President's Message

• Publication year: 2022
• Pages: 11

President’s Message No. Vol. 35 No. 5 Pg. 11 Utah Bar Journal September, 2022

USING THE BAR TO MAKE LIFE EASIER

Kristin K. Woods

The struggle is real, my friends. In all aspects of life, it seems that there requires an incredible amount of effort to just get by, and, if you want to excel, you have to tap into that superhuman strength that we all have down deep but is painful to find. It’s a lot!

That being said, when we pay money to belong to an organization such as the Utah State Bar, at the very least we expect our organizations to make our lives a little bit easier in certain ways. I pay to go to yoga class so that my teacher can lead me through a series of stretches that make my body feel good. I could do those stretches on my own, but I pay her so that I can just show up, zone out, and have the expert tell me what to do. It’s EASIER. I pay for my monthly car wash membership so I can drive through and let teenagers spray my car down, so I don’t have to spend the two hours on Saturday scrubbing down the Jeep. It’s EASIER for me. I choose to be lazy on my Saturday mornings. And don’t ask to see my DoorDash bill. It’s EASIER!!! You get the point.

It is true that we do not have a choice to pay our fees to be a member of the Bar. But I put to you that understanding the membership benefits that come with your Utah State Bar membership is a way to make your life easier as an attorney. In addition to the free legal research tools accessible from your lawyer portal and the discounts you receive from certain vendors, the Bar facilitates your additional membership in sections that specialize in the areas of law you practice. If you’re not familiar with the official sections of the Bar, see the list in the sidebar on the right.

I, myself, belong to several sections, and I have benefitted...