Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 43: Law Offices
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant One thing that I have noticed in my time as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney is that most law offices are difficult to…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant One thing that I have noticed in my time as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney is that most law offices are difficult to…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 42: Do you like divorce law? By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Often when I tell people I know that I am…
I have studied this question throughout my career, and I've been a divorce and family lawyer for 25 years. If there is one family law question to which I know…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 40: Recording family law hearings By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My time as a legal assistant to a divorce and family…
Twitchell v. Twitchell - 2022 UT App 49 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JAZMIN S. TWITCHELL, Appellee, V. JOSEPH N. TWITCHELL, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200546-CA Filed April 14, 2022 First…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant For those following along at home, you are aware that I have posted about judges before. Through the course of my current employment as a…
Knowles v. Knowles - UT App 47 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DUANE CROFT KNOWLES, Appellant, v. CELIA FERN KNOWLES, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200032 Filed April 7, 2022 Second District…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Last week I wrote a post about Arb-med and how it can benefit practitioners of law, particularly family law. In this post I will be…
In re Adoption of E.M.F... - 2022 UT App 43 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF E.M.F. AND M.S.F., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF…
Do I need to show up for court if I was never served papers? I live in South Carolina. I cannot speak for or about the jurisdiction of South Carolina…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I have mentioned in previous posts that I am interested in the field of alternative dispute resolution, or “ADR”. What is ADR? Its any means…
My sons father and I have joint custody but I have final say over his well being health and education. How can I enforce my power? If you are asking: “How do I enforce in good…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Planning is something that I have always aspired to do in my life but being a legal assistant has helped me realize that there is…
There are many websites with lots of free information that is good. The problem is being able to tell the good content from the bad. This is why, whether you…
If you find an attorney who knows a sure-fire, fail-safe way to defend an ex-spouse or an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend against “false accusations,” that attorney is likely a multimillionaire because possessing such…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 34: Electing judiciary officials By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I mentioned in a previous post that if I were to build…
THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DEAN ERICKSON, Appellee, v. JANICE ERICKSON, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200193-CA Filed March 3, 2022 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Todd M. Shaughnessy…
2022 UT 12 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF UTAH STATE OF UTAH, in the Interest of J.A.L. and J.O.L., Persons Under Eighteen Years of Age J.L. and…
I get this question a lot, and frankly, I am curious to know the answer myself: If you have a dedicated sleeve in your wallet that holds your driver license…
Do I need to show up for court if I was never served papers? I live in South Carolina. I cannot speak for or about the jurisdiction of South Carolina…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My boss, Eric Johnson, a divorce attorney, thought it might be a good blog post to write about what I would do if I were…
There isn’t one. There can’t be. I’ll explain why and what you can and should do if you want to go the DIY divorce by the book route. The main…
Do lawyers typically approach people who will have high profile cases, like Kyle Rittenhouse, to offer their services? Some do. Some do because they are allowed by the ethical rules…
Merely use them? I don’t see the harm in being familiar with them. Reading, watching, listening. Learning. That’s a good thing. A very good thing. Being dependent upon only free resources? No. That’s…
Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 31: Brian Flores and the NFL By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My experiences as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney…
Would you enlist your children into a pre-law school program which grooms them to become top notch lawyers? No. I have gone in the opposite direction. I have told my…
In re J.P. - 2021 UT App 134 2021 UT App 134 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF J.P. AND T.P., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS…
2022 UT App 15 - Miller v. DaSilva http://www.utcourts.gov/opinions/view.html?court=appopin&opinion=Miller v. Dasilva20220203_20200719_15.pdf THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS LISA M. MILLER, Appellant, v. AMY ELIZABETH DASILVA, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200719-CA Filed February…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant In the course of my 7 months as a legal assistant to a divorce attorney in Utah, I have already shared some of my thoughts…
Hinds v Hinds-Holm - 2022 UT App 13 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS BRADLEY HINDS, Appellee, v. RACHEL HINDS-HOLM, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200586-CA Filed January 27, 2022 Third District Court,…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant The lesson I have been learning in my time working as a legal assistant is how important it is to have legal representation. Not just…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Why is navigating the legal system complicated? There are many reasons. Several things complicate the nature of our legal system. One thing is money. Lawyers…
My lawyer asked me to get letters of my character from my friends for family court to introduce as evidence, but do they really matter and is 12 enough? Do…
Are cameras in the courtroom, a cheap form of reality television, or a better way to achieve justice? This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart,…
2022 UT App 5 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS CANDI WADSWORTH, Appellant, v. GUY L. WADSWORTH, Appellee. Opinion No. 20190106-CA No. 20200430-CA Filed January 13, 2022 Third District Court, Salt…
2021 UT App 130 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS COLTEN JOHANSEN, Appellee, KATHY JOHANSEN, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200234-CA Filed November 26, 2021 Second District Court, Ogden Department The Honorable Joseph…
THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS GARY LEE FISCHER, Appellant, v. MELISSA KAY FISCHER, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200557-CA Filed December 30, 2021 Seventh District Court, Moab Department The Honorable Don Torgerson …
2021 UT App 134 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF J.P. AND T.P., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. T.L., Appellant, v. STATE OF…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant It is hard to change any undesirable thing without looking at and understanding its fundamental components. For instance, with addiction, the issue is often not…
What are some examples of how to not appear judgmental as a lay witness in court? Tell the !@#$% truth, not stories you hope will dupe the court into doing…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant As a legal assistant who is relatively wet behind the ears, my thoughts on legal reform will likely seem naïve. With that as a disclaimer, here are my…
What would you think of a parent who makes the last child support payment prorated 7 days because the child’s 18th birthday falls on the 7th? I see nothing illegal…
According to Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019): PROCEEDING proceeding (16c) 1. The regular and orderly progression of a lawsuit, including all acts and events between the time of commencement…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant My blog post from this last week has got me thinking about the idea of injustice. So many issues in life are unfair. Even in…
I just received and responded to a survey from Alyx Mark, assistant professor at Wesleyan University and a law and society scholar. After completing the survey, I sent this e-mail to Professor Mark:…
In principle, do judges view themselves as referees where they interpret what the law says or do they view themselves as CEOs where they decide what the law ought to…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant Rule of law. The restriction of the arbitrary exercise of power by subordinating it to well-defined and established laws. My time as a legal assistant for a divorce…
It’s easy if you know what you’re doing. And if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to find someone who does know what to do. In many jurisdictions,…
By Quinton Lister, legal assistant I am still new at my job. I have only been a legal assistant since Summer of 2021, but I know for myself that I…
Here’s the definition from Black’s Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019): order n. (16c) 1. A command, direction, or instruction. See MANDATE (1). 2. A written direction or command delivered by a government official, esp. a court or judge.…