RECOMMENDED UTAH ATTORNEYS
ATTORNEY DATABASE DISCLAIMER
THIS DATABASE OF ATTORNEYS IS STRICTLY FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. I HAVE PUT THIS RESOURCE TOGETHER AS A STARTING POINT FOR YOU IN YOUR DIVORCE JOURNEY IF YOU SO WISH TO USE THE RECOMMENDATIONS LISTED OR CHOOSE NOT TO USE THEM. SHELLY J COACHING, LLC., IT’S EMPLOYEES, OWNERS, OR ANYONE AFFLIATED WITH SHELLY J COACHING, LLC. IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY PROBLEMS YOU MAY HAVE WITHTHE ATTORNEYS LISTED HERE. THESE ATTORNEYS HAVE COME TO ME BY 3rd PARTY RECOMMENDATION AND/OR BY WARNING. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO VETT EACH ATTORNEY WHEN DECIDING WHO TO RETAIN AS YOUR LAWYER. IT IS UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE WHICH ATTORNEY WILL BE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU AND YOUR CASE. I HAVE INCLUDED A LIST OF QUESTIONS IN THIS RESOURCE DATABASE TO USE AS REFERENCE WHEN INTERVIEWING AND / OR CONFLICTING OUT ANY LAWYER. BUT YOU NEED TO USE YOUR BEST JUDGEMENT WHEN MAKING THE DECISION TO HIRE ANY ATTORNEY.
*All Attorney Bio’s listed below have been taken directly from their website.
Brown Family Law
Kent Cottam, Attorney
Sandy, Utah
Kent was born, raised and lives with this wife and children near Salt Lake City, Utah.
Kent earned three different Degrees, Japanese, Asian Studies, and Communications, from the University of Utah. While working through the Communications Degree, he focused on mediation and conflict resolution, to effectively prepare him for law school.
“Although I attended law school in Omaha, Nebraska, I always wanted to return and live back near Salt Lake”, said Kent, who joined the Brown Family Law team in 2022.
Kent considers one of his favorite family law cases to be involved with was when he and his wife adopted their children. When Kent is not in the office, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing board games and camping.
Leilani Whitmer
Family Law Attorney – Brown Family Law
Leilani was born in Utah but spent most of her childhood in Henderson, Nevada. She attended the University of Utah, graduating with bachelor’s degrees in English and Speech Communication with an emphasis in argumentation and conflict resolution and a minor in peace and conflict studies.
Leilani attended the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. During law school, Leilani was the director of the Pro Bono Initiative Family Law Clinic, and also participated heavily in other Pro Bono Initiative clinics focusing on family law. While in law school, Leilani was on the student board of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Family Law Society, Public Interest Law Organization, and OutLaws, and was chosen to be on the mediation competition team with three other students.
After law school, Leilani worked for Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, quickly taking on a full non-profit caseload of family law cases including divorce, custody, protective orders, and guardianships. While at Legal Aid, Leilani mostly took cases involving domestic violence or sexual assault. Leilani has participated in sexual violence training with Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault and attended conferences on domestic and sexual violence within the law. Leilani is an active member of the Family Law Section of the Utah Bar Association. Leilani is an active attorney supervisor at the Pro Bono Initiative Family Law Clinic.
When Leilani is not working, she spends her time with her husband and daughter. She also enjoys board games, learning new languages, and traveling.
Carr – Woodall
Spencer Ricks, Attorney
South Jordan, UT
Spencer Ricks graduated from the SJ Quinney School of Law at the University of Utah. While in law school, he focused his studies on trial advocacy and any clinical experience that would get him in a courtroom as early as possible in his education. Because of that focus, he was able to handle dozens of trials and motion hearings prior to even graduating law school.
Experience
Mr. Ricks’ practice now focuses primarily on all family law-related issues. He appears in Court several times a week on behalf of his clients on all types of family law matters. While he enjoys the courtroom, he knows that it may not always be the best way to resolve the case. Court can be costly, both financially and emotionally, and can irreparably damage the co-parenting relationship. It also places the decision-making for your family in someone else’s hands. Sometimes the most effective approach to helping a family through their case is in mediation, which is where the majority of family law cases are resolved.
Mr. Ricks places a particular emphasis in his practice on child advocacy. Having gone through extensive training, he is a court-certified and approved Guardian ad Litem, which is an attorney who represents children. In particularly challenging or high-conflict cases, he will often be appointed by the Court to represent the best interests of children.
Because of this perspective, Mr. Ricks is a strong advocate for fostering a positive co-parenting relationship and creating a healthy parent-child relationship to the greatest extent possible. When these two factors exist, the impact of the separation on your children is minimal, which should be everyone’s primary goal.
Family
Mr. Ricks is married with two children who mean the world to him. He spends most of his spare time being outside with his family hiking, gardening, camping, walking the family dog, or cheering on the Utes. As a devoted Father, he understands how important children are to his clients and will work with you to create the best possible situation for your family.
Coil Family Law
Serving Weber County, Salt Lake County, and Utah County – Utah (and Texas)
Corttany Brooks, Senior Associate Attorney
Maelle Dieffenbach, Attorney
Full Circle Family Law
https://fullcirclefamilylaw.com/
Tara Reilly, Owner – Attorney
Salt Lake City, Utah
Tara Reilly is a dedicated and knowledgeable family law attorney who earned her JD from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2012. Throughout the years, she has focused her career on some of the most contentious family law matters, especially matters pertaining to child custody. Tara believes that conflict is what harms children, rather than divorce, which is why she is committed to helping families find personalized solutions that minimize the unique challenges families encounter under these circumstances. Tara’s personal experience with divorce and single parenthood also provides her with a unique perspective that makes her an invaluable legal advocate to those who seek her guidance.
KAUFMAN, NICHOLS, & KAUFMAN, PLLC
Benjamin G. Larsen, Attorney
Ogden, Utah
Mr. Larsen has been practicing law since April 2010. He became an equity partner at Kaufman, Nichols, and Kaufman PLLC in September 2017. His practice primarily focuses in the areas of family law including trials and litigation, personal injury, and criminal law. Throughout his time practicing law, Mr. Larsen has thousands of hours in the courtroom litigating cases in a variety of areas of law. Mr. Larsen has a reputation for aggressively fighting hard in the courtroom for his clients and is commonly retained by clients with the intention to go to trial on their case.
Prior to joining Farr Kaufman, LLC in April 2013, Mr. Larsen worked for Cordell & Cordell P.C., a domestic litigation firm. There, Mr. Larsen focused his practice in domestic disputes regarding divorce, custody, paternity, and parentage.
When asked what he enjoys most about being an attorney Mr. Larsen stated:
“The most rewarding and enjoyable part of my job is when I am able to resolve a problem that my client has not been able to solve on his or her own. Whenever I am able to clearly lay out my client’s stance to the opposing party and the court, and find a fair resolution for my client, I find that extremely rewarding. Going through a legal dispute is often one of the most difficult things a person will face in their lives, and I enjoy helping my clients through that process in an efficient way that causes as little discomfort and difficulty to them as possible. I am a problem solver, and I love when I am a part of resolving difficult issues in my clients’ lives.”
Millar Legal
Aaron Millar, Attorney – Divorce & Family Law; Business & Real Estate Litigation
Offices in South Jordan, Utah and Salt Lake City, Utah
Aaron B. Millar is a passionate advocate for good people going through tough times. Aaron is a skilled litigator whose practice focuses on divorce and family law and business disputes. Before forming Millar Legal, he practiced at an international law firm in Los Angeles and at a highly regarded law firm in Salt Lake City. His years of big firm experience allow him to handle even the most complex of cases, while still delivering the individualized attention, dedication and compassion that is characteristic of a small firm.
Regardless of the size of the case, Aaron excels at finding creative, cost-effective solutions that fit his clients’ individual needs. Aaron is undaunted by an unreasonable opposing party or a litigious opposing counsel. When the occasion demands, he is a tenacious litigator willing to take a case to trial and even to appeal, as shown by his multiple victories before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the level of courts just below the U.S. Supreme Court. Aaron litigated one of the largest child support cases in Utah from petition to trial and up to the Utah Court of Appeals.
Aaron’s passion for family law stems from his own family situation. Aaron became a stepfather to his two oldest children when he married his wife 20 years ago, and he has worked to build a beautifully blended family. In his spare time, Aaron enjoys spending time with his wife, five children, and his granddaughter in the breathtaking outdoors of Utah, often pursuing his passion for pickleball and longevity through nutrition and exercise science. Aaron offers detailed initial strategy sessions so you can learn how you can protect your rights in a complex legal system.
MOODY BROWN LAW
https://www.moodybrownlaw.com/
Provo, UT
Zachary J Starr
Pranno Law
Albert N. Pranno, Attorney
Salt Lake City, UT
*It has been said that Albert is an aggressive attorney.
Wharton Law
https://www.whartonlawutah.com
Chris Wharton, Attorney
Salt Lake City, Utah
T. Christopher Wharton (he/him) was born and raised in Salt Lake City. He is licensed to practice in federal and state courts in Utah and is certified to appear before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Chris has an undergraduate degree in history from Westminster College. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association and managing editor of the Journal of Law and Family Studies. Chris also completed a semester studying jurisprudence at the University of Oxford and international criminal law at The Hague.
Chris interned at the Utah State Legislature and worked at Utah Attorney General’s Office. He won his first jury trial while in law school as a practicing third-year law student with the Salt Lake City Prosecutor’s Office. Chris went on to work as an associate attorney for two years before opening his own practice in 2012.
Chris’ extensive work in LGBTQ+ advocacy has gained local and national attention. In 2013, Chris helped lead a team of attorneys that submitted an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court, arguing for equal treatment of LGBT families under the law. In 2015, he obtained the first same-sex common law marriage adjudication in Utah.
As an active community member, Chris has done pro bono work for the ACLU of Utah, Equality Utah, and the Rainbow Law Clinic. Chris has served as president of the Utah Young Lawyers Division, vice chair of the Utah Pride Center Board of Directors, and chair of the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission. Chris also served on the first board of the LGBT & Allied Bar Association of Utah and on the Utah State Bar Board of Commissioners. He currently represents the residents of District 3 on the Salt Lake City Council.
Outside the office, Chris enjoys local politics, history, art, travel, binge watching Netflix, and patronizing local restaurants and food trucks.
*Chris has also served as a GAL for the 3rd District Court.
Sorenson Witherspoon, LLC.
https://sorensenwitherspoon.com/
Kyle Witherspoon, Attorney
Holladay, UT
Wall and Wall, Attorneys at Law
https://walllegalsolutions.com/
Nathan Wall, Attorney
Salt Lake City, UT
*It has been said that Nate has a strong court presence and that his Paralegal, Morgan, has been recommended as being Knowledgeable, Thorough, & Compassionate.