We honored seven Utah Law graduates at our annual Alumni Awards celebration on April 24, 2026. Get to know the honorees below—and see photos of the Alumni Awards and Golden Gavel celebrations on Flickr as well.
Christina Jepson (JD '95) | Alum of the Year
Proud of her blue-collar background, Christina Jepson (JD ’95) is a shareholder at Parsons, Behle & Latimer specializing in employment and labor law. She explains that a debate class sparked her interest in a legal career.
“When I was 15 years old, I took a debate class and everything changed. I learned about critical thinking and communication skills, and I was completely in love with the process. From that point forward, I decided that I wanted to go to college and then law school. I went home and told my parents, and they were supportive. When I got into law school, the journey just continued. I was surrounded by the most capable and brilliant classmates and professors here at Utah Law,” she says.
Jepson most appreciated learning about the rule of law and the role it plays in government and society, but she also recalls competitions from her law school days.
“One of my favorite memories from law school was being part of the moot court team. I had two partners, Mark Stratford and Stephen Shrewsbury. We won here at the law school and then went to Denver to compete in regionals and won there. We went to New York to compete and we did not win, but had the best time,” Jepson says. “That was my very first time to New York, and it was wonderful! We went to the moot court finals and saw Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg be one of the judges. It was a tremendous experience!”
Jepson says she has had a great career as an attorney and is especially proud to be involved with the community, working on various projects and with many organizations.
“Currently, I’m involved with the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion, where we work with people from all kinds of backgrounds to go to law school and become lawyers. It makes me think about my 15-year-old self, who wanted to become a lawyer as a first-generation college student, and all those challenges that came with it. But I also had a lot of privilege, and there are students who don’t even have that. It’s really just trying to help people to fulfill the same dream I had,” she says.
In addition, Jepson has enjoyed being an adjunct professor at Utah Law, teaching in the undergraduate program, Master of Legal Studies program, and JD program.
“I’ll tell you a secret: Teaching is really about learning. I learn so much by having the best conversations with my students. I see this next generation and how capable they are,” Jepson says. “Right now, I’m teaching Introduction to Law to undergraduates, and it’s really a foundational class about the separation of powers. We have these really great discussions about the rule of law and what that means and how it’s going to go forward.”
Jepson is gratified to be a recipient of the Alum of the Year award and declares that “the only thing better would be to be on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’”
“I was stunned when I got the email and pretty sure that maybe the law school made a mistake. But going to this law school changed my entire life in every good way possible. I can’t even explain how important that decision was and what it has given me as a person. I am just so grateful for this award,” she says.
Jon M. Lear (JD '76) | Alum of the Year
Having lived all over the world as a child and young man, Jon Lear (JD '76) was interested in foreign affairs and intended to earn a Ph.D in history, focusing in Russian studies. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Utah and took the LSAT, earning a high enough score for Utah Law, and decided to pursue law school first.
"My brother Phil was already at Utah Law, and it seemed logical at that particular point. I have since come to reflect back and understand that from my perspective, law school is like a general education on top of a general education," Lear recalls. "I had learned what happened in culture, but what law school does is teach you how culture works in terms of the mechanics of the way institutions and mechanisms—the economy and society—are built, and what levers you have to be able to pull or understand to be able to function effectively within those contexts."
Law school gave Lear exposure to many different topics he had never understood before. It was also an opportunity to meet new people and make connections.
"I'm not a credentialist by disposition, but what I found as I got out of law school was the very fact that you were going through that process changed the way people reflected on you and dealt with you in the culture," he says. "They would defer to you, and you had more expertise than people who had not gone through that experience—not only substantively, but also analytically."
Lear had no intention of practicing law after he graduated and says he was more interested in policy issues. He spent a decade working with Robert Redford, helping to found the Sundance Institute, and went on to do policy work with major oil and energy companies and the Hopi and Navajo nations. He was also involved with congressional and Department of Interior disputes over offshore drilling.
"I didn't get there by being the best lawyer in the room. I got there by understanding how all of that stuff interwove with one another and was able to do contracts in any context," Lear says. "I was engaged in all of those policy endeavors when Phil approached me about starting a law firm, which was absolutely the last thing that I thought I would do. However, it didn't seem to be a leap that was impossible to take, so we took it."
Being recognized as Alum of the Year was a shock, Lear says, but also a wonderful surprise to be noticed for his work.
"To have had an impact on the law school and those in this professional universe—in oil and gas and renewable energy—and to be seen as someone who's contributed to that is very satisfying and not something I would have expected," he expresses. "I am pleased and gratified that somehow there seems to have been a conclusion to what I thought was otherwise an ambiguous career path."
Though Lear didn't end up earning a Ph.D in history, he is grateful for his law degree because it gave him the flexibility to do anything he wanted to make a living.
"I tell students not to get caught up in how the law is defining the paths that you can take forward. Learn everything you can, and don't let a law firm or a government job define what your future is. You are capable of going out and being a generalist, because I believe that is what law does: gives you a general education that is marketable," he says.
Phillip W. Lear (JD '75) | Alum of the Year
While he enjoyed watching "Perry Mason" and "Judd, For the Defense" on television as a child and young man, Phillip Lear (JD '75) did not plan to study law. During his freshman year of high school, Lear took a career aptitude test that pointed him toward academics (though he says law was also on the list much further down).
"I have loved history since I was a child, and I proceeded through high school and into college with a declared history major. I wanted to focus on European history with an emphasis on Germany, because I'd lived there for four years—ultimately for eight years when it was all over," Lear recalls.
After graduating from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in history, Lear served as a naval officer for three years. Halfway through his military service, he remembers three national news magazines reporting that there were only five job openings for 2,000 history Ph.Ds. Discouraged by those odds, Lear decided to pursue law school instead.
"I took the LSAT in uniform at a very liberal college in Norfolk, Virginia, because that's where my ship was stationed. The rest is history," he explains. "We had the largest number of women law students the school had ever seen entering in 1972. The vets were coming back from Vietnam and the Vietnam War experience, and it was a more mature class than one would think of an entering post-graduate coming directly out of graduate or baccalaureate into law school."
During his first summer after law school, Lear interned at a natural resources mineral law firm and knew he wanted to practice in that field when he graduated. From that point on, he took as many natural resources law courses as he could from Professor Robert Swenson and Professor Owen Olpin.
"The other classes did not knock my socks off the way the natural resources did, probably prompted by that first-year clerkship," he recalls. "I can't tell you how important that was for me, for vision and direction."
Lear worked at both VanCott Bagley (now Fabian VanCott) and Snell & Wilmer for a while but wanted the flexibility of a smaller firm. He approached his brother Jon (JD '76), who was business-minded and entrepreneurial, about starting their own firm and the two formed Lear & Lear in 2001. Though he no longer actively practices law, Lear enjoys continuing to counsel younger attorneys and occasionally work on projects at the firm.
"When you're in a law firm of 50 to 60 people, a senior partner could come at any time and say, 'Drop everything that you're doing and solve my problem first,' he says. "Ultimately, even though I had good experiences in the firms, it was the politics and conflicts of interests that prompted me to approach my brother and say, 'Hey, are you up for a new project?' Now that new project is nearly 24 years old. I'm grateful for my brother, who was supportive and basically ran the financial and business shows so that I and the attorneys could focus on the law."
Being recognized as Young Alum of the Year is a distinct honor, Lear expresses.
"I wouldn't think of myself as a candidate for such an award, especially 50 years after graduating, but I have been very active in the legal community, in natural resources and educational programs. I've also done a lot of writing, including articles and seminars," he says. "To have this recognition is very fulfilling."
Victoria Carrington (JD '23) | Young Alum of the Year
Victoria Carrington (JD ’23), a third-year associate at Maschoff Brennan specializing in patent and trademark prosecution, is humbled and gratified to be recognized by the college and her peers as a Young Alum of the Year.
“This award is really a reflection of the incredible community we have at Utah Law,” Carrington says. “The fact that I’ve been able to do so many things thus far in my career is directly tied to those opportunities I had as a student. There are all these amazing organizations that I love to give my time and energy to, and all of that started when I was a law student.”
Carrington notes that a sense of community helps you get involved, and she encourages others to find ways to volunteer and participate. In her case, she kept showing up to various organizations where people let her go to work.
“As a law student, I started volunteering with the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion, and I met a lot of the people in the IP law community because of being SIPLA president. The work with the Utah Minority Bar Association came out of me trying to build up the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association here at the law school. All of these endeavors that I started as a law student, I still see the fruits of them now as a lawyer,” she explains.
Utah Law has also played its part in Carrington’s professional journey.
“I actually met my firm, Maschoff Brennan, as a student through the on-campus interviews and took a patent drafting class from one of my now-colleagues, Eric Maschoff. I appreciate that the Utah Law has an IP certificate so I could specialize and hone in on intellectual property law during school. Another experience was to be on the patent drafting team, and that’s exactly what I do every day now as a patent prosecutor!” she says.
Though still in the early stages of her career, Carrington admits that the challenges she’s navigated have largely intersected with personal milestones and moments, including motherhood and pregnancy loss. She hopes to help others find the balance between work and life.
“I didn’t realize just how common a miscarriage was, and in trying honor my own grief, I also want to give a voice to other women that you can be a mom and an attorney. You can be ambitious and volunteer on committees. You can do the things you love and still be there for your family. I didn’t necessarily see that as I started down this path, so I’m trying to be that person for other people,” Carrington says.
Sydney Sell (JD '19) | Young Alum of the Year
An associate at Holland & Hart LLP in Salt Lake City, Sydney Sell (JD ’19) says being named Young Alum of the Year is very humbling and quite the honor.
“There are so many attorneys in our community who do amazing things,” she says. “It’s special and makes me feel like being involved and giving back to the community is worth it.”
Sell practices in environmental and natural resources law and also serves on the executive board for the Utah State Bar’s Young Lawyers Division. After law school, she worked as a law clerk to then-Judge Diana Hagen (JD ’98) of the Utah Court of Appeals.
Admitting that she chose Utah Law based on a gut feeling, Sell recalls her law school experience as one that “totally paid off.” She enjoyed the academic rigor and participation in the moot court programs but also remembers how fun it was because she met her husband in law school.
“I did an energy moot court program during my 2L year and then an environmental moot court program my 3L year. I felt like they gave me a taste of what it would be like to actually practice as an environmental lawyer. They also helped me build connections throughout the community and to meet other environmental practitioners,” Sell says. “Now I’m able to coach the U.S. Environmental Moot Court team here at Utah Law, which has been super inspiring. It’s really fun to be on the other side of things and coach a team of law students. It’s come full circle for me!”
In her early career, Sell shares that self-doubt and finding her footing as legal professional was a challenge. However, she found an antidote and also encourages students to find their passion and pursue it to the best of their abilities.
“I feel like being a younger or newer attorney can be really hard because you’re trying to find your place in the legal world. When I first started out after law school, I had a lot of moments of doubt thinking, ‘Is this the right career for me? Am I cut out to be an attorney?’” Sell says. “One thing that really helped me overcome that challenge was staying connected to the community, maintaining the friendships I made in law school, and relying on those non-work aspects to uplift me and inspire me.”
Raelene Blocker (MLS '19) | MLS Outstanding Alum
Raelene Blocker (MLS ’19) became part of history when she enrolled in the S.J. Quinney College of Law’s inaugural cohort for the Master of Legal Studies program in fall 2018.
“I’ve always loved the law and being involved in public service. When I looked into the MLS program here at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, I immediately fell in love with the people and wanted to be part of it,” Blocker recalls.
Blocker’s investment in the MLS program has since paid off: She currently serves as the county commissioner for Morgan County, Utah.
“While in the program, I learned about contracts and how to read the law, which has helped me immensely in my public service and leadership roles,” she says.
Looking back on her legal education, Blocker recalls the rigorous caseload and the fast pace in which she and her classmates absorbed the knowledge. She also notes the professors who had a meaningful impact on her.
“Professors Randy Dryer and Amos Guiora really helped me think critically but have a sense of humor and to look at both sides of the situation,” she says. “Being in public office, it’s really helped me to separate the emotional from the facts and draw them together at the end to find a stable balance between the two.”
In addition to her role as county commissioner, Blocker works as a domestic mediator—a skillset she fell in love with while in the MLS program.
“There’s a lot of change going on in Morgan County with development and growth. Emotions are held high by people who have lived there a long time and don’t want to see that change. As a county commissioner, I have also done a lot of property dispute mediations on the side, which has really helped,” she says.
With the direction her career has taken, Blocker is gratified to be named MLS Outstanding Alum of the Year.
"It shows me that the staff and the MLS program were invested in my future and had faith in me. It’s such an honor, and I appreciate it very much,” she says. “I hope this program grows and grows and continues to help so many people, as it has helped me in my personal and professional life.”
Anne Milne (JD '76) | Spirit of Quinney Award
“I have had a very fortunate, enjoyable career, but I didn’t start out representing people in the law,” says alum Anne Milne (JD ’76), who retired in early 2024 after working nearly 50 years at Utah Legal Services, most recently as its executive director.
“As a student in the ‘60s, we all wanted to make a difference. I was doing my student teaching at a Title I elementary school and realized I wasn’t wise enough to be responsible for 30 kids. But I did want to be an advocate for them and for people who didn’t know about the legal system,” Milne says.
True to her word, Milne advocated for those in need and was a pivotal figure in the legal aid community. As a testament to her work, Milne will be awarded the Spirit of Quinney award—a fitting tribute to celebrate 50 years as a graduate of Utah Law.
“Utah Legal Services let me work there for 47 years. The community supported an agency—a public service agency with paid staff—so it’s the community that has given me a career. It seems odd to get an award for doing community work,” she says humbly.
Reflecting back on her career, Milne notes that it’s the people and partners she worked and collaborated with over the years who have shaped her approach to legal justice.
“The best part of my career has been working with other people as a team to use the resources in the community. One of the proudest things is that I had wonderful partners: And Justice For All, the Disability Law Center, and the Legal Aid Society. Thirty years ago, we joined together!” Milne says. “There are not many places where organizations don’t compete with each other to do things. We were able to coordinate and stretch scarce resources and make the smartest use of them.”
Moreover, Milne enjoyed her association with the College of Law to foster student involvement within the community. She says the students bring the enthusiasm to work, and in turn they meet new people and experience new opportunities.
“We have a great relationship with the College of Law and have had good students from the other law school in the state, too. Students are so enthused and interested in the work. I love having them,” Milne says. “It’s a good time to start, because you don’t have to act like you know everything. Students can come in, and Utah lawyers are really generous. They share their expertise and want to help. Starting while you’re a student is good timing, and it can let you see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Above all, she advises patience, flexibility, and having partners to thrive in community work.
“It’s so rewarding to work on solving problems together as part of a team and as part of a community with other partners, such as the courts, the Bar, or anyone who wants to help and participate. But it takes energy and time and patience. You have to invest in it to do it, but it’s so rewarding when you do,” Milne says.