How Criminal Jury Trials and Bench Trials Work in Utah By Jake Gunter, Utah Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer If you have been charged with a crime in Utah, you may be wondering what happens if your case goes to trial. Will a jury decide your case? Will you have to testify? What happens when the [...]
Utah DCFS Management Information System (MIS) and Licensing Information System (LIS) You are summoned by the Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to Juvenile Court to address a petition. In that petition, you are accused of child abuse. More often than not, people facing these allegations are concerned with a wide range of [...]
Utah Comparative Negligence: Can I Recover if I Was Partly at Fault for a Car Accident? Yes. Being partially at fault for a Utah car accident does not automatically prevent you from recovering compensation. Utah follows a modified comparative-fault system. The important question is not simply whether you made a mistake; it is how your [...]
Parallel Criminal and Administrative Investigations in Utah When criminal and administrative investigations in Utah happen at the same time, decisions made in one proceeding can directly affect the other. What you say in an administrative interview may affect a criminal investigation. At the same time, refusing to participate may create employment, licensing, certification, or other [...]
Understanding Utah’s Entrapment Defense After State v. Kent By Jacob S. Gunter, Utah Criminal Defense Attorney If you were arrested after an undercover police operation, internet sting, confidential informant investigation, or narcotics operation, you may wonder whether law enforcement crossed the line into entrapment. Many people misunderstand Utah’s entrapment defense. Police officers are generally allowed [...]
Utah Criminal Protective Orders: 5 Orders That Can Lead to a New Arrest Updated for 2026 Many people believe that once they are released from jail, the criminal case is their only concern. That is not true. In Utah, a criminal protective order can create a separate criminal problem if it is violated. A text [...]
What Is a Preliminary Hearing in Utah? A preliminary hearing, sometimes called a preliminary examination, is an important step in many Utah criminal cases. It is not a trial, and it is not where the judge decides whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. Instead, a preliminary hearing is a screening process. The judge decides [...]
Appealing Utah DCFS Findings: Severe and Non-Severe Supported Findings Updated May 20, 2026 A Utah DCFS investigation can end in more than one way. Sometimes the State removes children. Sometimes DCFS opens a protective-services case without removal. Sometimes the case arrives as a Notice of Agency Action telling a parent, caregiver, or alleged perpetrator that [...]
Utah Portable Breath Tests and DUI Investigations: Rule R714-501 Revisited Utah has adopted a formal administrative rule governing how police officers may use portable breath tests during DUI investigations. The rule, known as Utah Administrative Code R714-501, became effective December 23, 2024, and creates statewide standards for the use of preliminary oral fluid and portable [...]
Utah Criminal Sentence Enhancements: What You Need to Know Understanding Criminal Sentence Enhancements in Utah Utah’s criminal code allows prosecutors to seek enhanced penalties when certain aggravating factors are present during the commission of a crime. These enhancements can significantly increase the severity of charges—turning a misdemeanor into a felony or elevating a felony to [...]
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