Finding place and belonging in Utah’s legal community: 3L Eben Kohtz


Sep 30, 2024 | Belonging & Access

by Angela Turnbow

Eben Kohtz, a young Asian-American woman with shoulder-length brown hair and glassesEben Kohtz always had the intent to enroll in a J.D. program once she finished her undergraduate degree in geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. However, like many, her plans shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, she wound up in Philadelphia, Pa., working with education nonprofit City Year.

“My service year was one of the best experiences I could have had before I came to law school,” Kohtz says. “I worked with fourth and fifth graders in a dual-language classroom, where we worked on English literacy and social-emotional mentoring. It was fun and challenging and all of the emotions in between.”

After completing her service year, Kohtz began applying to law schools and found herself again doing the unexpected—this time by applying to the S.J. Quinney College of Law.

“When I applied to SJQ, I had never been to Utah before. It was more of a random application, but I thought the mountains would be a nice change of scenery,” Kohtz says. “After looking into it more, Salt Lake was around the same size as my hometown but much smaller than Philly, so I thought I would just apply and see what happened.”

While the College of Law was not at the top of her list initially, Kohtz says she felt differently after visiting the campus.

“I liked the smaller class sizes, the beautiful building, and the legal opportunities that being in the biggest and the capital city of the state could bring,” she recalls.

But what she likes best about the College of Law is the people and the many opportunities to interact with them at Student Bar Association (SBA) events.

“Law school is challenging and stressful, but I have found that the people in the building make it an exciting place to be,” Kohtz says. “After my 1L year, I joined the Student Bar Association. I never thought I would say this before law school, but getting to be a part of the memo airplane toss, helping with the playlist for the Barristers’ Ball, and planning the SBA service project are highlights of my time in law school.”

Moreover, Kohtz feels a sense of accomplishment from the relationships and connections she’s made with others in the legal community since she began law school. She says it has made all the difference.

“Before law school, I was less outgoing than I am now, but the networking that law school requires has helped me come out of my shell and be more open,” she says. “I am proud of the network I have created within the Salt Lake legal community by participating in student organizations like SBA and the Minority Law Caucus.”

In fact, Kohtz’s passion stems from her participation in the Minority Law Caucus. She wants to help “diversify the legal field and make it more representative of the community it serves.”

“It’s important to create an environment in law school for minority persons to be themselves. That is the main reason I joined the Minority Law Caucus and have found lawyer mentors in the community to whom I can relate,” Kohtz says. “My favorite events every year are with the Utah Minority Bar Association, because everyone in the room knows each other and all have the same shared experience of being a minority in the Utah legal community.”

Looking ahead, Kohtz is excited to clerk for Judge Harris at the Utah Court of Appeals once she graduates with her degree.

“I remember hearing at Admitted Students Day about the clerkship opportunities in Salt Lake and decided I wanted to try for one of those once I got to law school,” Kohtz recalls. “I am looking forward to working with the other clerks at the courthouse, learning from Judge Harris, and gaining those important writing skills for whatever my future career brings.”


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