RQN Attorneys Arthur B. Berger, Carol Funk, and Skye Lazaro presented at the Utah State Bar Summer Convention in Coronado, California, July 6-9, 2022.
Arthur B. Berger, Managing Director of the firm, presented “Difficult Conversations with Each Other: Navigating the Mandatory Reporting Requirements Under the Rules of Professional Conduct.” The presentation discussed the importance of lawyers’ and judges’ compliance with their duty to report professional misconduct and available resources for preventing misconduct.
RQN Appellate Chair Carol Funk moderated “Recollections from the Bench and Thoughts on Under-Utilized Provisions of the Utah Constitution: A Discussion with Retired Justices.” The session featured four retired Utah Supreme Court Justices and explored the Utah Supreme Court’s approach to questions of state constitutional law, the interpretive frameworks historically and presently used by the Court in that context, the role stare decisis plays in the Court’s analysis, and the Court’s approach when construing specific provisions of the Utah Constitution, including the Open Courts Clause.
Skye Lazaro, Chair of the RQN’s White Collar, Criminal Defense & Government Investigations, and Cannabis Law Groups presented “Whether you Like it or Not: How TikTok, Instagram, Tinder, Facebook/Meta & Social Media Impacts the Legal Profession.” This CLE focused on the Heard-Depp trial, the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cases, and other personal criminal cases to highlight issues with the Rules of Professional Conduct and ethics. It also discussed the implications of clients who tweet, Facebook posts, Instagram, and comment about ongoing litigation or jump into controversies that attorneys cannot control and how these issues implicate the Utah Rules of Professionalism.
The Utah State Bar was established in 1931 and, under the authority of the Utah Supreme Court, regulates the practice of law. This includes administering the Bar exam, staffing the Office of Professional Conduct, and offering continuing legal education. Attorneys in Utah must attend 24 hours of continuing legal education every two years, including at least three hours of accredited ethics, with one of the three in professionalism and civility. The vision of the Utah State Bar is to lead society in the creation of a justice system that is understood, valued, respected, and accessible to all.