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President-Elect Candidates
DENISE A. DRAGOO, ESQ.,
Denise A. Dragoo, Esq.,
is a partner with the law firm of Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., Salt Lake City, Utah. Ms. Dragoo received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado in 1973 with honors, is a 1976 graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and received a Masters of Law in Environmental Law in 1977 from the University of Washington, School of Law, in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Dragoo is the Utah State Bar's Trustee to the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, Ms. Dragoo was in private practice for eighteen years and served as a Special Assistant Utah Attorney General for the Department of Natural Resources.
Ms. Dragoo was first elected to the Board of Bar Commissioners in 1991, currently serves on the Bar's Executive Committee and is completing her fourth term (10th year) with the Board. Ms.
Dragoo is Past-President of the Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake and serves on the Board of Directors of the "and Justice for all" campaign. She has served as President and member
of the Executive Committee of Women Lawyers of Utah, Inc., and was recognized as Woman Lawyer of the Year in 1997. She has received the Lawyer of the Year Award and the Distinguished
Service Award from the Environmental and Natural Resource Section of the Utah Bar. Ms. Dragoo is past Chair and a current member of the Judicial Conduct Commission and is a Fellow of the
American Bar Foundation. She is a member of the Utah Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court, the Tenth Circuit and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
A Choice for President-Elect
by Denise A. Dragoo
Dear Colleagues:
Having had the privilege of advocating for and participating in the first election of President-Elect, I appreciate the forum which the campaign provides for improving communications
between Bar members and the Commission. With this in mind, I ask for your vote for President-Elect.
Currently, I am serving my twenty-fourth year of practice, my tenth year on the Bar Commission and am a member of the Executive Committee. As President-Elect, I will work to:
Keep Direct Election of the President-Elect
I chaired the Elections Procedures Committee, which recommended direct election of the President-Elect by Bar members rather
than the Bar Commission. Despite rejection by the Commission, the recommendation ultimately prevailed when the Utah Supreme Court mandated direct election in December, 2000. The first
election was held in 2001 and it is critical to keep this election procedure in place to direct campaigns to members, rather than exclusively to the Commission.
Implement a Communications Plan
I chaired the Special Committee on Communications which developed a communications plan of direct benefit to all members of the Utah
Bar. The plan conveys to members the Commission's objectives, annual calendar and long-range plans for governance. This interactive plan reflects input from members, section and committee
leadership, the Supreme Court and the public at large. A leadership retreat with sections, committees and other Bar associations sets the Commission's direction for the year. The
Commission collaborates with Bar leaders to develop a legislative agenda, communicated through Bar lobbyists, to the Utah State Legislature. The communications plan cycles again in spring
with the campaign of the President-Elect and direct election of Bar leadership.
Partner with the Supreme Court to Improve Bar Relations with the Legislature and the Public
The selection of new Chief Justice Christine Durham provides the Commission
with a tremendous opportunity to further its partnership with the Utah Supreme Court. The Court is working with the Bar and the Legislature to address unauthorized practice, the delivery
of legal services, rule changes to implement multi-disciplinary practice and has formed a committee to address civility. As President-Elect, I would encourage this renewed spirit of
judicial activism and work closely with the Court to improve Bar relations with the Legislature and the public.
Stay Focused on Core Regulatory Functions
The hiring of a law-trained admissions director has improved the professionalism of the admissions process. I would further
streamline admissions appeal procedures by relying on the Character and Fitness Committee to conduct those hearings subject to a narrow standard of Commission review. I support adoption
of a rule to allow the Utah Bar to forge reciprocity agreements with the Oregon, Idaho and Washington state bar associations to facilitate multi-jurisdictional practice. Despite recent
rule changes, the disciplinary process grinds too slowly. We need to increase the prosecutorial discretion of the Office of Professional Conduct to eliminate frivolous complaints, add two
more screening panels to process complaints and recoup attorney fees when OPC prevails in disciplinary cases to reduce the fees of Bar members.
Voluntary Pro Bono Services
The Commission should continue to encourage voluntary contributions of members to support civil legal services through the "and Justice
for all" campaign. This collaborative fund-raising effort by the Disability Law Center, Legal Aid Society and Utah Legal Services has provided statewide pro bono services. While
these funding efforts are unaffiliated with the Bar, I support partnering between the Bar and these agencies to pair volunteer attorneys with pro bono needs and provide statewide pro bono
training.
Please call me at (801) 257-1998 or send me an e-mail at ddragoo@swlaw.com with your suggestions on the policies and direction of the Utah Bar. I would consider it an honor to receive your vote and a privilege to serve as President-Elect of a strong and diverse Bar association supported by a professional quality staff.
DEBRA MOORE
Debra Moore
is the Employment Section Chief in the Litigation Division of the Attorney General's Office. She is a 1983 graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, where she was a Leary Scholar and served as Executive Editor of the Journal of Contemporary Law and the Journal of Energy Law & Policy. Before joining the Attorney General's Office in 1991, she was a shareholder in the law firm of Watkiss & Saperstein, where she concentrated primarily on product liability litigation. Ms. Moore also taught Legal Writing at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah from 1993 to 1996, and served a clerkship with the Honorable Gordon R. Hall, former Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court.
Ms. Moore is an ex-officio member of the Bar Commission and is the Bar representative on the Utah Judicial Council. She is a member of the Council's Policy and Planning Committee, and a
former member of its standing committee on Judicial Performance Evaluation. From 1994 to 2000, she served two elected three-year terms as Bar Commissioner from the Third District. As a
Commissioner, she was a member of the Executive Committee for two years, a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee, co-Chair of the Commission's Equal Access to Justice Committee,
Chair of the First Hundred Celebration Committee, and a member of the Review Committee for the Rules of Lawyer Discipline and Disability. She is a former Chair of the Utah State Bar
Litigation Section and former member of the Executive Committee of Women Lawyers of Utah.
Dear Colleagues:
I ask you to vote for me for President-Elect of the Utah State Bar. After nineteen years of legal practice in a variety of settings and many years of active involvement in the Bar's
governance, I am well-informed about the issues facing the legal profession and the administration of justice in Utah. I certainly don't pretend to have all the answers; but I'm willing
to devote the time and energy to effectively advance the fundamental values and interests of the Bar and its members.
In recent years, the Bar has operated under the guidance of a comprehensive Long Range Plan. The plan spurred changes that increased our institutional continuity; improved our
communication with and services to members, sections, and committees; and improved our relationships with the legislature and other external constituencies. The plan also helped to
prepare the Bar and its members for many developments affecting legal practice, such as those reflected in the Multi-Disciplinary Practice recommendations, the Racial and Ethnic Fairness
recommendations, the Multi-Jurisdictional Practice movement, and the Supreme Court's Study Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services (see the following bullet points for a brief report
on these and other topics).
Now it's time to renew the plan, to anchor the changes, and to generate still further improvements. We must continue to identify and anticipate emerging trends in society and the legal
profession to maintain our ability to respond thoughtfully rather than simply to react. By keeping our eye on the future while building upon our past, we will enhance the Bar's
effectiveness and provide members the best value for their dues dollars.
Thank you for considering my candidacy for President-Elect. Please call me at 366-0100 or send me an email at dmoore@state.ut.us
with any questions or suggestions that you may have. I would be honored to receive your vote.
Sincerely,
Debra J. Moore
SOME ISSUES AFFECTING THE BAR MEMBERS
Civility and Professionalism.
In response to a call by the Conference of Chief Justices, the Court recently established a committee Chaired by Justice Durrant to address concerns about a perceived decline in lawyer civility and professionalism. These issues affect the public perception of lawyers and the judicial system, the quality of legal representation, and Bar members' satisfaction with their personal and professional lives. The Court's leadership on these issues provides an essential component for meaningful change.
Multi-disciplinary practice ("MDP"). The Bar Commission adopted the report of its task force recommending that the rules of professional conduct be modified to allow
lawyers to associate with non-lawyers to provide legal services that are ancillary to other services provided by the association (multi-disciplinary practice). The recommendations would
extend the scope of existing duties of loyalty, confidentiality, independence, supervision of non-lawyers, and conflict of interest to MDPs. The Utah Supreme Court Committee on the Rules
of Professional Conduct has opposed the recommendations, and the Court is currently considering the issue. For more information, go to www.utahbar.org and click on the hot button issue
that appears at the bottom of the page.
Multi-jurisdictional practice ("MJP"). A Bar task force has requested your comments on a proposed rule that would grant reciprocal rights to practice in other states.
Several states in the Northwest have already implemented reciprocal practice among themselves. For more information, please see the article published in the March 2002 Bar Journal.
Racial and Ethnic Fairness.
The Utah Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Judicial System made specific recommendations to the Bar. The Bar has begun to carry out many of the recommendations, and in some cases has gone beyond them. For example, the Bar has provided the Bar staff, the Commission and other Bar leaders with training in cultural competency. CLE credit has been obtained for relevant seminars. I am a member of a committee appointed by the Bar Commission to further develop the Bar's response.
Admissions.
The Bar has hired attorney Joni Seko as Deputy General Counsel in charge of Admissions and made substantial improvements in the administration of the bar exam and character and fitness review. Further refinements in the internal appeal process from decisions of the Character and Fitness Committee are under review. The Admissions Committee continues to review the bar examination itself and has made a preliminary recommendation to update the exam include a skills component.
Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services.
Voicing concerns about unmet needs for legal services, the Utah Legislature amended the statute prohibiting the unauthorized practice of law and requested the Court to explore alternative means of delivery of legal services in four areas: standardized legal forms and technological innovations; charitable assistance by non-lawyers; representation of business entities by their officers; and assistance by "independent lay professionals." The Court has formed a committee, chaired by Justice Wilkins. Past Bar President David Nuffer, President-Elect John Adams, and Executive Director John Baldwin serve on the committee.
Bar Commission Candidates
First Division
N. GEORGE DAINES
Uncontested Election . . .
According to the Utah State Bar Bylaws, "In the event an insufficient number of nominating petitions are filed to require balloting in a division, the person or persons nominated
shall be declared elected."
N. George Daines is running uncontested in the First District and will therefore be declared elected.
Third Division Candidates
Stephen Owens and E. Russell Vetter are running uncontested for two vacancies in the Third Division. According to Utah State Bar bylaws, in the event an insufficient number of nominating
petitions are filed to require balloting in a division, the persons nominated shall be declared elected.
STEVEN OWENS
- Lived in Fairfax, Virginia and Montreal, Quebec prior to settling in Utah
As an undergraduate student, one of 60 people nationwide to receive the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for
leadership and public service
Helped run his father's successful 1990 U.S. Congressional Campaign
During law school, worked for the U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services in Washington, D.C., and at the law firm of Clyde Snow & Swenson
Graduated from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 1994
Law clerk to current Chief Justice Richard C. Howe of the Utah Supreme Court
Works in the four attorney firm of Epperson & Rencher, concentrating in medical malpractice defense
Involved in the Law-Related Education Project for eight years, having taught seminars on the law and conflict mediation at Highland High, Hawthorne Elementary, Dilworth
Elementary, Driggs Elementary, and many other schools
Past President of the Young Lawyers' Division where he served as an ex-officio member of the Bar Commission
Enjoys exploring Utah, swimming, and reading trashy lawyer novels
Boy Scout leader and resident of Holladay
Married to DawnAnn Owens, daughters Abigail & Lydia
Statement of Candidacy:
I would appreciate your vote for Bar Commission representative from the Third District. It is an exciting, yet intensely trying time to be a lawyer. Change is all around us: e-mail,
computer research, flexible billing arrangements, lifestyle concerns, multi-district practice, multi-disciplinary practice, the need for equal pay and opportunities for women lawyers and
lawyers of color, the increasing complexity of the law, entirely new areas of practice, old areas of practice that are disappearing, old ways of practicing that no longer work,
non-lawyers giving legal advice on the Internet, law makers and a public who are sometimes hostile to lawyers, lawyers who are sometimes hostile to other lawyers, the need for mentors for
young lawyers, low and even middle income individuals with little to no access to legal services, and the increasingly demanding client. Life as a lawyer can be a veritable
pressure-cooker.
I want to help find solutions to these issues and I believe the Bar Commission is the right arena to do so. I have enjoyed my past activity in the Bar, and my association with other
lawyers in a non-adversarial setting. I ask for your vote and welcome your input at sowens@erlawoffice.com or 983-9800.
E. RUSSELL VETTER
Education and Employment
Graduate, S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah
Bankruptcy Law Clerk, United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Utah
Associate, Biele, Haslam & Hatch
Senior Corporate Counsel, American Stores Company
General Counsel, First USA Paymentech
Associate General Counsel, Chase Manhattan Bank, USA
Sole Practitioner (since 2001)
Utah State Bar Membership and Service (present)
Utah State Bar Member Since 1986
Admissions Committee, Member and Co-Chair
Corporate Counsel Section, Member
Utah State Bar Service (past)
Character and Fitness Committee, Member and Co-Chair
Bar Examiner Committee, Member and Chair
Law Day Committee, Member
Bankruptcy Section, Member and Section Officer
To the Third Division Bar Members:
I need a favor. I need your vote for Bar Commission representing the Third Division. For the past twelve years I've been involved in the Bar's admissions process in various capacities.
Presently, I am co-chair of the committee that oversees admissions to the Bar. Even though I've enjoyed my admissions work, I've been trying to retire from admissions without any success.
I think I've found my retirement ticket by moving to a new area of Bar work. That's why I need your vote.
Seriously, I believe that my substantial admissions experience would be beneficial to the Commission as it considers several proposed reforms in the admissions process. In addition, my
varied work experiences provide me with a broad perspective for the issues that affect many different members of the Bar. My work experience includes several years in private practice and
as in-house counsel, which is listed in my bio.
Thanks for your support.
Sincerely,
E. Russell Vetter
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