Utah State Bar News & Announcements

The Supreme Court and Judicial Council have approved amendments to the following Utah Court rules.

Summary of Amendments

Rules Governing the Utah State Bar
USB 14-0405. MCLE requirements for lawyers on inactive status. Amend. Change date for MCLE compliance.
USB 14-0406. MCLE requirements for lawyers on active military duty. Amend. Change date for MCLE compliance.
USB 14-0407. MCLE requirements for lawyers on active emeritus status. Amend. Change date for MCLE compliance.
USB 14-0720. Qualifications for admission of house counsel applicants. Amend. Change date for MCLE compliance.

MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT NATHAN D. ALDER
Court Budget CutsState Court has received an 8.5% total cut for FY’09. This is dramatic and very concerning. Proposals are being floated for an additional 11% to 19% cut for FY’10 which will only further erode our Court system. I am deeply worried about this situation. We can already see consequences from changes to our Court system; we must soon reverse these negative effects. Utah can ill-afford to let our system of justice slip any number of notches below what our Constitution and democratic society requires and so rightly deserves. I encourage you to read Chief Justice Durham’s State of the Judiciary Address which was emailed to all Bar members and has been posted at www.utahbar.org. I encourage you to discuss these concerns with Legislators and other elected officials, decision makers, colleagues, neighbors and friends. We are advocates for the Courts and must now step up to protect our judicial system from further insufficient funding scenarios.

February 2009 E-News

Jewish and Muslim children join in song

by Julia Lyon
The Salt Lake Tribune

Upset by killings in Mumbai last year and aware that innocent people were dying on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Alan Bachman set out to write a song about similarities.

He wanted to express how two groups that have a long history of conflict are descended from the same ancestor.

Months later, dozens of Muslim and Jewish children stood just feet from each other Sunday in the LDS Church Tabernacle in Salt Lake City and sang the same melody.

Deseret News
Published: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009 12:34 a.m. MST

Winner: The Utah State Bar is beginning a program that encourages seasoned attorneys to act as volunteer mentors to those who are fresh out of law school. Officials hope this will serve a couple of purposes. First, it will help young lawyers learn the ropes of the profession, which can be especially helpful to those in private practice who may not have learned practical business skills in college. Second, the collegiality will help foster greater civility among attorneys. That's always a good strategy in a field where adversity and competition often rule the day.

Dear Fellow Members of the Utah Bar:

The Utah Mock Trial Competition is back for 2009 and we are seeking both attorney and community volunteer judges to judge mock trials! If you have participated in this event in the past, you will remember what a fun and rewarding experience it can be, and if you have never
participated, please consider volunteering on a judging panel--you will be glad you volunteered!

The Judicial Council has approved amendments to the following Utah court rules.

Summary of amendments

Rules of Juvenile Procedure
URJP 09. Detention hearings; scheduling; hearing procedure. Amend. Specifies time for review of different types of pre-disposition orders.
URJP 25. Pleas. Amend. Modifies the findings needed to accept a plea.

How to view redline text of the approved amendments

To see the text and effective date of the amendments, click on this link to: http://www.utcourts.gov/resources/rules/approved/ and then click on the rule number. All amendments are effective April 1, 2009, unless otherwise indicated. Updated versions of the rules will be posed to the main rules web page (http://www.utcourts.gov/resources/rules/) on or about the effective date of the amendments.

To members of the Utah State Bar,

As your Employee, Life or Lawyer Assistance program we have received a number of requests to help improve the wellbeing of employees. We have a new wellness workshop that has been receiving a lot of interest. Did you know that 60% of people abandon their new year’s resolutions only after 6 weeks. And 80% can’t even recall what their new year’s resolution was after 6 months. The Powerful Mind. Powerful Nutrition workshop focuses on knowledge and nutrition to create individual change—ultimately improving the wellbeing of your employees.

The Bar is seeking applications from lawyers to serve on the Utah Appellate Court Nominating Commission. The Commission nominates judges to fill vacancies on the Utah Supreme Court and the Utah Court of Appeals. Two lawyers are appointed by the Governor from a list of six nominees provided by the Bar. Please submit resumes to John C. Baldwin, Executive Director, by e-mail at john.baldwin@utahbar.org , or by mail at 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. Please identify your political party or indicate if you are politically independent. Resumes must be received by Monday, March 2nd, 2009.

The Supreme Court and the Judicial Council invite comments to proposed amendments to the following court rules. The comment period expires April 14, 2009.

Summary of proposed amendments

Audio Records of Hearings; Transcripts
The Judicial Council proposes the following amendments to the Code of Judicial Administration as part of its responsibility under Section 78A-2-405 to govern the manner in which the courts maintain the verbatim record of hearings. The Supreme Court proposes the following amendments to the Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure governing the preparation of transcripts.