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Marlene F. Gonzalez has over 14 years experience as an attorney and is well-recognized within Utah’s legal community. In October, 2009, she was recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” by the Utah Minority Bar Association. She was listed as a Legal Elite (Immigration Law) in the Utah Business Magazine from 2005-2009.
From April, 2006 to July, 2009, Ms. Gonzalez served as the Executive Director and Attorney for the Multi-Cultural Legal Center (MLC), a private, non-profit organization which served the needs of low-income, racial and ethnic communities in Utah. She focused primarily on establishing legal residency for battered immigrants under MLC's Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Immigration Relief Project.
Ms. Gonzalez received her Juris Doctor degree in 1995 and her Bachelor of Science degree in Philosophy in 1991 from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She was born in the Philippines and emigrated to the U.S. as a young girl. She grew up in Los Angeles, California and has been a Utah resident since 1988.
Other Awards and Recognition
2004 - Young Alumna of the Year (S.J. Quinney College of Law)
2004 - Raymond S. Uno Award for the Advancement of Minorities in the Legal Profession (Utah State Bar Association)
2004 - Utah Legal Elite, Pro Bono (Utah Business Magazine)
2003 - Asian Bridge Builder Award (Governor’s Office of Asian Affairs)
1994 - Best Team and Best Brief, Western Region, Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition (sponsored by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association)
1991 - Golden Key National Honor Society
Published Cases (Briefs written) in Debt Collection Law
N.A.R. v. Marcek, 13 P.3d 612 (Utah Ct. App. 2000)
N.A.R. v. Farr, 997 P.2d 343 (Utah Ct. App. 2000)
N.A.R. v. Walker, 37 P.3d 1068 (Utah 2001)
Organizational Affiliations
American Immigration Lawyers Association Utah Chapter, Co-Chair - 2004-2005
Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce, In-House Counsel - 2005 -2007
Jordan School District Diversity Council, Member - 2004-2006
Magna Families and Community Together Board of Trustees, Member - 2003-2005
S.J. Quinney College of Law Alumni Board of Trustees, Member - 2003-2006
Utah Minority Bar Association, Past-President - 2001
Utah Office of Crime Victim Reparations Board, Member - 2007-Present
Utah Sentencing Commission, Ethnic Representative - 2002-Present
YWCA of Salt Lake City Board of Directors, Member - 2002-2005