Panel of ALJs - Best Practices - Do's & Don't's

Moderator: Jennie Jonsson

ALJs: Carol Clawson (DEQ), Sonia Sweeney (DHS), Drew Quinn (DOH), Bruce Johnson (Tax Commission)

 

Jennie Jonsson has been a hearing officer/administrative law judge since 2009, first for the Department of Commerce, and currently for the Public Service Commission. Before going to law school (as a "returning" student), she worked in private industry as a technical writer and taught English and related subjects in the public schools. Jennie is the mother of three, runs the PTA in her spare time, and can occasionally be seen on stage in a community theater production.

 

Carol Clawson is “Of Counsel” to the firm of Kruse Landa Maycock & Ricks. She has concentrated in the areas of employment law, commercial litigation and appeals although currently she spends her working tine primarily as a mediator, arbitrator and administrative law
judge or hearing officer. Carol was the Solicitor General of the State of Utah under Jan Graham (from 1992-99). She supervised the civil divisions of the office and the criminal appeals division. She personally handled many significant appeals during her six-year tenure, covering a broad range of legal issues.

 

Sonia Sweeney is the Director of the Office of Administrative Hearings, Department of Human Services, which conducts informal administrative hearings for offices and divisions within the Departroent including the Division of Child and Family Services, the Office of Recovery Services, the Division of Aging and Adult Services and the Office of Licensing. The function of the Office of Administrative Hearings is to provide an impartial hearing for the adjudication of disputed agency actions. The Office of Administrative Hearings is independent of the agency initiating the disputed action in its decision-making authority. Ms. Sweeney has been an Administrative Law Judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings since 2008 and began serving as the Director of the Office in 2013. Prior to her work with the Office of Administrative Hearings, Ms. Sweeney worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Child Protection Division of the Utah Attorney General's Office, and as a staff attorney at the Disability Law Center.
 

 

Drew Quinn served as an administrative law judge for the Department of Health, Division of Medicaid and Health Financing, for six years. The majority of her caseload included requests for hearings filed by both individuals and providers on all Medicaid issues except for the denial of disability. Prior to her time at DOH, Ms. Quinn practiced in the areas of general commercial litigation, including insurance subrogation and collections. Ms. Quinn received her JD from BYU and a BA in English from the U of U.

 

Bruce Johnson was appointed to serve as a Commissioner of the Utah State Tax Commission in October, 1998 and was named Chair of the Commission by Governor Herbert in 2009. The Tax Commission is comprised of four commissioners who have the constitutional duty to administer and supervise all of the tax laws of the state, including property tax, income tax, franchise tax, sales tax and all miscellaneous taxes.  The Commissioners promulgate rules, advise the legislature and governor on tax issues, and adjudicate tax disputes.  The Auditing Division and the Taxpayer Services division handle audits and refund request respectively.  The Processing Division processes income tax returns and payments as well as filings for most other taxes.  The Division processed over $6.8 billion in 2012. The Property Tax Division assesses most utility and natural resources properties in the state and assists and advises County assessors in assessing other property. In addition, the Commission’s Motor Vehicle Division is responsible for registration and titling of motor vehicles in the state and the Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division is responsible for regulating the motor vehicle sales industry.  Bruce retired from the Commission in October, 2014.