Sean Reyes: Utah's Lawyer-in-Chief.

• Author: Francom, Sarah Ryther
• Position: In the Spotlight

At an early age, Utah's Attorney General Sean Reyes recognized justice wasn't always blind, and it troubled him greatly. "My dad was involved in so many lawsuits. He was a small business man, an immigrant from the Philippines, who was being bullied by more established businesses through the legal system," Reyes says. "I saw how law can be used to protect people and be used to hurt people. I wanted to try to protect people if I could."

Since his 2013 appointment as attorney general, protecting people--especially children--from drugs and violence has been one of Reyes' top priorities. In fact, in late 2014 he traveled to Columbia with Operation Underground Railroad in a sex-trafficking sting operation. The operation freed more than 130 children. He has also prioritized battling white-collar crime and protecting individuals, particularly senior citizens, from fraud.

During his relatively short time as Utah's attorney general, Reyes has had to manage several sensitive issues, such as the definition of marriage, polygamy and immigration, which he describes as "challenging but tremendously rewarding."

Instilling public trust in the Attorney General's Office is another top priority for Reyes. Upon his appointment, Reyes required his leadership team to resign and reapply for their positions. Not all were hired back.

"I hired on merit and leadership," he says. "I looked at who was going to mentor those that they led. Who would care to do evaluations and to teach? Who would discipline or incentivize when they needed to? A leader is someone who is willing to serve themselves."

Reyes also commissioned outside investigations and audits to improve his office's overall operations. "When I came in, we were getting assailed by our clients, state agencies, who were upset with the work product. After eight months, the auditor did another client satisfaction survey that showed only 6 percent were still dissatisfied with the AG Office. I want it to be 100 percent, and I'm excited with our approach."

Though he had a natural passion for the legal industry, Reyes initially aspired to be an English...