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JESSICA S. COUSER

JESS COUSER

Jess Couser

FOUNDER & PARTNER

Jessica Couser practices in the areas of custody, divorce, parentage, enforcement, child support, private and contested adoptions, protective orders, guardianship, LGBTQ law, and more. Jess and Laura Hansen founded Just Law, LLC in 2010 with the goal of providing clients excellent, ethical and family-focused legal representation. Jess believes that family law matters require legal skill and strategy, but that they also require compassion, creativity, and fortitude. Family law attorneys should have specific knowledge of child development, trauma, communication and coping mechanisms; and should be prepared to advocate for and educate every client on the legal and practical matters they may be facing.

Jessica’s retainer costs range from $5,000 – $10,000.

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EDUCATION

  • 2009 Juris Doctoris, Gonzaga University School of Law
  • 2005 Bachelor of Arts, English, University of Utah

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

  • Utah State Bar Association, Member in Good Standing, 2010 – Current
  • Utah State Bar Family Law Section, Member, 2010 – Current
  • Utah State Bar LGBT and Allied Lawyers, 2016 – Current
  • American Bar Association, Member, 2010 – Current
  • American Bar Association Family Law Section, Member, 2010 – Current
  • Utah Adoption Council, Member, 2016 – Current
  • Association of Collaborative Professionals of Utah, Member, 2012 – Current
  • International Association of Collaborative Professionals, Member, 2012 – Current

PUBLISHED DECISIONS

  • In re Adoption of B.H., Utah Supreme Court, 2020 UT 64
  • In re Adoption of B.H., Utah Court of Appeals, 2019 UT App 103

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  • Legal Elite, Utah Business, 2020
  • Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
  • Pro Bono Honor Roll, Utah State Bar Association, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
  • An Article, Profound Pronouns: Jess Couser’s Pro Bono LGBTQ+ Legal Representation, By Audrey Lockie, SLUG Magazine, February 6, 2020
  • Up and Coming Legal Elite, Utah Business, 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Distinguished Pro Bono Legal Clinic Award: Rainbow Law, Utah Pro Bono Initiative, 2018
  • Presidential Silver Gavel Award, Gonzaga SBA, 2009

ELECTED POSITIONS

  • Utah Adoption Council, President, 2018
  • Utah Adoption Council, President-Elect, 2017
  • Children’s Service Society of Utah, Board of Directors, Board Member, 2017
  • Association of Collaborative Professionals of Utah, President, 2016
  • Association of Collaborative Professionals of Utah, President-Elect, 2015

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • Presenter, Utah Adoption Specialists Adoptive Parent Education Seminar, Legal and Ethical Considerations in Adoption, August 2021
  • Guest, No One Dies From Divorce Podcast, How We Can Be Better Advocates for the LGBTQ Community, 2021
  • Presenter, Transfamlaw: Effective and Informed Advocacy for Transgender Clients and Their Families, AFCC Utah, 2019
  • Presenter, Utah Family Law Section Continuing Legal Educations Series, The Future of Collaborative Law in Utah, January 2015
  • Presenter, Utah CASA Conference, Education Advocacy for Court Appointed Special Advocates, October 2012

PRO BONO ACTIVITIES

  • Utah State Office of Guardian ad Litem, Pro bono and regularly appointed attorney, 2010 – Present
  • Children’s Service Society of Utah, Board of Directors, Board Member, 2017 – Present
  • Rainbow Law Clinics hosted by the Utah Pride Center and the University of Utah Pro Bono Initiative, Volunteer, 2014 – Present
  • Family Law Clinics hosted by the Legal Aid Society of Utah and the U of U Pro Bono Initiative, Volunteer. 2010 – Present
  • Utah Adoption Council, President-Elect, 2017
  • Association of Collaborative Professionals of Utah, President, 2016
  • Association of Collaborative Professionals of Utah, President-Elect, 2015
  • Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Third District Court, State of Utah, 2010 – 2013
  • Utah Adoption Council, President, 2018
  • Neighborhood Accountability Board, Spokane Juvenile Court Diversion, 2006 – 2009
  • Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Spokane Juvenile Court, State of WA, 2007 – 2008

HOBBIES

Jess loves spending time with her husband, three daughters, two chow chows and extended family here in Utah as well as in Wisconsin, Illinois, Idaho and California. She also loves (in no particular order) comic books, poetry, art, football, craft cocktails, the Utes, her 1967 vintage camper, camping, cooking, tattoos, running, politics, movies, cribbage, theatre, gardening, dance, writing, design, travel, yard sales, corn hole, music, Gonzaga basketball, the beach, craft beer, abandoned buildings, literature, various Netflix and HBO series, festivals, urban art, flowers, history, comedy, gummy bears, learning French and Spanish, roller coasters, podcasts, Settlers of Catan, mountains, galas, and 5ks.

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION

  • Utah State Bar Annual Family Law Seminar, 2017
  • Utah State Bar LGBT and Allied Lawyers Gender Marker Change Clinic, 2017
  • Avvo Layernomics, 2017
  • Utah Office of Guardian ad litem, Private PGAL Training, 2017
  • Utah State Bar Annual Family Law Seminar, 2016
  • Utah Office of Guardian ad litem, Private PGAL Training, 2016
  • Utah State Bar Family Law Section, What Family Practitioners Need to Know About Juvenile Law, 2016
  • Utah State Bar Annual Family Law Seminar, 2015
  • Utah State Bar Fall Forum, 2015
  • Utah State Bar Family Law Section, Five Things You Need to Know About Child Support, 2015
  • Utah State Bar Annual Family Law Seminar, 2014
  • Utah State Bar Fall Forum, 2014
  • AFCC 11th Symposium of Child Custody Evaluations, San Antonio, TX, 2014
  • IACP 15th Annual Collaborative Networking and Education Forum, Phoenix, AZ, 2014
4000
+

settled cases

75
+

years of experience

1000
s

of satisfied clients

10

top 10 law


YOUR INTERESTS. OUR PRIORITY.

With an exclusive focus on family law and divorce, we have lent our tactical insight and rigorous legal abilities to families in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our seasoned attorneys have litigated many family legal cases in the courts of Salt Lake City, Ogden, West Jordan and beyond. Choosing the most qualified attorney for your case can be difficult without the sufficient guidance needed to make the right decision. That’s why our attorneys work hard to educate the local community on the individualized representation, and personal attention they deserve. We offer up-front costs and flat fees for our services. Developing a strategic plan-of-action for you, your children and your family members become our first order of business, when you turn to our firm.

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