Christina Jepson (JD ’95), Phillip W. Lear (JD ’75), and Jon M. Lear (JD ’76) were recognized as Alumni of the Year at Utah Law’s annual Alumni Awards celebration, held Friday, April 24, 2026, at the College of Law building.
Other award-winners included:
- MLS Outstanding Alum of the Year: Raelene Blocker (MLS ’19)
- Honorary Alum of the Year: Edie Housley
- Spirit of Quinney Award: Anne Milne (JD ’76)
- Young Alumni of the Year: Sydney Sell (JD ’19) and Victoria Tomoko Carrington (JD ’23)
Student Bar Association President Bron Lore and 3L Representative Sydney Brubaker also presented awards to the following students, who will be graduating this year:
- Outstanding MLS Colleague: Paulee Shakespear
- Outstanding 3L Mentor: Gloria Aquino
- Outstanding Student Leader: Bron Lore
- Outstanding 3L Colleague: Chris Smith
- Outstanding Community Advocate: Audrey Meyer
On Saturday, April 25, we welcomed alumni to the College of Law for the annual Golden Gavel Society event, which recognizes those who graduated 50 or more years ago. Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner also acknowledged that 2026 marks the 50th year since 100 women took the Bar exam in Utah. Among those women was Susan Taylor Hansen (JD ’76), who delivered the first keynote addresses at the event.
Hansen recalled watching the Watergate hearings on the television in the student lounge during law school and President Nixon’s subsequent resignation. She also recounted her journey to Utah Law, which she didn’t expect to attend, and noted that despite their differences, all Golden Gavel attendees had the law school in common.
“At this point in our lives, and thinking about the issues of the present day, all of us are uniquely qualified to conclude that it can be a mistake to assume that wisdom necessarily comes with age. Each of us is here because at a fork in our road, we chose the one that led us to study here,” Hansen said. “With a nod to whatever kismet brought me here, then and now, I should give a great deal of credit to where it might be due.”
Lecturer Professor Randy Dryer (JD ’76) delivered the second keynote address, explaining the many ways that law has changed since he graduated 50 years earlier.
“The Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976 went to ‘Rocky,’ a story about grit and perseverance and getting back up after you’re knocked down—which, now that I think about it, sums up an accurate description of going to law school,” he said. “Now it’s a new world in which we find ourselves, and one of the challenges that we as legal educators are having is how to incorporate AI in the practice of law, but do it in a way that doesn’t interfere with critical thinking skills.”
Golden Gavel attendees then shared memories of their time at law school and gathered for a group picture.
See photos from the Alumni Awards and Golden Gavel events.