Utah State Bar News & Announcements

CLE Calendar for the Final Quarter of 2007

Check out the Utah State Bar CLE Calendar for useful and affordable year-end CLE programs!

December 6 Fall Corporate Counsel Seminar
December 6 NLCLE: How to Prepare for and to Succeed in Mediation
December 7 Southern Utah Bar Association's Annual CLE
December 7 Annual Lawyers Helping Lawyers Ethics Program
December 14 5th Annual Utah Elder Law, Estate Planning & Medicaid Planning 2007
December 18 Patient Rights / Surrogate Decision Making under the Utah Directive Act
December 18 NLCLE: Wills & Trusts II: Drafting Estates for “Over” the Exclusion
December 20 Utah Evidence with Benson & Mangrum

Visit http://www.utahbar.org/cle/Welcome.html to register for these and other events.

Annual Food & Clothing Drive - December 14, 2007 -
Leonard Burningham will once again be spearheading his Annual Food and Clothing Drive to help support local Utah charities through the holiday season. Donations of clothing, toys, toiletries, sealed dry goods and canned goods are always in high demand. Donations will be accepted at the Utah Law & Justice Center on Friday, December 14th from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Member Resources - Blomquist Hale and Lawyers Helping Lawyers

Blomquist Hale offers 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. All counseling services are free of charge to lawyers on active status and their eligible dependants. There are no co-pays or deductibles.

Lawyers Helping Lawyers renders confidential peer-to-peer assistance to any member of the Utah State Bar whose professional performance is or may be impaired because of mental illness, emotional distress, substance abuse or any other disabling condition or circumstance.

For information on these and other Utah State Bar member resources, please visit: http://www.utahbar.org/members/Welcome.html

Governmental Relations Committee Seeking Members

The Governmental Relations Committee is seeking new members for the 2007 legislative season. The committee meets as necessary during the year to monitor legislative activity, coordinate activities with the Bar's legislative representative and make recommendations to the Board of Bar Commissioners during regularly scheduled telephonic and other meetings during the session, and before/after the sessions, as appropriate. The Governmental Relations Committee develops partnerships between the Bar and the various branches of government. Please send letters of interest to Christy Abad, Executive Secretary, 645 South 200 East, SLC, UT 84111 or, adminasst@utahbar.org.

Administrative Office of the Courts - New Website

The Administrative Office of the Courts has created a web page that focuses on information, services and resources that are used by the members of the Utah State Bar. The page is located at http://www.utcourts.gov/legal. Members of the State Bar helped to select the content and all Bar members are encouraged to visit the site.

Nominations for Advancement of Women and Minorities

The Board of Bar Commissioners is seeking applications for two awards to be given at the 2008 Spring Convention. These awards include the Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award - given for the advancement of women in the legal profession, and the Raymond S. Uno Award - given for the advancement of minorities in the legal profession. Award applications must be submitted in writing no later than Friday, January 11th to Christy Abad, Executive Secretary, 645 South 200 East, SLC, UT 84111 or, adminasst@utahbar.org.

Bar President-elect - Election Notice

Any active member of the Bar in good standing is eligible to submit his or her name to the Bar Commission to be nominated to run for the office of president-elect in a popular election and to succeed to the office of president. Indications of an interest to be nominated are due at the Bar offices, c/o Executive Director John Baldwin, 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111 or via e-mail at director@utahbar.org by 5:00 p.m. January 2, 2008. The Bar Commission will interview all potential candidates at its meeting in Salt Lake City on January 25, 2008 and will then select two finalists to run on a ballot submitted to the active Bar membership. Final candidates may also include sitting Bar Commissioners who have indicated an interest in running.

Bar Commissioners - Election Notice

First and Third Divisions

Pursuant to the Rules for Integration and Management of the Utah State Bar, nominations to the office of Bar Commission are hereby solicited for one member from the First Division and three members from the Third Division to serve a three-year term. To be eligible for the office of Commissioner from a division, the nominee’s mailing address must be in that division as shown by the records of the Bar. Applicants must be nominated by a written petition of ten or more members of the Bar in good standing and residing in their respective divisions. Nominating petitions may be obtained from the Bar office on or after January 1, and completed petitions must be received no later than February 10 by 5:00 p.m. Ballots will be mailed on or about April 1 with balloting to be completed and ballots received by the Bar office by 5:00 p.m. May 1. Ballots will be counted on May 2.