3:00 – 5:30 p.m., Sutherland Moot Courtroom

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By attending you will learn how to represent respondents in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. The training covers the guardianship process from start to finish and will include issues in representing individuals with disability or those with diminishing capacity. The presenters are Rob Denton of the Disability Law Center and Don Owen of Parsons Kinghorn Harris. The training will be free for attorneys who are willing to participate in the Utah Courts Signature program and for law students who are willing to participate in the University of Utah Guardianship Project.

Training Sponsors
Elder Law Division
Estate Planning Divisions
Utah Courts Signature Program
University of Utah Guardianship Project

What is the University of Utah Guardianship Project?

The Guardianship Project is a partner program to the Utah State Courts Signature Program. When Judges and their Clerks have exhausted their search among attorneys in the Signature Program the Clerks will then contact the Guardianship Project at the law school to provide pro bono representation under the 3rd year practice rule.  Attorneys affiliated with the Guardianship Project through the Law school will supervise third year law students in representing respondents.

What is the Signature Program?

The Guardianship Signature Program provides to judges a cadre of lawyers who have volunteered to represent respondents in guardianship and conservatorshipproceedings who do not have counsel of his/her own choice. The program is designed to meet the objective outlined in Section 75-5-303 which requires the district court judge to appoint an attorney to represent the respondent in a guardianship petition if the respondent does not have counsel of his or her choice. Section 75-5-407, is similar—permitting, but not requiring, the judge to do so. The Signature Program provides a roster of attorneys willing to represent adult respondents in guardianship and conservatorship proceedings for no fee, but who may be paid under Section 75-5-303 as circumstances warrant.  In addition, the Signature Program provides an alternative for petitioners and petitioners’ attorneys other than to recruit an attorney to represent the respondent. And it allows judges to appoint an attorney in compliance with Informal Opinion 10-2 and Informal Opinion 12-02.