Smith Hartvigsen, PLLC

04/14/2026

Ron Smith is a paralegal at our firm who is retiring. Ron always wears the same outfit: black pants, white shirt, black tie, and black suspenders. Every. Single. Day. So for his final firm lunch, we all dressed up as Ron.

01/16/2026

The 2026 General Session of the Utah Legislature begins next week. Visit our water blog to read summaries of the water-related bills that will be considered by the legislature.

The 2026 General Session of the Utah Legislature begins next week. Below are summaries (written by the water attorneys at Smith Hartvigsen) ...

11/06/2025

The Utah Division of Water Rights has announced a new "Application and Filing Payment Portal" that allows for online filing of water applications. The following applications can now be filed online:
--Application to Appropriate
--Change Application
--Exchange Application
--Report of Conveyance
--Segregation Request
--Consolidation Request

The filing portal can be accessed at

09/09/2025

Each year, a select group of Utah attorneys are chosen as Super Lawyers and Rising Stars by Mountain States Super Lawyers Magazine. Smith Hartvigsen is proud to announce that nine of its attorneys have been selected as Super Lawyers or Rising Stars for 2025.
• J. Craig Smith – Super Lawyers for Energy and Natural Resources
• Jeffry R. Gittins – Super Lawyers for Energy and Natural Resources
• Kathryn J. Steffey – Super Lawyers for Business Litigation
• Jennie Garner – Super Lawyers for Business Litigation
• Clayton Preece – Rising Stars for Civil Litigation
• Richard Snow – Rising Stars for General Litigation
• Jennifer Bowen-Crockett – Rising Stars for Environmental Law
• Ethan Smith – Rising Stars for Energy and Natural Resources
• Dino Lauricella – Rising Stars for Real Estate Law

These selections are based on an evaluation of 12 indicators, including peer evaluation and professional achievement in legal practice. More information about the selection process can be found at https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection-process/.

08/24/2025

Wanted: photographs for a Utah calendar.

Each year at Christmas time, our law firm sends hundreds of Utah calendars to our clients, business associates, and friends. For many years, we purchased calendars from the Utah Office of Tourism, but they stopped producing calendars a few years ago. So now we make our own calendar that showcases the beauty of the various landscapes and seasons across our state.

To make our calendar, we need photographs -- and therefore invite submissions of photographs of Utah to include in our calendar. For each photograph selected to be in our calendar, we provide $50 and 5 copies of the calendar to the photographer (and, of course, give proper credit to the photographer in the calendar).

If you have one or more photographs you would like to submit for our 2026 calendar, please email them to [email protected] by September 1, 2025. Photographs must be of Utah and should be high-resolution. We look forward to seeing all of the amazing photographs of our beautiful state!

08/21/2025

Seven attorneys at Smith Hartvigsen have been recognized in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Recognition in Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review, and is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor. The selected attorneys and their practice areas are:

--J. Craig Smith: Water Law, Natural Resources Law, and Commercial Litigation
--David B. Hartvigsen: Water Law and Environmental Law
--Jeffry R. Gittins: Water Law
--Nathan S. Bracken: Water Law
--Kathryn J. Steffey: Commercial Litigation
--Richard Snow: "Ones to Watch" for Commercial Litigation and Real Estate Litigation
--Clayton Preece: “Ones to Watch” for Commercial Litigation and Labor/Employment Litigation

Additional information about the Best Lawyers selection methodology can be found at the link below.

Best Lawyers honors the top 5% of U.S. attorneys in 2026 with peer-reviewed awards and insights on emerging legal trends.

08/15/2025

If a person dies while they are challenging the State Engineer's denial of their Application to Appropriate, does their legal challenge die with them? According to the Utah Supreme Court, the answer is yes. Visit our water blog (link below) to read more about the Court's decision in Marriott v. Wilhelmsen. This decision could be extended to apply to challenges to Change Applications, Exchange Applications, and other filings with the Utah Division of Water Rights -- so it is an important decision to read and understand.

The Utah Supreme Court recently issued its opinion in the case of Marriott v. Wilhelmsen . This case focuses on the following question: If a...