“Lawyers-in-Law”: Reflections on the 2025 Leadership Conference of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society

The moment Angel Zimmerman stepped onto the stage and greeted the assembly with “we are all lawyers-in-law” remains vivid in memory. She explained that in English, relatives by marriage carry the suffix “-in-law” (e.g., sister-in-law). Although that expression may not translate directly in every language, for Angel, the incoming International Chair of the Law Society, it captured beautifully the idea that each of us is part of a family in law, a global fellowship bound by mutual commitment, service, and faith. From that opening, an unmistakable tone was set: we were not merely conference attendees; we were family.

This sense of belonging manifested in so many settings during the leadership conference in Aspen Grove, Utah, held October 2 - 3, 2025. The two days were filled with plenary addresses, workshops, committee sessions, delicious meals, pictures in the forested backdrop of aspen groves, and informal corridor conversations. I felt quietly transformed by the experience—not just as a lawyer or academic attending another event, but as someone welcomed into a community.

When Law Society Associated Director Sam Morales spoke, he shared that when he first began attending gatherings of JRCLS, he felt isolated – a solitary participant among many. Yet through repeated engagement, he built friendships that endure. That testimony resonated especially in a conference of this shape, where familiar faces from prior years gathered alongside newer participants from chapters in Africa, the Philippines, South America, and beyond. A global network, real and relational.
Meanwhile, Executive Director Amy Larsen—ever smiling, ever welcoming—set the tone for service and hospitality: staff and participants alike commented on how easily she and her team created an environment of “come as you are, belong as you are, yet move to something greater.” And the reports from outgoing International Chair David Garner—documenting recent progress, chapter growth, and international expansion—gave us a sense of structure and accountability, making this conference not just a gathering of goodwill but a planning engine for the next cycle.

Lectures, tracks, committees and real connection
Over the two-day event, we participated in a variety of simultaneous “tracks” of learning: leadership of chapters, international partnerships, service-lawyering, and strategic growth. Some of the committee meetings, including the Religious Freedom, Communications and Women In Law Committees, met to set tangible objectives for the next 12 - 24 months, share best practices, compare success stories, and draft action plans.

Networking happened meaningfully during meals, morning hikes, and group photographs. The lunch conversations were not only about “what chapter are you from?” but “what story brought you here?” and “how can we collaborate going forward?” We sat beside lawyers from South America, advisors from African chapters, student-leaders from the Philippines — each of us bringing a distinct context but united by shared convictions. The landscape of Aspen Grove enhanced that connectivity: the crisp mountain air, the golden aspen leaves, and the informal outdoor sessions reminded us that leadership and service can emerge not only in lecture halls but in nature’s rhythm, too.

Why this matters – for you, for us, for the future
This conference was more than a customary annual gathering; it was a launching pad. The “family” metaphor became operational: we will hold each other accountable, we will partner across continents, and we will lift up emerging chapters in regions less served.

In that spirit, an idea surfaced frequently: the importance of Law Society members actively upholding the rule of law.  This was supported by the introduction of a Rule of Law Camp program – an initiative for local chapters to teach high school students about the importance of the rule of law in society.  Introduced by JRCLS members Chad Mitchell, Brian Andersen, Wendy Cicotte and Judge Todd Plewe, this program aims to engage lawyers, students and other legal professionals in hands-on service, advocacy simulations and the exploration of legal careers. Many breakout discussions took this idea and began sketching pilots for the next two years. The challenge now is to convert enthusiasm into implementation.

A commitment moving forward
I leave Aspen Grove with a conviction renewed: to serve not only as a lawyer, but as a member of this global “in-law” family of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. I commit to bring back what I have learned—the frameworks, the relationships, the inspiration—and to invest in others: students, newer chapters, cross-national collaborations. And I invite you, my fellow members, colleagues, and friends, to join in this relational movement. Let us be the colleagues who welcome the lonely, build the bridge between continents, and hold each other to our highest ideals.
Because in the end, when the session ends and the forest still stands, we are the community that carries the torch of liberty, law, service and faith together as a family in law.