Utah's lawyers mostly young - and wired

If your image of lawyers is a giant firm packed with fusty old men in opulent offices lined with law books, think again.

The typical attorney in Utah is 41 years old, is either working alone or in a small firm, and is highly mobile and tuned in technologically, thanks to laptops and BlackBerrys, according to the Utah State Bar.

The organization recently reviewed data from its 7,300 active members and found the typical attorney in this state also graduated from law school here, has been in practice 14 years and has developed some type of niche.

Nate Alder and Steve Owens fit the profile exactly. Alder, 41, currently is president of the state bar and Owens, also 41, is the president-elect poised to take office this summer.

"The speed of the practice of law is much faster than it was 10 to 15 years ago," said Alder, who specializes in civil litigation at Christensen & Jensen. "I remember the day our firm debated buying the technology for e-mail."

These days Alder's BlackBerry is off (and recharging) only when he sleeps.

Previously, many law school graduates tended to gravitate toward established law firms that provided office space, secretarial support and extensive — and expensive — libraries filled with legal tomes.

Today, someone licensed to practice law who has a laptop and connections to certain online legal services can run a practice from home or a coffee shop. If needed, meeting rooms can be rented and virtual law libraries are accessible online.

Alder said his firm gave away its law books to a county jail for use by inmates there.

Besides reducing overhead for the attorneys themselves, Owens, who handles civil matters at Epperson Rencher & Owens, believes these innovations are beneficial for clients.

A recent example: Owens remained in Salt Lake City while conducting a one-hour videotaped deposition from a doctor in Tennessee. A private company handled the arrangements and wrapped up the finished product for a small fee. Owens' client, meanwhile, was billed $200.

"If I had to fly there, that would have been 12 more hours of attorney time with no more benefit. I think it was a great service to the client," Owens said.

Video conference calls also are great timesavers. Instead of calling or writing to seven other lawyers involved in a complicated case, they can all take part in a discussion without leaving their respective offices.

"I keep looking at it from the client's point of view," Owens said. "I can work from wherever and be available on my cell phone. I'm 100 percent accessible to my clients without a huge burden to me."

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E-mail: lindat@desnews.com