Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed Linda Jones, Patrick Corum and Amber Mettler to the Third District Court.
“I am pleased to appoint Linda Jones, Patrick Corum and Amber Mettler to serve our state as judges of the Third District Court” said Gov. Herbert. “Although each of these individuals have very different legal backgrounds, each of them has earned a reputation for exemplary professionalism and service, and they are recognized as being among the best and most trusted in their respective fields. Individually, they are each of the highest character and are committed to the rule of law and the highest principles of justice. I am proud to appoint each of them and look forward to the service they will provide our state and the contribution they will make to Utah’s outstanding judiciary.”
Linda Jones is currently a partner at the firm of Zimmerman Jones Booher, LLC, representing clients in appellate matters and in district court, handling major motions and filings in all phases of litigation, developing arguments and strategies for trial and evidentiary hearings to preserve issues for appeal in federal and state courts and presenting arguments in the Utah Supreme Court, the Utah Court of Appeals, and district court. From 2009 to 2016, Jones served as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. From 1995 to 2011, Jones was an appellate lawyer with the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association. Jones has also served as an in-house attorney, associate attorney and a law clerk. Jones has been a fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers since 2011, and currently serves on the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee for Rules of Evidence since 2007 and the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Criminal Jury Instructions since 2003. Jones has been a member of the board of directors of the Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity since 2014. Jones received a bachelor of science in journalism from the University of Utah and a juris doctor from the University of Utah College of Law.
“I am humbled and honored to be appointed, and if confirmed by the Senate, I look forward to serving the State of Utah as a judge in the Third Judicial District,” Jones said.
Patrick Corum is presently a trial attorney and supervisor with the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association, where he also previously served as assistant director. As assistant director, he coordinated with and assisted the executive director in day-to-day operations and administration, interacted with county and state agencies in helping to develop policy and legislation favorable to indigent clients and provided ongoing supervision and mentoring of attorneys and maintained an active felony caseload. Prior to his role as assistant director, Corum served as misdemeanor section chief for the organization. Corum was an adjunct professor at the S.J. Quinney College of law from 2008 to this year, where his focus was teaching criminal process to third year students and placement of student interns with prosecuting and defense agencies. Since 1999, Corum has served in the Viaduct/Pioneer Park Legal Clinic, where he interviews and counsels low-income and homeless clients. Corum has been a member of the AOC pretrial release and supervision committee since 2016 and the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure since 2007, where he has served as committee chair since 2014. Corum received a bachelor of science in zoology from Oregon State University and a juris doctor from the University of Utah College of Law.
“I am truly honored and humbled to be appointed by Gov. Herbert for this immense responsibility,” Corum said. “If confirmed, I will work diligently each and every day to validate the trust the governor has placed in me and serve the people of Utah with integrity, respect, and fairness.”
Amber Mettler has been an attorney at Snell & Wilmer LLP since 2007, and a partner since 2015. Mettler is currently involved in various-sized litigation matters representing clients in a variety of disputes, including breach of contract, fraud, antitrust, land-use, intellectual property, and lease disputes. She holds the primary responsibility for drafting pleadings, managing all aspects of discovery, and motion practice. Mettler has second-chaired jury trials in both state and federal court, and argued appeals before the Utah Court of Appeals, the Utah Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Mettler was previously an associate attorney at the Washington, D.C. firm of Williams & Connolly LLP, and served as a law clerk for the Honorable Michael R. Murphy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Mettler was also a consultant with Public Financial Management, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. Mettler was president of the Princeton Alumni Association of Utah for ten years, and is presently a board member of the Salt Lake based Repertory Dance Theatre. Mettler received a bachelor of arts in politics from Princeton University and juris doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
“I am incredibly honored to be appointed by Gov. Herbert, and by the confidence he’s shown in me. If confirmed, I am committed to serving the court and the citizens of Utah to the best of my ability,” Amber Mettler said.
If confirmed, these appointees will fill the vacancies created by the retirement of Judges Robert Adkins, Bruce Lubeck and Ann Boyden. The appointments are subject to confirmation by the Utah Senate.
