Jones Waldo’s veteran litigator, Lori W. Nelson, will be sworn in as the Utah State Bar’s 80^thpresident on July 19 at its annual convention in Sun Valley, Idaho. Of the 79 preceding presidents, only three were women – the last of whom was president nearly a decade ago.

Nelson, an Idaho native, has been a member of the Utah State Bar for almost 20 years, and has practiced domestic law with Jones Waldo for the last six, holding leadership positions both on the board of directors and in the domestic practice group.

Firm President Keven Rowe said “Everyone at the firm is very proud of Lori and this accomplishment. She has always shown dedication to the profession and leadership at Jones Waldo, and we are more than confident she will do the same as Bar President.”

Her vision and tenacity have also greatly impacted the Utah State Bar. Nelson has been an integral player in the development of two programs aimed at making legal services more accessible to clients who could not otherwise pay. The Lend a Learned Hand program encourages attorneys to provide pro bono work, and Modest Means, which will roll out in the coming year, connects underemployed attorneys with clients who have limited financial resou­rces.

According to the Catalyst’s “Women in Law in the U.S.,” only 31.9 percent of all lawyers in the nation are women, making work like Nelson’s even more critical and revolutionary. A champion of women’s involvement in law and women’s issues, Nelson organized the first ever Women’s Law Caucus scholarship lecture at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney School of Law with a panel who presented the Gender and Justice Task Force Report. She has also been an active participant in the Jones Waldo Women Lawyers Group.

“This is a tremendous honor – not just to represent women, but to represent all lawyers,” Nelson said. “I truly believe in the nobility of the profession, and I respect the members of the Bar who everyday work with professionalism, civility and integrity. It is so humbling to serve them in this capacity because of how they exemplify what it means to be a lawyer.”