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The Utah Supreme Court has approved a New Lawyer Training Program ("NLTP"). The goal of the Utah NLTP is to match new lawyers with more experienced lawyers for training during their first year of practice in professionalism, ethics, and civility; to assist new lawyers in acquiring the practical skills and judgment necessary to practice in a highly competent manner; and to provide a means for all Utah attorneys to learn the importance of organizational mentoring, including the building of developmental networks and long-term, multiple mentoring relationships.
- Lawyers newly admitted to the Bar with an active license are required to complete the NLTP program their first year of practice in Utah. The requirement for judicial law clerks is deferred until completion of the clerkship.
- The NLTP will replace the New Lawyer Continuing Legal Education (NLCLE) program for the first year of practice. Upon completion and certification, the NLTP will result in 12 hours of NLCLE credit. New lawyers are required to attend a half-day class early in their first year of practice. The requirements for CLE during the second year of the two-year compliance cycle remain the same.
- The program is designed to provide inside mentoring, outside mentoring, and, where appropriate, circle or group mentoring. Inside mentoring is simply having a mentor within the organization where you are employed, such as a law firm or government office. Outside mentoring is the opportunity to work with an appointed mentor from outside your workplace. Circle mentoring involves group discussions among new lawyers and mentors when deemed advisable or necessary by the NLTP administrator. The mentor and new lawyer should spend at least two hours a month fostering the relationship and learning from each other as the mentoring plan is implemented.
- The Utah Supreme Court will appoint qualifying mentors and place them on a list from which the new lawyer and/or the new lawyer’s firm or office will make a selection. New lawyers will likely be paired with a mentor from within their firm or office where possible. A new lawyer may select a mentor who is not on the list, but that lawyer will need to submit a mentor application to the NLTP administrator and will need to be approved by the Utah Supreme Court.
- Mentor qualifications include: seven years of practice; no past or pending formal discipline proceeding of any type or nature; malpractice insurance in an amount of at least $100,000/$300,000, if in private practice; and approval by the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Professionalism.
- Mentors will receive 12 hours of CLE credit (including two ethics credits) for their efforts with the new lawyer. This credit may be shared where more than one lawyer (each qualifying as a mentor) plays a significant role in supervising and mentoring the new lawyer.
- The mentor and the new lawyer will develop a mentoring plan following the NLTP guidelines. Certain subjects are mandatory while others are elective. The plan must be submitted for approval to the NLTP program administrator and the New Lawyer Training Committee (NLTC) for approval. Firms and certain select groups, such as a Legal Defender’s office or a District Attorney’s office, may submit a model plan for approval that can be used in successive years.
- At the conclusion of the 12 months, the mentor will certify in writing to the Bar and the Supreme Court that the new lawyer has completed the NLTP. Absent such certification, the new lawyer must contact the NLTP administrator at the Bar office to discuss a plan to complete the program and to determine whether the license renewal is jeopardized.
- A new lawyer may migrate to a different mentor upon request to the administrator of the NLTP. No questions will be asked of the new lawyer on the first request for a change of mentor. If a second request for a change is made, questions of the new lawyer and/or the mentor are within the discretion of the NLTP administrator.
- A Mentor Training and Resources Committee (MTRC) has been created. The MTRC will meet periodically with mentors, firms, and government offices to provide training on effective mentor relationships and institutionalizing mentor programs.
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