Robert Sykes: Lawyer of the Year

Every year the Utah State Bar Association chooses one attorney to get the “Lawyer of the Year” award. This year, Robert Sykes was the recipient. This is not an award that a lawyer gets for winning the most cases, making the most money or for being the most popular; this award goes to lawyers who make a difference for their clients.

Many lawyers and judges submitted nominations. One judge stated:

“I have known Bob Sykes as opposing counsel, advocate in my courtroom, and as a lawyer who strives through both the courts and in our community to right wrongs and effect change, for almost thirty years. If this is the year of the dogged advocate who spares neither himself nor his resources in representation of his clients, Bob Sykes is a worthy nominee …  I have been opposing counsel to Bob Sykes, and his qualities can make him a difficult opponent. Nevertheless, seeing what he does and how dedicated he is to the zealous representation of his clients, even at great personal cost, I wouldn't change him.”

This judge also mentioned two cases that stood out in Robert’s career:

In 1995, Robert was approached to take over the Houghton case, a class action against Medicaid where the state failed to pay the class member’s legal fees when they sought to get Medicaid liens reimbursed. Robert fought tirelessly without pay to win this case on behalf of the class.

In the other case, he was defending seven widows of Chinese educators who were killed in a car accident years earlier. The settlement was not large by our standards, but it changed the lives of these widows. This is another case that another lawyer may have given up on, but Robert did not. At the end of the trial, the widows, lawyers (on both sides), staff and jurors were all hugging and crying because of the victory.

Lawyers don’t simply get this award for being good businessmen; they get it for being a lawyer who works hard, cares about their clients and makes a difference. Rodney G. Snow, the president of the Utah State Bar had said that Robert is not a business lawyer, he is a peoples' lawyer. You can be assured that Robert does not give up on his cases; he sees them through to the end and makes sure his clients get a good result.

 Congratulations to Robert for receiving this well-deserved award.

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“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”
-Robert Frost

”Somebody recently figured out that we have 35 million laws to enforce the Ten Commandments.”
-Attributed to both Bert Masterson and Earl Wilson

“Law: the only game where the best players get to sit on the bench.”
-Author Unknown

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“The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law.”
-Jeremy Bentham

"Wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!"
-Isaiah 10:1-2

“I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.”
-Stephen Wright

“He who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.”
-Proverb

“A man who never graduated from school might steal from a freight car. But a man who attends college and graduates as a lawyer might steal the whole railroad.”
-Theodore Roosevelt (Attempting to persuade his son to become a lawyer)

“If there were no bad people there would be no good lawyers.”
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