July 2008 – Utah Court Rules – Published for Comment

Posted: July 22, 2008

Rules Governing the Utah State Bar

Petition. Petition to amend the bar’s fee dispute rules governing mediation. Revisions requested to Utah State Bar’s Fee Dispute Rules (formerly Fee Arbitration Rules) to further clarify the mediation process approved by the Supreme Court last year. The proposed amendments provide additional details, such as what qualifies for mediation, how mediation can be requested, how mediators are selected, confidentiality, mediation procedures.
USB 14-1103. Exclusions. Amend.
USB 14-1112. Request and agreement to mediate fee dispute, answer. New.
USB 14-1113. Selection of mediator. New.
USB 14-1114. Matters entitled to mediation. New.
USB 14-1115. Mediation is voluntary. New.
USB 14-1116. Conduct of the mediation. New.
USB 14-1117. Confidentiality. New.
USB 14-1118. Ex parte communications with the mediator. New.
USB 14-1119. Exemption from future testimony. New.
USB 14-1120. Mediation agreement. New.

Posted: July 22, 2008

Rules of Criminal Procedure

URCrP 27. Stays pending appeal from courts of record. Amend. The amendments remove courts not of record from the rule. The process for courts not of record will be in new rule 27A. The amendments also make structural changes to help clarify the process for seeking a stay.
URCrP 27A. Stays pending appeal from courts not of record. New. This is a new rule specifically directed at appellate stays in justice court proceedings. The rule creates 3 different processes depending on the type of judgment appealed. Judgments with no jail time are automatically stayed. A notice of appeal on a judgment of incarceration less than 30 days serves as an automatic motion for a stay. In cases involving a judgment of 30 days or more, a motion must be filed. A judgment for incarceration of 30 days are more. There is a presumption in favor of a stay.
URCrP 38. Appeals from Justice Court to District Court. Amend. The amendments provide more detail on the process for appealing justice court judgments. The amendments describe the contents of the notice of appeal, the duties of the justice court when transferring the case, and the duties of the district in handling the appeal.

Posted: July 22, 2008

Code of Judicial Administration

CJA 04-403. Signature stamp use. Amend. Deletes “orders prepared by the court” from the list of documents for which a judge may give blanket authority to stamp his or her signature. Approved as an expedited amendment under Rule 2-205. Subject to further change after the comment period.
CJA 04-906. Guardian ad litem program. Amend. Establishes the relationship between the Director, the Oversight Committee, attorneys, staff and volunteers. Clarifies the complaint, discipline and appeal process.