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There's nothing better than a room full of lawyers. Other than maybe multiple rooms full of lawyers.

OK, none of these options is great. But the opportunity to hear Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — known to her fans as "The Notorious RBG" — is worth it, and she'll be addressing Utah lawyers at their convention this week in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The first time I learned the Utah Bar sometimes meets in Idaho I was astonished at the disconnect of the organization taking its money and resources to another state. What I didn't realize was that the group holds conventions in the fall and spring in Salt Lake and St. George, respectively. The purpose of convening in Sun Valley is to encourage members to bring families and enjoy a vacation together without sneaking home for the night.

Ginsburg is a highlight of this year's convention, but the Bar has organized the entire convention to encourage and educate Utah's lawyers to continue to practice law well and look for opportunities to serve. Indeed, the Utah Bar over the last few years, under the direction of past Presidents Angelina Tsu and Robert Rice, as well as current President John Lund, has immeasurably improved the practice of law in Utah. The Bar has increased diversity efforts, innovated the practice of law and increased access to legal services to low and middle-income families throughout Utah.

For two years now the Bar's elected Board of Commissioners has included a majority of female commissioners, which has made a difference in the appointment of lawyers to judicial nominating commissions as well as the goals and priorities of the bar itself.

Bar members have founded the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion to help motivate and train up a pipeline of diverse students prepared and able to attend law school. The Utah Minority Bar Association has continued its mission of increasing diversity and addressing issues that impact diverse populations within the legal community. The Bar has added an education course to the young lawyers' required curriculum to train them to recognize and avoid implicit bias. And most impressive, at the end of this year the Utah Court of Appeals will have a majority of female judges for the first time in Utah's history.

As far as innovations in the practice of law, the Bar has studied and educated lawyers on more ways to offer flat-fee services, which provide services for a specific action or time period in return for a flat fee. The Bar has also advocated for and assisted new non-profit law firms that provide services for low costs by setting moderate, flat salaries for lawyers.

Most significant, the Utah court approved a new licensed paralegal practitioner position, which allows paralegals to file certain documents in court in the areas of family law, residential eviction and debt collection. A licensed paralegal practitioner does not have to work under the supervision of an attorney but can foster relationships with attorneys to benefit attorneys and paralegals and reduce costs for clients.

Finally, to increase access to services, the Bar has multiple programs serving the poor, including Tuesday Night Bar, the Modest Means referral service and Wills for Heroes. The Bar also created a new online database called Licensed Lawyers where a client can get online and tick off characteristics she's looking for, including whether the attorney works in a small firm or large firm, what city the attorney services, what the attorney's rates are and how many years the attorney has worked in each field. The Bar has put great resources into building this database, recruiting attorneys to opt in and advertising its availability to the public.

Attorneys often get a bad rap. And that's mostly because attorneys are hired to fight, and fighting is rarely comfortable. But 272 young men and women took the bar exam just this week, so it's clear the profession is still in need.

I've learned over the past two years as a Bar Commissioner for the Third District that most lawyers are just trying to do a good job, to be honest and to make a difference. The Bar's efforts to increase diversity, innovate the field and serve poor and middle class Utahns make me proud to be a Utah lawyer, even though I may not be practicing at the moment.

Michelle Quist Mumford is a recovering attorney, just grateful that the Bar still lets her hang around.