Utah State Bar News & Announcements

The Board of Bar Commissioners and I would like to hear from you. We are planning a series of breakfast meetings each Friday morning at the Bar offices from 8 - 9 a.m. throughout the year where Bar members can walk in or phone in with questions or comments related to administration of finance and accounting, member resources, facilities, event support, and information technology functions of the Utah State Bar. We are looking for meaningful contributions to Bar management, direction, leadership and strategic planning that will help us better serve the Bar's mission to advance the principles of justice, the practice of law, the image of the profession, and public understanding of the law. Please stop in and chat with me and grab some coffee, juice and a light continental breakfast on your way to the office. Or, you may phone in your questions if you prefer by dialing 801-531-9077. Breakfasts are planned for:

• September 18, 2009


• September 25, 2009


• October 02, 2009


• October 09, 2009


• October 23, 2009


• October 30, 2009

September 2009 E-News

• Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission's to pretest its surveys of litigants and witnesses


• National Pro Bono Celebration


• Banter with The Bench


• Court Electronic Filing


• Utah Sentencing Commission Representative


• American Bar Association Representative


• 2009 Fall Forum Awards


• Bar Election Information Available on Web

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1. The sharp-eyed litigators among you may notice a bit of additional activity in courtrooms around the state in the upcoming few weeks. The Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission is beginning to pretest its surveys of litigants and witnesses. To help the Commission figure out the logistics of this surprisingly complicated task, several district, juvenile, and justice court judges have volunteered to participate in the pretests, working as a team with the Commission to develop the least intrusive means for surveying litigants and witnesses. Following a critical analysis of pretest results, the commission will establish final survey protocols. Towards the end of September, midterm evaluation of the 31 judges standing for retention election in 2012 will finally begin. These evaluations will run until the end of the year. Attorneys can help the process function smoothly by telling their clients and witnesses to expect a survey in the course of their litigation. Further questions? Contact Joanne Slotnik, JPEC Executive Director, at jslotnik@utah.gov .
   
   
   
2. National Pro Bono Celebration
    
   As one of many events in Utah celebrating National Pro Bono Week, members of the Utah State Bar will serve lunch at the St. Vincent dePaul Resource Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Following the meal, lawyers will offer a free legal clinic, answering questions regarding a variety of legal topics. If you are interested in participating in the event at St. Vincent dePaul Resource Center, please contact Christy Abad at christy.abad@utahbar.org or register online at http://www.utahbar.org/cle/events/pro_bono_week.html
   
   
   
3. Court Electronic Filing - The U.S. District Court has required for some time that the filer redact sensitive information from public pleadings and other papers. Since April 1, the state courts have required the filer to omit or redact private information from a public record and to certify that they have done so. Rule 4-202.09(9). As long as papers sat quietly in an obscure filing cabinet, the presence of sensitive information in a public record was a dormant issue. Although public, few people bothered to make the trip to the courthouse to view the record. With electronic filing, the internet will be the courts' filing cabinet, and public records will be available to the public in a very real sense. Respect your clients' privacy and the privacy of the other parties; leave private information out of public records. The courts have developed 4 forms that can be used to provide required non-public information to the court. The forms are available on the court's website at: http://www.utcourts.gov/howto/filing/non-public/
   
   
   
4. Utah Sentencing Commission Representative - The Utah Sentencing Commission is a legislatively created body charged with establishing sentencing guidelines and developing policy recommendations regarding the sentencing and release of adult and juvenile offenders. The Sentencing Commission is comprised of 27 members representing all facets of the justice system, including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, legislators, victims, law enforcement, treatment specialists, ethnic minorities, corrections officials, parole authorities, and others. The Board of Bar Commissioners is seeking applicants to serve a four-year term on the Utah Sentencing Commission. Please send your letter of application and resume no later than Monday, October 5, 2009 to Christy Abad at christy.abad@utahbar.org or 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111.


5. American Bar Association Representative - The Board of Bar Commissioners is seeking applicants to serve a two-year term as the Bar’s representative to the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates. The term would run through the August 2011 ABA Annual Meeting. Please send your letter of application and resume no later than Monday, October 5, 2009 to John C. Baldwin, Executive Director, Utah State Bar, at jbaldwin@utahbar.org or 645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111. The ABA House of Delegates meets two times a year during the ABA conventions. There will be some preparation work to review issues and communicate with the Bar Commission. The Bar's delegate to the ABA is also an Ex-officio Member of the Utah State Bar Commission.


6. 2009 Fall Forum Awards - The Board of Bar Commissioners is seeking nominations for the 2009 Fall Forum Awards. These awards have a long history of honoring publicly those whose professionalism, public service and personal dedication have significantly enhanced the administration of justice, the delivery of legal services and the building up of the profession. Your award nominations must be submitted in writing to Christy Abad, Executive Secretary, 645 South 200 East, Suite 310, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, no later than Monday, September 21, 2009. The award categories include Distinguished Community Member Award, Professionalism Award, Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year. View a list of past award recipients at: http://www.utahbar.org/members/awards_recipients.html


7. Bar Election Information Available on the Web - Nominating petitions for Commission elections in the Second and Third Divisions for the 2010-2011 year may be obtained on the Bar's website at http://webster.utahbar.org/news/2008/12/petition_to_run_for_bar_commis.html. Completed petitions must be received no later than February 1, 2010.

"I have a question or comment for the Bar President"  -  President@utahbar.org