Young Lawyers Division

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Welcome to the Young Lawyers Division

With approximately 2,000 members, the Young Lawyers Division prides itself as being one of the most active organizations within the Bar. We encourage you to join one of our committees and participate in the numerous events we sponsor throughout the year. A list of the committees and the contact information for the officers and committee chairs is available by clicking the "Officers & Committees" link above. A schedule of Young Lawyers Division activities can be found by clicking the "Calendar" link above. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any member of the Young Lawyers Division leadership.

Who is a member of the Young Lawyers Division?

All members of the Utah State Bar in good standing under 36 years of age as well as members who have been admitted to their first state bar for less than five years, regardless of age, are automatically members of the Young Lawyers Division. Membership terminates automatically at the adjournment of the annual convention of the Utah State Bar following a member’s thirty-sixth birthday or the third anniversary of a member’s first state bar admission. There is no need to sign-up or pay dues to be a member of the Young Lawyers Division.

UPCOMING EVENTS

   YLD Elections for 2010 - 2011

YLD Members - Please review the Candidacy Statements and information for the three YLD members who are running to be your YLD President-Elect for the 2010-2011 year.
 
VOTE for one person A.S.A.P. but no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 24th, Ballots have been sent to your email address of record.
 
Results will be announced on June 25th. Thank you for taking part!

Candidacy Statements for YLD President-Elect 2010-2011

R. Blake Hamilton
Phone: (801) 364-8300
Email: bhamilton@stirba.com

Friends and Colleagues: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to review my Statement of Candidacy for President elect of the Young Lawyer Division (“YLD”). My name is Blake Hamilton, and I am currently an attorney at Stirba & Associates. Prior to joining Stirba & Associates, I was an attorney with Smith Knowles P.C. I graduated in 2006 from Gonzaga University with a J.D./M.B.A. As a Utah native and Weber State University alumnus, I am grateful to have returned home to begin my legal career. My experience integrating into the Utah legal community and struggling to establish myself in this challenging profession has created my desire to serve my fellow colleagues as the President of the YLD.

We are all aware of the economic climate our profession is facing. I have spoken with many of you, and am keenly aware of the struggles we face as we attempt to build the foundation for our legal careers. Recently, the Bar and the YLD co-sponsored a free workshop, “A New Lawyer’s Survival Guide,” which provided CLE and information on Utah job prospects, tips on opening your own practice, building a safety net in legal and practice management, and finding clients. If elected, I will continue to push for more of these workshops that provide free CLE to unemployed and underemployed young lawyers. I will also work with the Bar to provide further networking and mentoring opportunities for young lawyers. Finally, I will continue to strongly encourage participation in service projects that create opportunities for us to fulfill the most noble part of our profession, such as the Wills for Heroes program, legal clinics for the public, and fundraisers for abused women and children. I am deeply committed to contributing to our legal community. I welcome you to please contact with your ideas and suggestions.

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Jenifer Tomchak

Phone: 801-257-7985
Email: jtomchak@parrbrown.com

Dear Friends:  I am seeking election as the YLD President and I would appreciate your support.  As an active member of the YLD for the last five years, I have demonstrated my commitment to the YLD and ability to serve others through leadership.  For the last two years, I have served on the YLD’s Executive Board as the Chairperson of the YLD’s Community Service Committee.  In that role, I have organized a number of events that have not only served the Salt Lake community as a whole, but have also increased participation by young lawyers and raised awareness about YLD in Salt Lake legal community.  For example, with the help of my committee, I organized the first annual Walk Against Violence, a community-wide fundraiser to benefit victims of domestic violence.  The event was a huge success, and it is likely to become an annual event for the YLD.   Also, in an effort to help young lawyers who are facing difficulties in these economic times, I am coordinating efforts between the Utah Federal Bar Association and YLD to create a program to provide those attorneys with opportunities for free CLE credit and meaningful legal experience to increase their ability to obtain employment.    

 

The above experience demonstrates that I am an ideal candidate for YLD President.  I am not only a well-organized and determined leader, but I get things done.  If elected, I intend to continue to improve YLD’s visibility in the community, to increase the participation by lawyers in the legal community, and to provide training and experience opportunities to Utah’s Young Lawyers.  If you have any questions about the specific ways I intend to implement these goals, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you for your support!

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Gabriel K. White
Phone: 801.524.9391
Email: gabriel.white@chrisjen.com

My name is Gabe White and I am a candidate for President-Elect of the Young Lawyers Division. I currently serve on the Tuesday Night Bar Committee. I am overseeing the “Wednesday Night Bar” program that meets twice a month at the Sorenson Community Center on the west side of Salt Lake City. I founded Wednesday Night Bar a year ago in order to reach Utah’s underprivileged Spanish-speaking community and help with their legal needs. From the success of this program, I realized how much I enjoy serving in Young Lawyers Division leadership and how I can help bring about future success. I have served in numerous leadership capacities throughout my life and know that I have a style of leadership that will work well in the Young Lawyers Division. As a collaborative leader, I welcome your ideas and energy. I support your endeavors, and together we can achieve necessary and important goals for our Division and our members.

Public service is important to me. I feel passionate about the issues facing our profession. I thoroughly enjoy my work and serving clients, but I also know that some of my colleagues face great difficulties. During these difficult economic times, it is important for the Young Lawyers Division to reach out to unemployed or underemployed attorneys, and help them find the tools to succeed. Public service is an important part of fulfilling these responsibilities, and the Young Lawyers Division has a great role to play in serving the community.

I have the time and energy to serve. I want to get to know lawyers in our Division who need support and encouragement during these tough times. I believe this is an important time for the YLD. We need to engage more of our members, and provide meaningful and necessary services and opportunities, including helping young lawyers stay in the profession and succeed despite the many challenges they face. I am optimistic and ready to lead.

 

  

WILLS FOR HEROES

Wills for HeroesClick here to learn about Wills for Heroes and upcoming
volunteer opportunitites.

 

 

 


YLD Highlights

YLD Photo Archive

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The Herald Journal

YLD Receives 2008 Section of the Year | HTML version

Utah YLD's Formula for Pro Bono Success

Utah Bar offers free wills for emergency responders

Heroes get help with wills

Sean Reyes - The First Ever ABA YLD National Outstanding Young Lawyer


Benefits Highlight

Blomquist Hale

Lawyers Helping Lawyers