management subjects such as financial management, technology, marketing, staffing and facilities. Check back often for new tips and ideas on how you can improve and build your practice. The Bar’s News Site includes information on recent Bar Journals, court updates, news from the Utah.gov site along with the Tips. If you have suggestions for additional news items, please send them to communications@utahbar.org.

Benefit Highlight – Central Office Suppliers

Add another team of professionals to your firm. Central Office Suppliers has been providing service and support in Utah for over 55 years. We are a team of seasoned professionals who bring in-depth knowledge and expertise to the office product industry. We are happy to team with the Utah State Bar and its members to offer discounts, customer support and personal service you just won’t find anywhere else. We have everything to keep your firm organized including: professional index tabbing, classification folders, file pockets, color-coding indexing systems, shelving products and filing systems.

Other products and services include: Furniture, computer & printer supplies, custom stamps & nameplates, packaging & shipping supplies along with all the basic office supplies. Free delivery and a No-hassle return policy are standard. To request a catalog, or for more information about Central Office Suppliers, please contact Jason Juhlin at (801)859-8357 or jasonj@centralofficesuppliers.com. Visit the website at: www.centralofficesuppliers.com.