ANNUAL APPELLATE PRACTICE SECTION
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
MINUTES - July 8, 2004; 12:00 -1:00 p.m.
I Introduction: Scott Crook, outgoing chair, opened
the meeting. He thanked officers and council members for their efforts
during the past year. He also reported on the major activities and accomplishments
of the Section in the past year:
1 - Continuing Legal Education - the Section sponsored 3 CLE programs:
-"Top Ten Things Not to Expect on Appeal" - Fred Voros,
Division Chief of Criminal Appeals Division, Attorney General's Office
- "Standards of Review Update" - Judge Norman Jackson, Utah
Court of Appeals
- "Powerful Appellate Writing" - Dr. Elizabeth Francis,
University of Nevada
All three presentations were useful, informative, and well-attended.
2 - Appellate Court Audio Streaming: A pilot audio streaming program
is working well at the Attorney General's Office at the Heber Wells
Building. The Section hopes to expand this promising service to assist
attorneys throughout the State.
3 - Curriculum for incoming attorneys - a subcommittee is in the final
stages of completing the project.
4 - Website - The Section's website is being upgraded with minutes
of meetings as they are approved.
5 - Committee on Professionalism and Civility - This committee is being
formed under the auspices of the Utah Supreme Court. Joan Watt, Salt
Lake Legal Defender Association, is serving as the Section's liaison
to this committee.
II Election of Officers and Council Members: Preliminary
to voting for new officers and Council Members, a vote was taken to suspend
the rules to allow for the voting of officers and executive council members
to be done by voice vote rather than written ballot. The following persons
were elected to the following positions on the Executive Committee of
the Section without opposition:
Ken Bronston (Criminal Appeals Division, Utah Attorney
General's Office) - Chair-elect
Tawni Sherman (Snell & Wilmer) - Secretary/Treasurer
Mike Lee (U.S. Attorney's Office) and Lori Seppi (Salt
Lake Legal Defender Association - Council Members
III Proposed Amendment to Bylaws: Scott Crook explained
that proposed amendments to Article 6 of the Section's Bylaws had been
circulated by email attachment to the announcement of the organizational
meeting and at the meeting. He further explained that the proposed amendments
made express the policy of the Section to automatically advance elected
officers to successively higher positions as of each annual meeting, without
a vote, as presently required. The purpose of the policy is to assure
that the leadership positions on the Section are filled by persons who
have devoted some effort and gained useful experience and training from
having previously served the Section. Proposed amendments, if approved
by the Section, are then subject to approval by the Board of Commissioners.
The proposed amendments were approved without opposition on a voice vote.
The vote concluded the business of the meeting.
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