Michael Jon Wilkins (born May 13, 1948) is an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. He is a retired Justice of the Utah Supreme Court and current chairman of the Utah Independent Ethics Commission.

Biography

Education

He graduated from the University of Utah in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree and from the

S. J. Quinney College of Law The S.J. Quinney College of Law is the professional graduate Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Utah. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, the school was established in 1913. It is a member of the Association of American ...

with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

in 1977. He received a Master of Laws degree from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

in 2001.

Private Practice

From 1977 to 1994, Mike Wilkins practiced law in Salt Lake City.

Utah Court of Appeals

Michael J. Wilkins was appointed by Governor

Mike Leavitt Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951) is an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Utah, 14th Governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003 in the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, as Administrator of the E ...

in August 1994 to the

Utah Court of Appeals The Utah Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the state of Utah. It began operations in 1987. Jurisdiction The court's jurisdiction is complementary to that of the Utah Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals hears all app ...

. And he served there until his appointment to the Supreme Court. Justice Wilkins served as presiding judge of the Court of Appeals.

Utah Supreme Court

Justice Wilkins was appointed in 2000 to the Supreme Court. He served as Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice Wilkins has been a member of the Judicial Council and has served as chair of the Judicial Council's Policy and Planning Committee, Legislative Liaison Committee, and Standing Committee on Technology. He has chaired the Supreme Court's Committee on Professionalism, and teaches as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University's

J. Reuben Clark Law School The J. Reuben Clark Law School (BYU Law or JRCLS) is the graduate law school of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1973, the school is named after J. Reuben Clark, a former U.S. Ambassador, Undersecretary of State, and g ...

Independent Ethics Commission

Justice Wilkins is a former member of the Utah Legislature's Independent Ethics Commission. The five-member commission, established 2 July 2010, handles ethic complaints against lawmakers that previously were dealt with by members of the Legislature.

References

1948 births Justices of the Utah Supreme Court Living people S.J. Quinney College of Law alumni Brigham Young University faculty University of Virginia School of Law alumni American Latter Day Saints Utah lawyers {{Utah-state-judge-stub