During his senior year at the University of Utah, where he studied political science and international studies, 2L Sven Karabegovic worked as a legislative intern for the Utah House Minority. The Utah House Minority asked him to return as an intern the summer after he graduated. Within a few months, some staffing changes occurred and he got lucky with a full-time position as the minority communications and community engagement specialist.
“Our team was small, so I helped our leadership team with whatever they needed. The most meaningful stuff, though, was connecting with constituents and helping them solve their issues,” Karabegovic says. “Often, it was related to legislative bills, and the constituents just wanted their voice to be heard. Other times, people called because they had an issue and didn’t know who to speak to, or they didn’t get adequate responses. I connected them with people who could help them.”
Karabegovic says his decision to attend law school came together “piecemeal.” He grew up in Salt Lake City as a first generation Bosnian American—the only member in his family to be born in the United States. As a result of his family’s immigration experience and his time with the Utah Legislature, he saw the value of a legal education.
“Lawyers are the ones who come up with, draft, and effectively implement the laws we interact with every day. It was also lawyers who drafted the legislation that dictated the services (or lack thereof) my family received when they immigrated to the U.S.,” he says. “Growing up in a family where those decisions were felt very personally, it seemed necessary to receive an education that will help me better understand and change those decisions for the better.”
Now in his second year at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, Karabegovic likes the people best of all.
“It’s cliché, but I like my friends in my classes. I am very impressed by the quality of mind, character, and drive that I’m surrounded by every day. They made even the worst 1L days enjoyable,” he says. “I’ve also enjoyed every professor so far. Professor Jonas Anderson and Professor Matthew Tokson were highly effective teachers, but I’ve genuinely enjoyed every professor.”
It’s hard for Karabegovic to name just one area of law that interests him, but the few that come to mind include litigation, consumer protection, corporate, and environmental law.
“I got a taste of both transactional law and litigation this summer with my internship at Kirkland & Ellis, and I just saw myself fitting in with litigation better. Plus, I feel like if I’m going to do this whole law school thing, I might as well see the inside of a courtroom sometime,” he says.
However, Karabegovic’s true passion is sports. For the past six years, he’s been a sportswriter, for both SLC Dunk and The Salt Lake Tribune, covering the Utah Jazz and basketball. And he’s proud to be treasurer for Utah Law’s Sports and Entertainment Law Association (SELA).
“There isn’t much of a sports and entertainment law presence at the University of Utah, so our goal is to expand its reach. I love that we are introducing this field to students through some impressive guest speakers from major athletic programs and teams in our state,” he says. “Last semester we had Utah Jazz Vice President of Basketball Strategy Steven Schwartz visit. We also met with Wes Wilcox, a former general manager of the Sacramento Kings and current manager of Utah men’s basketball.”
This semester, he’s taking advantage of the experiential learning opportunities available at Utah Law and externing with Justice Paige Peterson of the Utah Supreme Court.
“I am really excited to work with such an impressive individual in our state’s highest chambers. Plus, she just seems really cool!” he says.
Karabegovic will graduate with the class of 2028 and is interested in various career paths. In fact, he’s keen to experience as many opportunities as possible with his legal education.
“I interned for Kirkland & Ellis in the litigation department this summer and would love to continue that. Clerking would also be fun, and working in consumer protection at some point for the Attorney General’s office seems interesting. Or—if I risk even saying it out loud—becoming a judge would be great,” he says. “Regardless, things are going to shake out how they do!”