President’s Message
Women Lawyers of Utah 2011-2012 President Heather Farnsworth
Women Lawyers of Utah, established in 1981, turned thirty this year. As we are discovering in our current Special Project “Women Trailblazers in the Law,” WLU and women lawyers in Utah have certainly come a long way. However, as our Initiative on the Retention and Advancement of Women Attorneys revealed, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I believe WLU has been, and will continue to be, instrumental in this process and I am honored to join the many women who have had the privilege as serving as President of WLU. I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Board Members who will join me in this opportunity. I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Melanie Vartabedian, our past president, for her years of dedication and efforts which have led to the advancement of WLU and women lawyers in Utah.
I am pleased to continue with Melanie’s Special Project honoring the women who paved the way for all of us: the first 100 women attorneys in Utah. This project, which expands upon Charlotte Miller’s 1998 project, began with a dinner honoring the first 100 women to be admitted to practice law in Utah. This dinner was held on May 26, 2011, at the Grand America Hotel. At the event, attendees received a booklet honoring the first 100 women and were able to preview the forthcoming documentary. WLU will continue with this project throughout the year and I look forward to hearing from some of the first 100 women at our upcoming annual Fall Retreat, to be held November 4-5, at the St. Regis Deer Crest Resort in Deer Valley. I would like to sincerely thank Melanie and Cathleen Gilbert for their efforts with this Project, as well as the members of the Special Project Committee.
In addition to our Annual Fall Retreat, WLU will continue with our keystone events such as the Fireside Chat with Chief Justice Durham, Banter with the Bench, and our Mentoring Socials. Additionally, WLU will continue to reach out to the Community, with events such as the Walk Against Violence (to benefit the YWCA) and Cancer Bites (a benefit for the Huntsman Cancer Institute). As the prior Community Outreach Chair, I especially look forward to these events which give us the opportunity to serve the community while enjoying the company of our colleagues.
I invite you to participate in our upcoming WLU events and to consider participating in a WLU committee. Joining a committee is a great way to meet other members of the legal community and to become more involved in WLU. Details about our events and how to join a committee can be found on our website. I am looking forward to another great year for WLU and an honored to serve as its president.
Heather Farnsworth
