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Event

Salt Lake City In-House Counsel CLE

DAY 1

From AI governance to Utah water law to transaction readiness, our speakers brought practical, real-world insight to a packed room of in-house counsel in Salt Lake City.

Here's what we covered.

Presentation: AI Governance and AI Laws in the U.S.

Presenter: Alex Kimata

  • AI legal compliance requires navigating a patchwork of agency enforcement, evolving executive orders, and an expanding wave of state-level legislation
  • AI governance builds on your existing compliance program—it extends proven privacy, security, and risk management practices rather than replacing them
  • Proactively audit your AI vendor contracts, map your AI use cases to applicable laws, and identify your highest-risk deployments for focused oversight

Presentation: Tapping In: A Practical Guide to Water Rights for Development in Utah

Presenters: Melissa Reynolds, Katy Brautigam

  • Most of Utah's water is already appropriated; acquiring existing rights and filing change applications is the norm
  • Water rights transfer like real estate, but due diligence looks very different
  • Confirm the amount of water needed for planned development and ensure that you purchase enough water

Presentation: Preparing for Equity Financings and Liquidation Transaction

Presenters: Jason Perry, Lindsay Manning

  • Laying the legal groundwork well in advance can determine if a deal closes at all
  • Your cap table must account for every warrant, SAFE, convertible note, and option grant
  • Change of control provisions buried in contracts can surface at the worst moment

Presentation: Public and Private Securities Offering

Presenter: Dane Johansen

  • Private doesn't mean unregulated, the exemption you choose carries real compliance obligations
  • 506(b) vs. 506(c) comes down to two central questions: do you want to publicly solicit investors and do you want to include unaccredited investors?
  • Bad actor screening, Form D, and blue sky filings apply to every Reg D offering

Presentation: Utah Legislative and Tax Updates 2026

Presenters: Kate Bradshaw, Liam Thrailkill, Steve Young

  • The 2026 session brought changes across energy, housing, land use, and government operations
  • A new targeted advertising tax was opposed on companies with $100M+ in global ad revenue and over $1M in Utah
  • Utah's income tax rate dropped from 4.5% to 4.45%

Presentation: Professionalism & Civility: Ethical Boundaries for In-House Counsel]

Presenters: Steven Suflas, Parker Airmet

  • With nearly 80% of legal professionals using AI, the question isn’t whether, but how, to use it responsibly
  • The Rules of Professional Conduct apply to attorney use of AI
  • Utah courts have already sanctioned attorneys for filing AI-generated citations that don't exist
  • AI amplifies civility risks. Speed and scale remove the natural "cooling off" that keeps professional interactions in check

 

DAY 2

Day 2 brought more of what in-house counsel actually need—practical guidance on innovation funding, real estate development, employment risk, and ethics. 

Here's what we covered on Day 2. 

Presentation: Funding and Protecting Your Innovation (Making Sense of Changes in the Federal Landscape)

Presenter: Molly Kocialski

  • Funding and Protecting Innovation has changed significantly in the last 18 months and will continue to change 
  • Know the identify of your PIs and grantees so you can meet new funding requirements   
  • Strategize the most important ideas/businesses before you seek SBIT/STTR funding    
  • Quality of assets protecting innovation is your responsibility.   

Presentation: Utah Legislative Update: Land Use, Development Incentives, Subdivision Law, and Federal Compliance] 

Presenter: Michael Hutchings

  • Utah's 2026 session reshaped TIF and developers now have two paths to tax increment financing 
  • Cities must publish all land use ordinances, fees, and checklists online—a new vesting rights opportunity for developers 
  • As of July 2026, city councils can no longer serve as land use appeal bodies 

Presentation: Navigating Difficult Employee Situations: Practical Discipline Strategies and Liability Protection

Presenter: Greg Saylin

  • Before you discipline or terminate, check for recent protected activity—wage complaints, leave requests, or accommodation requests 
  • Criminal allegations require careful navigation of leave, investigation, and workforce safety 
  • A well-structured severance offer can meaningfully reduce litigation risk 

Presentation: Ethics Guidance for In-House Counsel

Presentera: Eric Maxfield, Cory Talbot

  • AI tools create real ethical exposure. What you feed into AI tools may not stay confidential, and what you get out may not be accurate
  • Attorney-client privilege is easily waived; be intentional about who is copied, what is written, and whether you are giving legal or business advice  
  • If you practice in Utah, even as in-house counsel, licensure rules apply. If litigation is on the horizon, engage an outside litigator early and often 

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