Attorneys
Emily Adams
Appellate Attorney
Freyja Johnson
Appellate Attorney
Cherise Bacalski
Appellate Attorney
Sara Pfrommer
Appellate Attorney, Of Counsel
Carol Funk
Appellate Attorney, Of Counsel
Hannah Leavitt-Howell
Appellate Attorney
MJ Townsend
Appellate Attorney
Rachel Phillips Ainscough
Appellate Attorney
Anna Grigsby
Appellate Attorney
Jessica Holzer
Appellate Attorney
Prior to joining The Appellate Group, I worked in the Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation practice group of an international law firm, completed clerkships at the Utah Supreme Court, Utah Court of Appeals, Texas Supreme Court, and United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and served as chair of the Appellate Practice section at Ray Quinney & Nebeker.
My practice focuses on appellate litigation in the Utah Supreme Court, Utah Court of Appeals, and United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. I also provide support on complex matters in district court litigation, particularly those involving statutory construction or constitutional interpretation. I serve as counsel on cases across all areas of the law, including complex commercial litigation, divorce proceedings, parental rights, employment law, products liability, securities, and criminal defense.
I currently serve on the Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Appellate Procedure, and I have been voted by my peers as one of Utah’s Appellate “Legal Elite” as published in Utah Business Magazine.
Education
The University of Texas School of Law
J.D., high honors
Order of the Coif
Order of Barristers
First Place, University of Texas Susman Godfrey Moot Court Competition
Regional Champion, Regional ABA Appellate Moot Court Competition
Semi-Finalist, National ABA Appellate Moot Court Competition
Presidential Scholarship
The University of Utah, B.S.
Finance, magna cum laude
Presidential Scholarship
Clerkships
Utah Supreme Court, Justice John A. Pearce
Utah Court of Appeals, Judge Jill M. Pohlman
Texas Supreme Court, Justice Priscilla R. Owen
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Judge Priscilla R. Owen
Publications and Presentations
Gerrymandering, Abortion, and Much More: Cases and Issues in the Pipeline at the Utah Supreme Court (Utah Bar Journal, Volume 37 No. 1, Jan/Feb 2024)
Presenter, “Looking Back and Forging Ahead: The Utah Supreme Court,” CLE hosted by the Appellate Practice Section of the Utah State Bar, Dec 2023
Presenter, “Appellate Practice 101,” Appellate Court Pilot Pro Bono Program, November 2023
Presenter, “Selection and Presentation of Persuasive Arguments: An Appellate Perspective,” Utah State Bar Spring Convention, March 2023
Public Confidence and the Courts: Pillars of the Rule of Law (American Bar Association Council of Appellate Lawyers Winter Issue, February 2023)
Presenter, “Appeals Are Always an Uphill Battle How Steep is the Slope?” CLE hosted by The Litigation & Appellate Practice Sections of the Utah State Bar, Jan 2023.
Abortion, Actual Innocence, and Much More: Cases and Issues in the Pipeline at the Utah Supreme Court (Utah Bar Journal, Volume 36 No. 1, Jan/Feb 2023)
Presenter, “Looking Back and Forging Ahead: the Utah Supreme Court and Utah Court of Appeals,” CLE hosted by the Litigation Section and Appellate Section of the Utah State Bar, Dec 2022
A Practitioner’s Guide to the Utah Court of Appeals Part 2: Jurisdiction, Procedure, and Outcome (Utah Bar Journal, Volume 35 No. 5, Sept/Oct 2022)
Moderator, “Recollections from the Bench and Thoughts on Under-Utilized Provisions of the Utah Constitution: A Discussion with Retired Justices,” Utah State Bar Summer Convention, July 2022
A Practitioner’s Guide to the Utah Court of Appeals Part 1: Jurisdiction, Procedure, and Outcome (Utah Bar Journal, Volume 35 No. 4, July/Aug 2022)
Presenter, “The Process of Appeals,” CLE hosted by The Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar, May 2022
Understanding the Utah Supreme Court’s Docket: A Practitioner’s Guide (Utah Bar Journal, Volume 35 No. 1, Jan/Feb 2022)
Admissions
Utah
Texas