Amicus Committee
The Amicus Committee reviews and monitors federal and state court decisions that affect criminal defendants' individual rights and the fairness of criminal proceedings on a system-wide basis. The committee receives requests for amicus assistance and recommends to the UACDL Board of Trustees when to file amicus briefs. The Board must then approve committee action. Committee members work together to research and draft amicus filings. Members' personal or professional interests must play no role in deciding whether to file amicus briefs. The committee meets quarterly to review possible UACDL involvement and to monitor cases that the UACDL is interested in following. The amicus committee is also charged with updating the UACDL membership on federal and state case law developments through "The Defender" newsletter, brief bank on the website, and at the annual UACDL seminar.
Amicus Committee Members:
Ron Fujino, Chair, counsel356@msn.com
Scott Wilson, Chair, Scott_wilson@fd.org
Ann Taliaferro, ann@brownbradshaw.com
Liz Hunt, elizabeth.hunt@comcast.net
Kevin Murphy, jkmurphyjd@comcast.net
Randy Richards, randy@rca-law.com
Bretta Pirie, bretta_pirie@fd.org
John Pace, jp2705@comcast.net
Jennifer Gowans, jgowans@fslaw.com
Capital Committee
The Capital Committee spearheads training in capital cases, collects death-penalty related information, and disseminates that information to the membership. Â The committee's efforts include gathering motions, memoranda, and briefs and working with the Seminar Committee on planning the annual capital seminar. Â Also, committee members provide UACDL members other valuable resources such as lists of experts and a searchable brief bank.
Capital Committee Members:
Rich Mauro, Chair, Rmauro@xmission.com
Aric Cramer, ariccramer@qwest.net
Bob Steele, robert_steele@fd.org
Elizabeth Hunt, elizabeth.hunt@comcast.net
Joan Watt, jwatt@sllda.com
Kristina Swickard, kswickard@sllda.com
Lisa Remal, lremal@sllda.com
Mike Esplin, mesplin@earthlink.net
Daniel Medwed, medwedd@law.utah.edu
Mike Sikora, msikora@sllda.com
Richard Gale, aarichardgale@hotmail.com
Ralph Dellapaina rdellapiana@sllda.com
Legislative Committee
The Legislative Committee works with the UACDL Executive Director to comment on and propose legislation that adversely affects the underprivileged, discriminates against groups, or implicate constitutionally-protected rights. No professional or personal interests may influence committtee members' efforts or decision-making. Nor may committee members instruct or encourage the membership to endorse specific candidates or to contribute to political campaigns. Committee members must meet throughout the year to monitor proposed legislation and to plan for the annual legislative session. Also, the committee coordinates with other sympathetic groups as well as the UACDL members who serve on rule-making committees to monitor changes in the law and court procedures. During the annual seven-week legislative session, the committee meets weekly to monitor legislation and to arrange for the Executive Director or committee members to attend legislative committee meetings and to speak on behalf of the UACDL. The committee also educates on criminal-law related changes in the law at CLE events and in the Spring issue of "The Defender" newsletter.
Legislative Committee Members:
Rob Latham, Chair, jrobertlesq@yahoo.com
Jessica Jacobs, jjacobs@sllda.com
Heather Harris, heatheremharris@hotmail.com
Ed Flint, edflintlaw@msn.com
Mike Martinez, mikemartinez@sisna.com
Jonathon Grimes, jon@utahaccesslegal.com
Neal Hamilton, nhamilton@sllda.com
Sam Harkness, sharkness@scmlaw.com
Terry Wright, murraydetectiveagency@yahoo.com
Jeremy Delicino, jeremy@jeremydelicino.com
Jason Schatz, jason@utahduidefenders.com
Seminar Committee
The Charge of the Seminar Committee is to plan and execute Continuing Legal Education Seminars approved by the Utah State Bar for the benefit of the UACDL members. In planning continuing education events the seminar committee will prioritize the current educational needs of the membership including current developments in the law, practical litigation tools, and the need to inspire advocacy among criminal defense practitioners.
Seminar Committee Members:
Patrick Tan, Chair, ptan@sllda.com
Roger Scowcroft, rogerscowcroft@yahoo.com
Robert Breeze, rbreeze@lgcy.com
Heather Chesnut, hchesnut@sllda.com
Randy Birch, randy@bostwickprice.com
Lynn Donaldson, lynn_donaldson@fd.org
Tawni Hanseen, thanseen@sllda.com
Strike Force Committee
The Strike Force Committee meets on an as-needed basis to review interference with members' representation of criminal defendants. Committee members recommend to the UACDL Board of Trustees whether to intervene and represent members before judges, bar disciplinary bodies, or prosecutors. Committee action is warranted when third parties interfere with the lawyer/client relationship in such a way that threatens criminal defendants' fundamental constitutional rights. The committee's decisions must be based on the notion that defense lawyers' independence is essential to the adequate and effective representation of criminal defendants. Members' personal or professional interests must play no role in deciding whether to recommend committee intervention. The committee also updates the UACDL membership on threats to independence in "The Defender" newsletter and at CLE events. Committee members donate their time but are reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses in defending UACDL members against unwarranted attacks.
Strike Force Committee Members:
Gill Athay, Chair, dgathay@msn.comRobin Ljundberg,
Mike Esplin, mesplin@earthlink.net
Doug Terry, ddtlaw@infowest.com
White Collar Crime Committee
Attorneys defending White Collar defendants often have different needs than do other criminal defense attorneys. The issues in White Collar cases tend to be more specialized and technical. For example, securities fraud, insurance fraud, and tax evasion cases require additional training in fields other than criminal defense and procedure. To address these needs, the White Collar Committee presents CLEs that are specifically targeted to attorneys who defend White Collar defendants. This committee also informs the UACDL board of trustees of issues and problems that uniquley affect White Collar defense attorneys.
White Collar Committee Members:
Jamie Zenger, Co-Chair, jamie_zenger@fd.org
Adam Price, Co-Chair, aprice@joneswaldo.com
