Holland & Hart is pleased to announce partner Ashley Peck was selected for the 2023 Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award, Advancement of Women in the Law, by the Utah State Bar Commission, the volunteer board overseeing the activities of the Utah State Bar.
The Dorathy Merrill Brothers Award is awarded to a Utah State Bar attorney whose professionalism, public service, and dedication improves the legal profession, enhances the administration of justice, and the delivery of legal services in Utah. The award recipient demonstrates a history of encouraging new efforts and engaging in significant activity on behalf of the advancement of women in the legal profession.
A member of the firm’s Environmental practice in Salt Lake City, Ashley provides strategic counsel to clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to municipalities and special service districts on complex environmental compliance, litigation, and enforcement issues.
A passionate advocate invested in addressing gender bias in the legal profession, Ashley has a demonstrated track record of speaking up and out for female attorneys, raising awareness of the obstacles and realities women lawyers face (particularly working mothers), and investing considerable time and energy to mentor and sponsor the next generation of female lawyers to help them succeed in the predominantly male-led profession.
Ashley has served on the board of Women Lawyers of Utah (WLU) since 2013, including serving as WLU’s President from 2019 through 2020. As WLU President, Ashley played an integral role in leading the organization’s efforts to commission the 2020 Study of Gender & Racial Bias in Utah’s Legal Profession, as part of WLU’s ongoing Initiative on the Advancement and Retention of Women in the Law. This groundbreaking study examines the barriers that prevent the advancement and retention of women lawyers in Utah and identifies how organizations can reduce bias and support the advancement of women. Ashley has been deeply involved in promoting the results and recommendations of the study to the broader legal and business community.