Family Law Section

Minutes August 15, 2001

In Attendance:

• Commissioner Bradford
• Harry Caston
• Karma Dixon
• Brent Johns
• Randy Ludlow
• Kellie Williams
• Howard Lundgren
• Marcie Keck
• Lori Nelson
• Stewart Ralphs
• Adam Trupp

Excused:

• Marilyn Brown
• Helen Christian
• Mary Corporon
• Sandy Dolowitz
• Commissioner Hadley
• Louise Knauer
• Judge Larry Jones

I. Welcome. The members were welcomed back from a brief respite. Karma explained that she went ahead with an August meeting because she wanted to insure that issues were resolved by the September CLE.

II. Section Budget. Karma indicated that the budget information is not ready because the receipts from the annual seminar and the bar dues have not yet been posted.

III. Selection of Secretary. Karma was uncertain whether we had elected a secretary for the upcoming year. It was determined that we had not. The matter was postponed until the membership of the executive committee could be finalized.

IV. Meeting Times. The Executive Committee members did not want to meet in conjunction with the monthly CLE meetings. Because Wednesdays appear to be more difficult for some members, meetings were moved to the second Tuesday of each month. Marcie confirmed that those dates are available. The new meeting times will be:

• September 11
• October 9
• November 13
• December 11
• Jan. 8, 02
• Feb. - Olympics ?? on building availability
• Mar. 12, 02Apr. 9, 02
• May 10, 02 Annual Meeting

Because several people find they have 1:00 p.m. calendars, everyone needs to be prompt. Harry will contact the Bar office about different providers for the food and will arrange the food.

V. Subcommittee Membership

A. Newsletter. The Newsletter subcommittee consists of the following people: Karma, Louise, Stewart, Mary, Marcie, Sandy and Harry. Kristine is willing to continue doing the format even without Helen being a part of the committee. The Executive Committee decided to do two paper issues each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Other updates will come through the Web page.

B. CLE Subcommittee. The CLE Subcommittee members are Randy, Karma, Kellie and Marcie. We already have September’s CLE taken care of. Lori will do a presentation on Parenting Plans (there was a lot of appreciation about that choice). In October, the Domestic Violence Task Force has asked to do a presentation. In February the Law and Justice Center may not be available so it was decided that we hold the February CLE in Provo and have the new Commissioner, Tom Patton, discuss the way things will be handled before his court. Kellie suggested that we have Commissioners from each of the Districts so that the differences in practice could be presented. Everyone agreed. Commissioner Bradford ? agreed to coordinate with the other commissioners.

That only leaves planning for January and April to be done by the subcommittee.

C. Annual Bar Meeting. The members of the Annual Bar Meeting committee are Lori, Harry, and Kellie.

D. Mid-year Bar. The members of the Mid-Year Bar committee are Stewart, Marcie and Adam.

E. Annual Seminar. The members of the Annual Seminar Committee are Marcie, Howard, Commissioner Bradford and Helen.

F. Web. Marcie and Lori indicated that Lincoln (Bar staff) would help get any information we wanted on the Web page. Harry agreed to work with them on that.

G. Legislative. Lori and Stewart will serve as the legislative committee members.

VI. Bylaws. Karma indicated that she had reviewed the By-laws and found some things that raised concerns for her. She provided a draft of potential revisions for review and discussion by the members. She emphasized that she had raised issues for discussion purposes and that Executive Committee members might not agree with those suggested changes. There are some specific philosophical concerns that should be addressed. She raised a few examples for discussion. She felt that there was inconsistency in the By-laws regarding how appointments were to be made to the Executive Committee. Randy indicated that he did not believe there was an inconsistency. She also raised issues regarding appointment of more than one person from a firm or agency. The Executive Committee seemed to generally feel that such a restriction may preclude participation unnecessarily.

Kellie suggested that the members of the Executive Committee review the proposed changes in the by-laws and that the matter be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

VII. Membership. Karma informed the Committee that both Sharon Donovan and Ellen Maycock had resigned from the Committee. She expressed her gratitude for the contribution they had made and expressed the thanks of the Committee. The membership list was reviewed to determine who was filling which position. The current membership is as follows:

• Susan C. Bradford- at-large
• Marilyn Moody Brown- 4th District
• Harry Caston- at-large
• Helen E. Christian- 6th, 7th and 8th Districts
• Mary C. Corporon- at-large
• Karma K. Dixon- Attorney General’s office
• David S. Dolowitz- at-large
• Scott Hadley- Commissioner
• Brent E. Johns- 2nd District
• Larry E. Jones- 1st District
• Marcella Keck- mediator
• Louise Knauer- at-large
• Randy S. Ludlow- at-large
• Howard Lundgren- at-large
• Lori Nelson- guardian ad litem
• Stewart Ralphs- Legal Aid
• Adam Trupp- Juvenile Court
• Kellie Williams- at-large
• open- Judge

That leaves two open positions for at-large appointments and one for the 5th District representative. Karma will send out an invitation for nominations with the card for the September CLE. She will also develop a nomination/application form for those interested.

VIII. Standing Committee Report

Adam indicated that there is a need for more involvement by practitioners in the Standing Committee Subcommittees. He will provide additional information at the next meeting.

The next meeting will be September 11 promptly at noon. If you are unable to attend, please contact Karma to let her know. We will not order food for you if we know you will not be coming. If you cannot be physically present but want to participate, please contact her in advance so that she can arrange for a conference call.