The Utah State Bar presented awards to three distinguished attorneys and one judge at its 2026 Spring Convention in St. George, recognizing their exceptional contributions to advancing women and minorities in the legal profession and promoting positive mental health within Utah’s legal community.
The annual Spring Convention brings together attorneys, judges and legal professionals from across the state for continuing legal education, leadership development and collegial engagement. As part of the sold-out convention, the Bar bestowed several of its most meaningful awards to individuals whose service reflects the profession’s highest ideals.
“This year’s honorees exemplify the Bar’s commitment to inclusion, opportunity, and the well-being of our legal community,” said Bar President Kim Cordova. “Their careers demonstrate that leadership in law extends beyond the courtroom to mentorship, voluntary service and advocacy for systemic improvement.”
Judge of the Year
Hon. Michele M. Christiansen Forster
Forster, presiding Judge of the Utah Court of Appeals, is recognized for her longstanding leadership in Utah’s judiciary and her commitment to public service. Appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2010, after serving on Utah’s Third District Court, she previously worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and as General Counsel to the Governor and has been a dedicated advocate for justice, legal education and issues affecting women and children.
Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession
Rebecca Hyde Skordas
Skordas is a graduate of the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. She began her legal career at the Salt Lake City Public Defender’s Office before helping to open the Utah Federal Defender’s Office, where she served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender. She later practiced white-collar criminal defense at Snow, Christensen & Martineau and, alongside her husband, co-founded Skordas, Caston & Hyde. For more than 15 years, she served on the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel, representing court-appointed defendants in federal criminal matters.
Throughout her career, Skordas has been a steadfast advocate for the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. In 2018, she became the first CJA Supervising Attorney in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah and later joined the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to manage indigent defense funding in capital and complex federal cases. She also served as an adjunct professor teaching Criminal Process at the University of Utah College of Law.
Her leadership and service have strengthened access to justice and created pathways for women attorneys in criminal defense and federal practice.
Raymond S. Uno Award for the Advancement of Minorities in the Legal Profession
Erik A. Christiansen
Christiansen is a shareholder at Parsons Behle & Latimer in Salt Lake City. He currently serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Governors of the American Bar Association. He previously served as President of the Utah State Bar, President of the Utah Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and Chair of both the Litigation Section and Securities Section of the Utah State Bar.
Christiansen founded the Utah Chapter of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program, expanding access to judicial internships for historically underrepresented law students. He has also served on the ABA’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fundraising Committee and volunteered with the ABA’s Immigration Justice Project, representing asylum seekers detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center.
Widely recognized as an ally and advocate for historically disadvantaged communities, Christiansen was named Alumnus of the Year by the S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2019.
Utah Legal Well-being Impact Award
W. Matthew Hall
Hall is recognized for his leadership in promoting mental health, recovery and sustainable professional practices within Utah’s legal community. A graduate of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, where he graduated summa cum laude in 2011, Hall navigated significant personal struggles with mental illness and substance dependency during law school and in the years that followed.
After losing his family, home and employment to addiction several years after graduation, Hall found recovery through the Twelve Steps and has remained active in long-term recovery communities for more than a decade. He often reflects on the words of the 13th-century poet Rumi: “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” Hall credits his recovery journey with shaping his commitment to helping other attorneys confront the pressures of the profession without relying on substances.
Hall has served on the board of Lawyers Helping Lawyers for the past five years, where he has contributed to the organization’s efforts to support attorneys facing mental health and addiction challenges. While he values that service, he most often works quietly one-on-one with lawyers who are ready to seek help and long-term recovery.
In addition to his advocacy work, Hall maintains a practice in corporate law and pursues entrepreneurial ventures. He is a co-founder of JUMP by Limitless Flight, the world’s first commercially available wingsuit flight simulator, located in Bluffdale, Utah.
______
The Utah State Bar’s distinguished awards recognize attorneys who strengthen the profession through leadership, inclusion, mentorship and service. The 2026 Spring Convention will celebrate these honorees and reaffirm the Bar’s commitment to a legal community that is accessible, inclusive and supportive of the well-being of its licensees.
