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President-Elect & Bar Commission Candidates

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Elections

 

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President-Elect Candidates N. George Daines George Daines has practiced law in Logan, Utah, for 27 years. He is a partner with the law firm, Barrett & Daines, and now serves as the elected Cache County Attorney. He graduated from Yale Law School where he was a member of the Board of Editors of the Yale Law Journal. He then served as a law clerk to David T. Lewis, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. In 1976 he returned to Logan to practice law and teach business and real estate law at Utah State University. His law practice focused on representation and litigation in the areas of real estate, government and financial institutions. He has been elected twice to the Utah State Bar Commission representing the First District. He is serving as a member of the Bar Commission's Executive Committee. He is a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Utah Judicial Council. He is a Director of the Utah Prosecution Council. He has served on the Bar task forces on governance and delivery of legal services. He continues to serve on a variety of bar committees. He is one of the founders and principal owners of Cache Valley Bank, a successful financial institution operating in the Cache Valley area. He has completed the historical renovation of several prime historic sites in Cache Valley. At present he is involved with the oversight, design and restoration of the historic Cache County Courthouse, an 1885 structure anchoring downtown Logan. He has served on a number of local committees involved with political and public affairs. One of these task forces pioneered the creation of the first council/executive form of county government in Utah (Cache). Another developed the Martin Harris Amphitheatre and Pageant in Clarkston, Utah. He also serves as Chairman of the Bear River Board of Health. He and his wife Mindy are the parents of six children, ages 13 to 26. He is presently 9 pounds overweight, suffers from deteriorating eyesight and is slowly losing his hair. Dear Colleagues: I ask for your vote for President-Elect of the Utah State Bar. I am honored to be nominated for this position by the members of the Bar Commission with whom I have long served. The Bar Commission has been dealing with difficult issues during my service. Our Commission discussions go beyond administrative supervision and management. The Bar Commission assumes the mantle of responsibility for control and direction of our profession. We are doing all we can to meet and respond to the significant challenges to our profession. At times the Bar Commission members have differences. Their vote of confidence in me at this juncture is greatly appreciated. After 26 years of membership in the Utah Bar and five years of intensive involvement with the Bar Commission and its various committees and task forces, I am qualified to assume this new role. I have a desire to serve the Bar Association and its members. I want to give something back to the profession that has given me so much. I am deeply impressed with those who serve the Bar both as a legion of volunteers and as employees and officers. We have a very fine Bar Association. Because of that, the Association can measurably assist our profession to respond to the significant challenges which lie ahead. Some of these criticisms and challenges include the following: 1.Our struggle to provide cost effective legal services to the middle class. 2.The delay, inefficiency and expense of our processes. 3.Efforts to reconstitute dispute resolution systems. 4.Significant competition from other professions. 5.Changes which would marginalize our core values. 6.The ongoing threats to the independence of our state judiciary. 7.The difficulties of our public image. It is imperative that the Bar Association be a participant, if not a leader, in meeting all of these challenges. The Bar Commission and its current leadership, of which I have been a part, are very proactive in responding to all of these challenges. My candidacy does not represent an effort to change direction, but would lend further support to the ongoing initiatives of the Bar Commission and its leadership. I am involved and supportive of the Bar's efforts to improve the delivery of legal services and develop an improved relationship with the Utah State Legislature. At present our voice is not adequately projected in that forum. In addition to these particular efforts there are many ongoing projects and initiatives that deserve support and assistance. Thus, a vote for me would not be a dramatic change nor a significant redirection. However, the very nature of our present response to these challenges is to espouse and further changes in our profession. The Commission is not attempting to resist changes. For example, after preliminary investigation, I am generally prepared to recommend that the Supreme Court consider raising admissions requirements to the level of admissions requirements in surrounding states, i.e. Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Because our standards are comparatively low, we are being selected as the state of choice nationally by law students seeking the easiest location for successful bar admission. We are also anxious to obtain reciprocity admission with these neighboring states and they expect that we would have equivalent admission standards. Your vote for me would be a vote for the ongoing and continued proactive response of the Bar Commission to the challenges to our profession. I believe our best future will be to embrace and encourage changes in the practice of law that retain and enhance our core values. Randy S. Kester Randy Kester practices in the six lawyer firm of Young, Kester and Petro in Springville. He is a 1984 graduate of the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University; Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University and an Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal studies from Utah Valley State College. Randy has been a member of the Utah State and Central Utah Bar since 1984. He served as President of the Central Utah Bar Association in 1989, 1990 and has served as a Bar Commissioner for the Fourth Division, on the Utah Board of Bar Commissioners from 1997 to present. Throughout his career, Randy has involved himself in public service and helping to make legal services available to all. He worked with those who initially founded the Law Help Project and Utah Volunteer Lawyers Project in Utah County, assisted as legal counsel for the ombudsman's office at Utah Valley State College, on numerous occasions, acted as a judge for the mock trial program, conducted several seminars, volunteered as a guest speaker on KSL radio, spoken at classes at Brigham Young University, and Utah Valley State College. At UVSC, he also served as an adjunct professor, Alumni Association Executive Board from 1988 to 1984, Counsel of 50 for the School of Business, was a member of the Advisory Board for Paralegal Studies and received the inaugural Outstanding Alumni Award in Humanities in 1996. He served as the State Representative for the Utah State Bar Association at the First National Conference on Improving Jury Service. Besides his professional work and associations, he also served a five year term as a member of the Executive Board, Utah National Parks Council, Boy Scouts of America, is a James E. West Fellowship recipient and is a member of the American Legion, having served in the U.S. Military 1972-74. As a Commissioner, Randy is on the Executive committee as well as a variety of committees and section appointments including Ethics and Discipline, Needs of the Children, Litigation and Criminal Law. He was a Charter Appointee to the Access to Justice Foundation and presently serves on the Utah State Supreme Court Committees for Improving Jury Service and Juvenile Court Rules. His successful work on a high profile murder-for-hire case was the topic of a Tom Jarrill 20/20 program. Randy is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, was in the A. Sherman Christensen American Inn of Court I, 1989 thru 1992 and has been a member of the Utah Trial Lawyers from 1986 to the present time. CANDIDACY POSITION STATEMENT Dear Friends & Colleagues: I have only "published" one other time in this Bar Journal; an article about leaving things better than we found them, (it can be accessed through the Bar's Website). It was not meant to be a legal treatise but includes reflections about my father and my life. It probably tells you as much about me as the preceding resume synopsis. I appreciate the opportunity this forum allows to share some thoughts with my fellow lawyers and friends. When I first came on the Board of Bar Commissioners, I had no concept of the unavoidable scope of issues managed by that body. Just by way of experiment, get out your January / February 2003 Bar Journal and review the Commission highlights on pages 36-37. A similar agenda occurs each third Friday of every month. Imagine my sense of inadequacy at my very first meeting in the summer of 1997 facing such unfamiliar discussions. Since then I have had opportunity to learn, discuss and participate in these diverse Bar matters. I am presently in the last few months of my second three year term as a Bar Commissioner. In reviewing old and new notes and agendas, I realize that I have been the fortunate beneficiary of a great education about these many Bar matters; the Bar's role in our system of government; the continuing challenge of service to and education of the public as well as those who serve in our co-equal branches of government. I have had confirmed that while serving the judiciary as officers of the court, we must also keep in mind that we still remain citizens and members of that same public to whom we have a commitment. That commitment is to share our understanding about the role our courts and the Bar play in maintaining the checks and balances of an effective government while, at the same time, as practitioners, exercising our duty to ensure the protection of individual rights and liberties (including ourselves, family, neighbors and community) against a burgeoning government. The Commission's work includes ongoing task forces and committees to study and implement the promotion of fairness and accessibility for women and minorities in the practice. Our admissions program has been recently addressed and vastly overhauled. Our Bar is the first to extend reciprocity of multi-jurisdictional-practice to our neighboring State Bars. Addressing the unmet legal needs of the middle class has been the recent focus of significant volunteer time and resources. The administration of discipline is a major responsibility of the Bar and demands our constant scrutiny and improvement. The Bar's budget is constantly monitored and is open to review and scrutiny by all members. Its management has resulted in no dues increase for over a decade. CLE Programs are varied, generally affordable and well presented. Our commitment to the ongoing objectives of the "and Justice for all" campaign and ad hoc Committee on Improving Access to Justice have evidenced the Bar's commitment to help make available legal resources to those whose needs might otherwise go unmet. The Bar's long range plan has provided a springboard for much of the innovative progress the Board has pursued. It is a solid foundation upon which the Bar can build many layers of fulfilled needs and innovation. It is a source to which we should look for help in providing answers to the Bar's ongoing and evolving needs and responsibilities. Our Board and Judiciary have remained at the forefront in exploring and meeting the needs of a changing Bar and society. We have also had the very good fortune to have an exceptionally capable, talented and patient executive director in John Baldwin. The continuity of our goals and programs is assured by the presence of John and the staff. He and they are an incredible resource upon which we all frequently lean and from whom we all benefit a great deal; mostly by things that just seem to "happen" but which were the result of much unheralded behind-the-scenes work. Our Bar is not the "good ole boys" group it was once perceived to be. The synergy created over the years by the many initiatives undertaken by the Supreme Court and the Board of Bar Commissioners has benefitted us all with a powerful, effective diversity in our Bar's governing body. I firmly believe that diversity of color, gender and practice on our board and in our profession should be fostered. Each one of us benefit from it. I believe it is a powerful tool in solving the many ongoing challenges within and outside of the Bar. While serving on the Board of Bar Commissioners, I have since learned most of the acronyms (MDP, OPC, MJP, etc) and have gained a greater appreciation for the role of lawyers as a component of the Judicial Branch, officers of the court, advocates and benevolent human beings. I refer you to the Jan/Feb 2003 Utah Bar Journal. Read about "Uncle Bob," (pp 34-35), Ed Brass/ Food & Clothing Drive Volunteers (p 37) and Carman Kipp (P 43). The overwhelming majority of those lawyers and judges with whom I have become acquainted are decent, caring and hard working; they are good neighbors and citizens; charitable and informed; devoted parents and frequently the backbone of the community. Yet, as a profession, we continue to be the subject of a variety of bad jokes, stereotypes and innuendo. How often do you hear an acquaintance or neighbor disparaging lawyers, but upon seeing you says, "But I am not talking about you." We are scrutinized, depersonalized and criticized by our fellow public servants from other branches of government and are rarely portrayed positively by the press. So, why are law schools still getting more applicants than can be seated? Why are parents still proud when they talk of their daughter or son who is a lawyer? Why do people still seek out a lawyer when the things most important to them are at stake? Because lawyers help people and because being a lawyer is a good thing! I enjoy the work we do in seeking to improve all aspects of the practice. I was proud to be a lawyer the date I graduated from law school and that has not changed. I want to continue to carry that message to the legislature, the public and to our colleagues. I would like to do it as your President-Elect. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve these nearly six years on the Board. I have benefitted immensely; both personally in my association with all of you as well as professionally, in gaining a broader perspective about Bar issues and how they affect us personally and in our practice. I might add that nearly 30 years and 30 presidencies have past since a candidate from the Fourth Division served as Utah State Bar President. Certainly, that reason alone is no substantive reason for me to seek the confidence of your vote. However, to elect a candidate from that Division after 30 years, would certainly foster the spirit of community and participation envisioned by our direct election process. I feel I still have a great deal to contribute and that my work is not yet complete. I would appreciate your vote in order to allow me to continue putting to work what I have learned; to return to my colleagues as your President-Elect and as a continuing member of the Board, the benefit of the experience I have gained. I look forward to that continued work with all of you and hope that you might find me a suitable representative deserving of your vote. ************ Third Division Candidates Nate Alder Utah State Bar Member since 1995 Education and Employment Indiana University, School of Law, J.D. Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, M.P.A. Judicial Clerk, Hon. J. Thomas Greene, U.S. District Court, District of Utah Shareholder, Christensen & Jensen Bar Service (present) Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professionalism Admissions Committee Bar Examiner Committee, Multi-State Performance Test Co-Chair Young Lawyers Division, Past President Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section, Vice Chair Bar Service (past) Bar Commission, Ex-Officio Member Young Lawyers Division, President (recognized as Section of the Year) Governmental Relations Committee ADR Section, Founding Member Other Experience (present) Guardian Ad Litem Pro Tem Judge, Salt Lake City Justice Court Board Member, Emma Lou Thayne Community Service Center (S.L.Community College) To the Third District Bar Members: I would appreciate your vote for Bar Commission. We face several important issues. To this end, I will provide effective leadership. 1.Legislature. We must educate legislators and the public regarding legal services and the practice of law. This is a challenge, but also an opportunity. I support the Bar's effort to develop relationships with decision-makers. 2.Admissions. I support efforts to enhance our admissions policies, including improving the bar exam and applicant review process, as well as developing reciprocity agreements and working with national admissions organizations. 3.Communication. Awareness leads to involvement. The Bar has wisely invested in technology. I support on-line communication, including section newsletters and the admissions application. 4. Outreach. We must serve and reach our community. The Community Legal Center, "and Justice for all," and Dialogue on Freedom are landmarks. I support these and other volunteer efforts, including Tuesday Night Bars. 5.Member Benefits. I support the Bar's development of member benefits, including new opportunities like group on-line research, Lawyers Helping Lawyers, and other law practice enhancements. We are fortunate to have a strong Bar and a tradition where members serve. My strengths include an open mind, an ability to listen and understand, energy to get things done, and a deep commitment to our profession. I encourage you to call or write about an issue or concern, 801-323-5000 or nathan.alder@chrisjen.com. Thank you for your support. NANCI SNOW BOCKELIE Nanci Snow Bockelie received her law degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1985, Order of the Coif. After graduation, she practiced law in New York City and Virginia, before returning to Utah in 1993. In Utah, she practiced with the commercial litigation firm of Bendinger, Crockett, Peterson & Casey, P.C. and Moxley & Campbell, L.C., before opening her own firm, the Bockelie Law Office, L.C., in 1999. Ms. Bockelie's practice focuses on business sales and purchases and other commercial and real property transactions. Ms Bockelie was initially elected Commissioner for the Third District of the State Bar of Utah in 2000. As Commissioner, she serves on the Bar Commission's Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services to the Middle Class and the Board of Trustees of "and Justice for all". She is a Past President of Women Lawyers of Utah. In 2001, Ms. Bockelie served on the Governor's Commission on Women and the Family's Pay Equity Committee. She is Vice President, Resource Directory, of the Utah Women's Alliance for Building Community. Dear Colleagues: When I initially ran for a seat  on the Commission in 2000, I promised to work on improving the public perception of lawyers and the Bar's fiscal responsibility, and to listen to your comments, suggestions and ideas. The past three years have rewarded me with many opportunities to work on these and other matters, and I ask for your vote so that I can continue the work on your behalf. As Commissioner, I am currently sitting on the Board of "and Justice for all" and the Bar's Task Force on the Delivery of Legal Services to the Middle Class. Last summer, the Task Force met with middle-class people around the state. We learned that people hunger for education about legal issues and the services lawyers provide, and want better assistance in matching their legal needs with the right attorney. I believe strongly that the Bar should be in the forefront of the effort to find better ways to serve the public, to ensure that our skills remain relevant and remunerative in an ever changing world. I believe that my efforts in this area can make a positive difference for all practicing lawyers, and request your vote in May. BRIAN W. BURNETT Shareholder - Callister Nebeker & McCullough - 1988-Present Involved in a variety of energy, telecommunications, and related regulatory matters for clients. Also handles matters in the natural resources and environmental law areas. Assistant Attorney General - Office of the Attorney General, State of Utah - 1984-1988 Represented the Division of Public Utilities, a Utah State agency, in hearings before the Public Service Commission of Utah and before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C. Associate - Watkins and Faber - 1982-1984 S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, Juris Doctor Degree, 1982 Utah State University, B.A. Degree, 1978, Cum Laude Former Chair of Administrative Practice Section - Utah State Bar Former Reporter for Utah Administrative Law News - Utah State Bar Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law Section - Utah State Bar I would appreciate your vote for Bar Commissioner representing the Third Division. I have had an opportunity to work for a small firm, the Attorney General's Office, and a larger firm. This variety of experience has given me a broad perspective regarding the practice of law in Utah. This experience base would be helpful in addressing the many issues which are confronting the Bar at this time. I am willing to contribute my time to assist the Bar as it faces the challenges ahead. Thank you for your support. Yvette Donosso Diaz Born in East Los Angeles to Colombian immigrants. Lived in Miami, Florida prior to settling in Utah. Majored in Anthropology at Brigham Young University. Graduated from J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1999. During law school, worked at Utah Legal Services, Utah County's Public Defenders Association, the Attorney General's Office and the Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Fairness. Clerked for Judges Bohling, Dever, Medley and Thorne in Utah's Third Judicial District Court. Clerked for current Chief Justice Christine M. Durham in Utah's Supreme Court. Associate at the firm of Manning Curtis Bradshaw & Bednar LLC, practicing employment litigation. President of the Utah Minority Bar Association. Recruitment Committee member of the Academy of Math, Engineering and Science; past Chair, Governor's Hispanic Advisory Council. Married to Marco Diaz, children: Alexandra, Christian and Erica. Statement of Candidacy: I want to help improve the Bar's relation with the public, including communities of color. I support the Bar's initiative to explore alternative means of delivery of legal services to low and middle class individuals. I also encourage the voluntary contribution of our members' money and time to initiatives like the "And Justice for All" campaign and the Muticultural Legal Center. The public's perception of our profession and of the fairness of our legal system stems from their everyday experiences. Thus, the Office of Professional Conduct must be accessible to all segments of the public, and must perform its disciplinary function within reasonable bounds. For this reason, I appreciate the good work being done by the Lawyers Helping Lawyers Committee. The Bar has an important role in providing adequate delivery of services to all lawyers, including solo practitioners, lawyers at small firms and lawyers practicing law outside of Salt Lake City. I have an open mind and am committed to advancing the needs and interests of all the members of the Bar in a proactive and professional manner. I would appreciate your vote and welcome your input at ydiaz@mc2b.com. Fourth Division Candidates BRENT H. BARTHOLOMEW Brent Bartholomew is an attorney with the Office of the Guardian ad Litem, Fourth District. He is court-appointed to represent the best interests of children in District and Juvenile Court. Prior to becoming an Attorney Guardian ad Litem, Mr. Bartholomew represented the indigent in non-criminal cases at the Provo office of Utah Legal Services. As an attorney, I represent the best interests of children. Before becoming an Attorney Guardian ad Litem, I represented the indigent in non-criminal matters at Utah Legal Services. I was admitted to the Utah State Bar Association in 1984, and I am also a member of the Central Utah Bar Association. I pursued my higher education at Brigham Young University and earned graduate degrees in both law and business administration. My past bar activities include being on the Delivery of Legal Services and Needs of Children committees, volunteering for the Tuesday Night Bar, participating in Law Day activities, acting as a co-facilitator for last year's Dialogue on Freedom in local high schools, and being an attorney advisor to a local junior high team for a Bar-sponsored mock trial competition. I became an attorney to make a difference and want to be a Bar Commissioner for the same reason. I am hard working, willing to listen, and promise to serve only one term. I believe the Utah Bar should serve the needs of all its members, and I will pro-actively work toward that end. ROBERT L. JEFFS Employment: Shareholder, six member firm, Jeffs & Jeffs, P.C. Primary emphasis in litigation - Personal Injury, Commercial Litigation, Insurance Defense Mediator/Arbitrator in Commercial and Personal Injury Litigation General Practice of Law, 1984 - Present Education Juris Doctor, 1984 - J. Reuben Clark Law School B.S. Business Management, 1981 - Brigham Young University Member, J. Reuben Clark Board of Advocates Bar Associations, Admissions & Professional Organizations Utah State Bar, 1984 U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 1984 Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1984 American Bar Association, 1984 Utah Defense Association, Member - Board of Directors - 1997-1998 Utah Trial Lawyers Association, Member Central Utah Bar Association Member Utah State Bar Litigation Section Member Utah State Bar, Legal Economics Committee - 1985-1987 American Inn of Court I, Barrister - 1998-1991 American Inn of Court I, Master of the Bench - 2002-Present Defense Research Institute, Member Other Riverside Country Club, President - 1996 Riverside Country Club, Board of Directors - 1994-1996 East River Bottom Water Company, Director/Secretary - 1994-1996, 2002 Ducks Unlimited, Provo Chapter, Chairman - 1996-1998 In the 18+ years that I have practiced in the Fourth Division, the Utah State Bar Association and its commission, staff and committees have played an increasing role in how we practice law and how we, as lawyers, are perceived within the broader community. From lawyer discipline to continuing legal education programs, from the Bar Association's participation in the legislative process to its Lawyers Helping Lawyers Program, the mission of the Utah State Bar Association affects all of us. The lawyers that make up our division and the legal services we provide to the public have also changed dramatically. With the increasing demands of clients for new ways of delivering legal services or resolving problems, the Bar Association will undoubtedly continue to play an increasingly larger role in how we practice law. I view the Bar Association's primary function as an organization designed to support the practitioners and to advance the professionalism of the members in addition to being a service to the community at large. My experience in interacting with the attorneys in our division and across the state, as a litigator, a mediator and an arbitrator has provided me an opportunity to discuss the concerns of attorneys from solo practitioners to large law firms, government attorneys and corporate counsel. I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Bar Commission, if elected, and to represent the interests of the members of the Fourth Division. THOMAS W. SEILER Mr. Seiler was born in Palo Alto, California on November 7, 1950. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University in 1972 and with a Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, in 1977. He was admitted to practice in Utah in September of 1977. Since 1992, he has been a member of the Utah Advisory Committee to the Supreme Court on the Rules of Evidence and since 1994 has been a Utah State Bar Examiner on torts. In 1992, Tom co-founded Law Help at Brigham Young University, the free legal advice system in Utah County. He has been a Master of the Bench with the American Inn of Court I since 1990. For two years he was the advisor to the Brigham Young University Board of Trial Advocates and coached the Law School's traveling Trial Advocacy Team. He has coached, judged and advised moot and mock trial competitions extensively, assisted interns and counseled many who sought his advise on legal careers. He is a past president of the Central Utah Bar Association in 1992, a sustaining member of the American Bar Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Central Utah Bar Association and the Utah Trial Lawyers Association. He has had an active trial practice since being admitted to practice in 1977. Since 1988 he has been a partner in the firm of Robinson, Seiler & Glazier, LC, Provo, Utah. For the past 25 years, Tom has been actively engaged in the practice of law in Provo and Orem representing home owners, contractors, title agencies, small business owners, injury victims, physicians, lenders, and others in both litigation and non-litigation matters. Tom and his wife, Nancy, have four children, two married. They are Matthew (27), Melissa (25), Alexa (12), and McKenna (7). Tom and Nancy have four grandchildren: Marty (4), Adrianna (4), Alaina (2) and Talon (1). Dear Members of the Utah State Bar Association, Fourth Division: I am proud to be a lawyer. I enjoy counseling with clients and representing their position in court. I enjoy my association with other attorneys. As a group, lawyers are hard working, honest and compassionate. Communication: The Bar as a whole does need better communication. Communication should be improved with the general public, between lawyers and the bar association, and between lawyers and the State Legislature. By way of example: 1.The general public should understand how much volunteer work lawyers do, both in the area of law and in other areas. By way of example, in the area of law, the small Claims Court judges are volunteer lawyers. We have a pro bono program in the Fourth Division that is currently operated out of the BYU Law School called Law Help. Many volunteer organizations have lawyers sitting on their boards or voluntarily advising their boards. Lawyers are Scoutmasters, bishops, tutors, etc. all on a volunteer basis. This type of information should be communicated on a regular basis to the public to let the public understand what valuable service lawyers as a group are to the community and to remind lawyers of volunteer opportunities. 2.Members of the Fourth Division should have ready access to Bar information. There are many committees, educational groups and associations which are not governed by the Bar Association. These should not be governed by the Bar Association, but the Bar Association should have a way to make its members aware of these groups and to help members join or be exposed to them. 3.The State Bar Association must continue to communicate with the State Legislature. Of all professions and occupations, the practice of law is most heavily affected by the work in the legislature. As a practical matter, many people turn to members of our profession to help them understand what a statute or group of statutes mean. Bar Admission: In the last two years, the Utah State Bar Commission has focused many of its efforts in the area of admissions. That process needs to continue. As an association, we need to consider our high passing rate. It may well be a direct result of having two exceptional law schools in the State. On the other hand, it may well be a result of having too low of expectations. Bar Complaints: I believe that there should be a continuing and ongoing examination of how we handle bar complaints. I believe that the vast majority of us have no understanding of what happens in that process. I know there are varying perceptions as to the fairness and evenhandedness of the process. Those perceptions should reasonably be explored and, to the extent the process is inequitable or is not evenhanded, that should be corrected. To the extent it is equitable and is evenhanded, it should be supported. I would very much appreciate your support in my candidacy for the Utah State Bar Commissioner from the Fourth Division. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 80 North 100 East, P.O. Box 1266, Provo, UT 84603; phone (801) 375-1920; email tws@rsglaw.com. Fifth Division Candidates 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." V. Lowry Snow is running uncontested in the Fifth District and will therefore be declared elected. V. Lowry Snow It has been a privilege to serve this past term as Commissioner representing the Fifth Division. I am requesting your vote of confidence so that I may continue in your service for the next three years. I believe it is important that the Bar continue to maintain its relevancy to its members throughout the entire state. It is also important that the Bar provide leadership and direction on all critical issues that affect lawyers and the way we practice law. I practice law in a small firm in Southern Utah. My beginnings as a lawyer include a period of time spent in solo practice. It has been my focus on the Commission to provide an active voice representing the concerns and needs of lawyers living some distance from the Wasatch front, and for those practicing alone or in the small firm. I intend to continue with this same emphasis during my second term. At the same time, I intend to continue to work hard to ensure the fiscal well being and the sound operation of the Bar for all its members. Thank you for your vote and for your expressions of support and confidence entrusted to me.