Utah State Bar May eBulletin
Can We Meet our Market's Demands?
Over 3 million people now call Utah home and over 250,000 small businesses operate in our state. Those businesses employ over 500,000 people, which is nearly half of the private workforce.  (Details here) . That is a lot of prospective clients and upside potential for lawyers, right? Well, maybe. Our bar is certainly ready, willing and able to provide legal services to these Utahns and Utah businesses. And we lawyers know that there is plenty of good advice and valuable assistance we can provide to them. Hey, we are educated. We are smart. We know the law. We work hard. But, per Stuart Smalley: “Do people like us?”
 
In fact, very few Utahns and Utah businesses routinely use legal services. Indeed, the vast majority have never used a lawyer for anything. They find “solutions” online. They buy forms. They go it alone in court. Even larger businesses increasingly try to solve legal issues on their own and only bring in outside counsel as a last resort. Why? Why don’t they call on us?
 
The Bar commissioned Lighthouse Research, a well-regarded market research firm, to get statistically valid answers to these questions, and others, from our potential clients throughout Utah. The results are now in. They present both challenges and opportunities for anyone seeking to practice law in Utah. You can see the complete report by logging in to the practice portal here . It’s not quite “read it and weep;” but, I’d say: “Read it and reevaluate your business model.”


John R. Lund
Utah State Bar President
Herm Olsen Retained as Bar President-elect; Mancuso-Smith, Pugsley, Seiler and Woods Elected Commissioners
Congratulations to Herm Olsen,  who was   retained as President-elect, and to  Mark Pugsley  and  Chrystal Mancuso-Smith  who were elected commissioners in the Third Division. 

In the Fourth and Fifth Divisions, Tom Seiler and Kristin "Katie" Woods ran unopposed and are elected according to Bar bylaws.

We appreciate all the candidates for their efforts to be involved and their willingness to serve. Terms for the new candidates begin in July.
Herm Olsen, Bar President-elect
Chrystal Mancuso-Smith, newly elected 3rd Division Commissioner.
Mark Pugsley,
newly elected commissioner from the 3rd Division.
Tom Seiler,
newly elected commissioner from the 4th Division.
Kristin "Katie" Woods, re-elected as commissioner from the 5th Division.
MCLE Even Year Reporting Cycle

JULY 1, 2016-JUNE 30, 2018: Active status lawyers complying in 2018 are required to complete a minimum of 24 hours of Utah approved CLE, which shall include a minimum of three hours of accredited ethics. One of the ethics hours shall be in the area of professionalism and civility. A minimum of 12 hours must be live in-person CLE. Please remember that your MCLE hours must be completed by June 30 and your report must be filed by July 31. Remember, under Rule 14-405 if a lawyer elects inactive status at the end of the licensing cycle (June 1-September 30) when his or her CLE reporting is due and elects to change back to active status within the first three months of the following licensing cycle, the lawyer will be required to complete the CLE requirement for the previous CLE reporting period before returning to active status. For information and to obtain a Certificate of Compliance, please click here.

Litigation Section and LGBT and Allied Lawyers of Utah Offering CLE

On May 24 at noon, in the Jury Assembly Room at the Federal courthouse, the Litigation Section and the LGBT and Allied Lawyers of Utah (LALU) will present a CLE with Kate Kendell, Executive Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Kate, a Utah native and graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, will be discussing legal issues facing LGBTQ individuals and her perspective as a national leader in developing policy, advocacy, and litigation strategies.
Lunch will be provided. That evening is LALU’s "Gay-La," a fun evening of food, drinks, entertainment, and recognition of some amazing people. The "Gay-La's" location is still being finalized--stay tuned for an update.
The event will give CLE credit hours with available ethics hours. Registration will be available on the Litigation Section website here.
Licensed Lawyer Profile Searches Up 34 Percent
Searches on the Bar's popular Licensed Lawyer site designed to connect potential clients with attorneys increased 34 percent over April of last year. Clients used Licensed Lawyer to conduct 5,502 searches during April, generating more than 800 referrals. If you haven't activated your profile, and are looking to grow your practice, sign up here.
Bar Review Scheduled for Thursday, June 14
The next Bar Review will be June 14, at the Clark Planetarium, 5:30-7:30. Co-hosted by the Utah State Bar, Parsons Behle & Latimer, and the Litigation Section. Drinks and appetizers will be served.
Housing Filling Up Quickly For 2018 Summer Convention in Sun Valley
It's time to reserve your spot at the Utah State Bar's Summer Convention in Sun Valley. To register and for more information go here.
Online Renewal will be Mandatory for 2018
The annual Bar licensing renewal process will begin the week of June 4, 2018 and will be done only online. An email outlining renewal instructions will be sent to your email address of record. Utah Supreme Court Rule 14-507 requires lawyers to provide their current e-mail address to the Bar. If you need to update your email address of record, please do so through your member portal. License renewal and fees are due July 1 and will be late August 1. If renewal is not complete and payment is not received by September 1, your license will be suspended.