Attorneys
Emily Adams
Appellate Attorney
Freyja Johnson
Appellate Attorney
Cherise Bacalski
Appellate Attorney
Sara Pfrommer
Appellate Attorney, Of Counsel
Hannah Leavitt-Howell
Appellate Attorney
MJ Townsend
Appellate Attorney

I am an appellate attorney based in Utah. My practice at The Appellate Group is focused exclusively on appeals. I counsel with clients to determine their best strategy on appeal and strategize with clients and attorneys about preparing for an appeal while in district court.
Apart from appellate briefs, in my practice I have submitted amicus briefs before the United States Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit, and the Utah Supreme Court; I have represented criminal defendants and civil clients on appeal to the Utah appellate courts; I have drafted motions for permission to file an interlocutory appeal in the Utah appellate courts; and I have filed petitions for certiorari.
I am licensed to practice law in Utah and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. I love being enormously tall, being a celiac in a bread-filled world, trying to do a pull-up, and dragging my kids on hiking trips.
Education
University of Minnesota Law School
J.D., magna cum laude
Order of the Coif
Lead Managing Editor, ABA Journal of Labor and Employment Law
Brigham Young University
B.A., Linguistics, cum laude
Clerkships
Federal District Court for the District of Minnesota
Minnesota Court of Appeals
Awards
Super Lawyer Rising Star, 2019–2020
Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Distinguished Service Award, 2019
Experience
Adams Legal, LLC (2014 to 2020)
Shannon Law, LLC (2013 to 2014)
Law Clerk, Nichols Kaster (2010 to 2011)
Legal Extern for the Honorable Christine Durham, Utah Supreme Court (2009)
Admissions
Utah
The United States Supreme Court
CLE Presentations
2020
Indigent Defense Commission, How to Litigate Rule 23B Motions
Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual Seminar, Appellate Update
Indigent Defense Commission, Exceptions to Preservation and the Evolving IAC Standards
Parental Defense Alliance Annual Conference, Appellate Update on Child Welfare Case
2019
Utah Association for Justice Auto Spectacular, PIP Threshold Statute and Issues Moving Forward
Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Annual Seminar, Petitions for Certiorari
2016
Strong & Hanni CLE series, Recent Developments in Utah Appellate Jurisdiction