Justice Diana Hagen was presented with the Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award at the Spring Convention in St. George. Justice Hagen was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in March 2022 by Governor Spencer J. Cox. Prior to her appointment, Justice Hagen served on the Utah Court of Appeals for nearly five years. She received her law degree Order of the Coif from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 1998, where she was a member of the National Moot Court Team and the Utah Law review editorial board. Following law school, she served as a law clerk for United States District Court Judge Tena Campbell and then began her practice at the law firm now known as Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless. In 2001, she joined the appellate section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah and later became the Appellate Chief, a position she held for nearly ten years before being promoted to First Assistant. Justice Hagen has served as president of Women Lawyers of Utah, the David K. Watkiss-Sutherland II Inn of Court, the Salt Lake County Bar Association, and the Utah Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. 

The 2024 Utah State Bar Leadership Academy kicked off its 2024 program with the Leadership Academy Retreat in California.

During the retreat, Academy participants discussed their goals for the year and heard presentations from Bar and community leaders.

Members of the 2024 Leadership Academy are: Katie Ellis (Second); Todd Sheeran (Third); Cassandra Dawn (Third); Meg Glasmann (Third); Sarah Jenkins Dewey (Third); Jordan Westgate (Third); Aspen Jensen (Fourth); Carl Hollan (Fourth); Benjamin Perkins (Fourth); Steven Gray (Fifth); and Riley Williams (Eighth). The Academy is co-chaired by Jenifer Tomchak and Judge Clemens Landau.

The Utah Supreme Court has approved the use of the NextGen Bar Exam beginning with the July 2028, exam. The NextGen Bar Examination, currently in development by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, was developed using data from a three-year evaluation by the Conference. 

The Utah Board of Bar Commissioners recommend the adoption of the NextGen exam, noting that the new exam “is the logical and sensible evolution” of the Bar exam.  The new exam focuses on an assessment of nine foundational concepts and seven foundational skills that research shows are crucial to the practice of law.

“We are excited to take this step forward,” said Emily Lee, the Utah State Bar’s Deputy Counsel for Admissions. “Using the NextGen exam will improve access to the profession.”