Finding Legal Help
You are not required to hire an attorney, but legal matters can be complicated. Consider talking to an attorney to go over your options. See the Finding Legal Help page for information about free and low cost ways to get legal help.
Como encontrar ayuda legal
Usted no está obligado a contratar un abogado, pero los asuntos legales pueden ser complicados. Considere la posibilidad de hablar con un abogado para hablar de sus opciones. Para información sobre cómo obtener ayuda legal vea nuestra página Como encontrar ayuda legal.
Senior Judges' Biographies
Court of Appeals
JUDGE MARY KATE APPLEBY - Judge Mary Kate Appleby is an Active Senior Judge. She was appointment to the Utah Court of Appeals in September 2014 by Gov. Gary R. Herbert. Prior to Judge Appleby's appointment, she was a Third District Court Judge for nearly eight years. Judge Appleby graduated from the University of Maryland in 1991, served as a judicial law clerk with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, then joined the Maryland Public Defender's Office. She was an associate with the Salt Lake City law firm Anderson & Karrenberg from 1993 until 1996, when she became employed by the Office of Professional Conduct. Judge Appleby was the managing editor of the University of Maryland Law Review, the managing editor, then editor-in-chief of Voir Dire, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Utah Bar Journal. She was a member of the Board of District Court Judges and of the Grand Jury panel of judges, as well as the Utah Supreme Court`s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure. Judge Appleby currently serves as a member of the Judicial Council. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a Convener of Dividing the Waters, a network offering resources for judges resolving water law conflicts, and an adjunct professor with the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Updated 10/21/21
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Court of Appeals
JUDGE RUSSELL W. BENCH - Judge Russell W. Bench is an Active Senior Judge. He was appointed in 1986 by Gov. Norman H. Bangerter as an original member of the Utah Court of Appeals. He took the oath of office in January 1987. After earning a law degree from the University of Utah College of Law in 1976, Judge Bench completed judicial clerkships for Chief Justice F. Henri Henriod and Chief Justice Gordon R. Hall of the Utah Supreme Court. Later, he served as a central staff attorney for the Utah Supreme Court. In 1985, Judge Bench earned his Master of Public Administration degree from Brigham Young University. Judge Bench served twice as the presiding judge of the Court of Appeals, as vice-chair of the Utah Judicial Council, as chair of various Judicial Council committees, and as a member of the Judicial Conduct Commission. While a senior judge, he has served on the Utah Independent Legislative Ethics Commission and as chair of the Davis County Ethics Review Commission. He is currently a member of the Board of Senior Judges. Updated 10/21/21
Court of Appeals
JUDGE Michael Wilkins - Judge Michael Wilkins is an Inactive Senior Judge. Updated 12/15/22
The Utah State Courts mission is to provide the people an open, fair, efficient, and independent system for the advancement of justice under the law.
