How Utah Bar Licensees Can Help

• Year: 2025
• Citation: Vol. 38 No. 1 Pg. 21
• Pages: 21
• Date: 01 January 2025

How Utah Bar Licensees Can HelpVol. 38 No. 1 Pg. 21Utah Bar JournalJanuary, 2025

By Frank Pignanelli and Stephen Styler

The 2025 Utah General Legislative Session commences on January 21. The Bar Commission and the government relations team have been working to enhance interactions between lawmakers and attorneys. We appreciate the desire to improve attorney involvement in the legislative process, resulting in a better judicial system and greater access to justice for citizens.

Bar Sections Engage With the Legislature Throughout the Year

The Utah State Constitution mandates a forty-five-day legislative session that adjourns in early March. May through November, the legislature meets monthly in interim committees, task forces, and ad hoc groups to discuss legislation. The Bar Government Relations Committee (GRC) and sections have received bill files (potential legislation) opened during the year. We hope this alerted section members as to possible legislative activity.

As the session approaches, your lobbyists will identify bills and send them to the Executive Director's Office for distribution to the GRC. We will also send legislation that is released directly to the appropriate section chairs so they can review it much sooner. Bar section leaders will inform their members of the legislation so they are aware of legislation that will affect their practice area. Sections may not take positions on the legislation, but lawyers can reach out to legislators in their individual capacity or provide subject matter expertise.

Bar Involvement

Because legislative activities regularly impact attorneys directly or indirectly, the Bar is vigilant in active monitoring and, when necessary, engagement in legislative deliberations. During each legislative session, the GRC meets weekly to review bills and resolutions. Last year, the GRC examined 280 bills and resolutions, almost a third of all legislation filed. All bills and resolutions will also be provided to the appropriate sections for their examination. The results of this scrutiny and accompanying recommendations will then be provided to the full GRC.

Jaqualin Peterson and Sara Bouley lead the GRC, and each section of the Bar has a designated representative. This year, meetings will be conducted online, as a virtual setting provides greater accessibility to participate in these discussions. The recommendations of the GRC are then provided to the Bar Commission for their review. The Bar posts its legislative positions to the public on its website, providing practitioners with transparency and clarity.

Please remember that the Utah State Bar's legislative activities are limited by design and follow the United States Supreme Court precedent outlined in Keller v. State Bar of California, 496 U.S. 1 (1990). When the Utah Supreme Court adopted rules...