The ABA chose Reyes over 24 other lawyers across the country for his legal skills, local and national bar leadership, and dedication to public service.
"I know many of the other nominees and they are people I admire and have worked with. So to be selected among such a distinguished group of peers is really a privilege and honor," Reyes said Monday.
Reyes, 36, is a partner at Utah's biggest law firm, Parsons Behle & Latimer. He specializes in intricate commercial litigation battles, ranging from contract disputes to trade-secret clashes.
The son of immigrant parents, Reyes was one of the first minority attorneys to be named a partner at a major Utah law practice. Last year, he was named the 2006 Young Lawyer of the Year by the Utah State Bar, a recognition of his efforts to nurture diversity in Utah's legal world.
"This award is interested in someone who is not only a good lawyer in the sense of representing clients or being in court. His accomplishments in the community have made him stand apart from others," said David Hall, past president of the Young Lawyers Division of the Utah bar, which nominated Reyes.
Reyes is a past president of the Utah Minority Bar Association. He is a director of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Utah Hispanic Business Leadership Foundation and the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce. He helped supervise an English-language program for immigrants sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And he established several community-outreach programs as an LDS bishop in the Capitol Hill area.
"On the most grass-roots level, he was able to unite many disparate groups in his neighborhood as an official in his church, while bridging religious, racial and other divides that had existed for years," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. wrote in a letter to the ABA.
As a partner at Parsons Behle & Latimer, Reyes has handled complex disputes on the national and international levels. He has argued cases before the Utah Supreme Court and federal appellate courts. He has worked on pro bono cases and mentored underprivileged students.
"His work clearly marks him as a rising star with a commitment to the rule of law, equal opportunity and high professional standards. He is a remarkable person who is using his extraordinary gifts to serve his profession and community," Christine Durham, chief justice of the Utah Supreme Court, said in a nominating letter.
Reyes is the son of a Filipino artist and businessman and a Japanese-Hawaiian teacher. He said the obstacles and injustices his father faced motivated him to become a lawyer.
"I think it's what he's passionate about," said Hall, who counts Reyes as a mentor. "I think it also has to do with his background. He grew up in fairly humble circumstances in the Los Angeles area. His parents were immigrants. I think he wants to give back to the community."
Reyes graduated from Brigham Young University and the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
The ABA will present the award to Reyes in Los Angeles in February.
pbeebe@sltrib.com
