Utah lawyers encourage students to read with 'Books from Barristers'

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The Salt Lake City-based law firm of Parr Brown Gee & Loveless visited Stansbury Elementary in West Valley City this week to give away books to first-grade students as part of the Utah State Bar's "Books from Barristers" program.

The program is designed to provide books to children from low-income households who are attending Title 1 schools along the Wasatch Front.

Parr Brown noted that a national study found that in low-income neighborhoods only one in 300 kids own their own age-appropriate book, while in middle-income neighborhoods each child owns an average of 13 books.

"We at Parr Brown feel that every child, no matter their circumstance, deserves the opportunity to learn of the world around them through reading," Jenifer Tomchak, shareholder of Parr Brown, said in a statement. "These young people are the future leaders of Utah and our nation. Providing them with kid-friendly books on law, government, history and civics will help not only strengthen their learning, but also show them the difference they can make in the world."

Formed in 1975, Parr Brown is comprised of 75 attorneys.