Attorney receives Scott M. Matheson Award for educating youth

Intermountain Catholic

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Michael Keller

SALT LAKE CITY - H. Michael Keller received the 2010 Scott M. Matheson Award from the Utah Minority Bar Association at the annual Law Day luncheon at Little America Hotel April 30. Keller serves as president of the Judge Memorial Board of Advisors, and practices environmental and natural resources law with the firm of VanCott, Bagley, Cornwall and McCarthy.

The Law-related Education and Law Day committees of the Utah State Bar created the award in 1991 to commemorate the late governor's contribution to law-related education in Utah and to recognize a lawyer and a law firm that have made outstanding contributions for youth in the state, said Judge Memorial Principal Rick Bartman.

The most visible aspects of this are the mock trial program in local junior high and high schools, said Keller. "Judge Memorial and Juan Diego Catholic high schools both participate, as do the middle schools at Saint John the Baptist and Saint Vincent de Paul School. There is also a "We the People" program and a "Peer Court" program in which the public schools participate."

Peer Court comes into play when students get into trouble with truancy, smoking cigarettes or illegal substances or violate a juvenile law, and opt to be tried by their peers. For example, a student who is excessively truant at West High School, who is a Peer Court participant, would be tried by a peer court and a sentence would be imposed.

"Our law firm has been involved with the law-related education project since its inception in the 1970s, and I've been involved since 1980," said Keller, who moved to Salt Lake City with his wife, Faye, from Peoria, Ill., in 1978. He has sat on the board at Judge Memorial since 1996. His children attended Saint Vincent de Paul School and graduated from Judge Memorial; Heidi graduated in 1999 and Nathaniel graduated in 2003. Keller was on the Law-related Education Board for 20 years and he has participated in and judged mock trials.

Keller said he became interested in participating as a lawyer but also because he found it interesting to teach students about the legal system and how it works. "I began coaching mock trials at St. Vincent's School and then judged mock trials as a volunteer," he said. "The mock-trial program teaches the students how the court system works in terms of how a dispute is resolved in court, whether it be a civil or a criminal case. I think they also learn about professionalism and decorum and certainly the rule of law in that even though the issues may be contentious, they need to be resolved in a professional and quiet way."

Keller said the students learn people just don't yell and argue; they have good manners in court. When they do a mock trial their appearance is important. They are taught to be respectful, to be quiet and to listen and to request permission from the judge to speak or to approach the bench. They are taught teamwork, planning and preparation of each case. They learn about confrontation and how to examine a witness or being questioned by an opposing party who does not have their best interests at heart, how to handle answering questions and thinking on their feet.

"I enjoy working with the students and helping them learn about the law," said Keller. "I think the mock trial program is a good cause."