Salt Lake City– Holland & Hart is proud to announce that Elizabeth “Terry” Dunning was recently honored as the recipient of the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Utah State Bar Labor & Employment Law Section. This award recognizes Dunning for her notable accomplishments and significant contributions made to the legal profession and in the area of labor and employment law.

A trailblazer who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1977 when female law students were a rarity, Dunning persevered in a male-dominated profession and achieved the pinnacle of equity partnership at two Am Law 200 firms. With an illustrious career spanning four decades, Dunning is recognized as a leading employment law attorney in Utah and nationwide, representing employers in mediation and litigation on a wide range of labor and employment matters. Dunning is known for her unwavering commitment to civility and professionalism, treating everyone—including opposing counsel—with the respect and esteem that she believes all deserve, guided by ethics and strong values.

Dunning is a sought-after presenter and speaker, devoting hundreds of hours to educating others in the profession and in trainings for clients over the course of her career. She has given countless seminars and provided tremendous service to both the legal community and the public in the areas of employment law. At the request of LexisNexis, Dunning is an author of the XpertHR “Employment At-Will: Utah” publication.

Throughout her career, Dunning has generously shared her legal expertise, practice experience, and insights to guide other lawyers with a “door always open” policy. She has serving as a valued mentor to many junior lawyers, particularly younger women. For Brit Merril, one of the newer members of the firm’s Employment team who has had the privilege of Dunning’s mentorship, “Dunning truly is the whole package—she is smart, hard-working, and devoted to her clients, her colleagues, her community, and to the rule of law. Terry is an exceptional mentor, a skilled advocate, and the embodiment of civility and professionalism.”

Partner Bryan Benard echoes, “Dunning always has training and mentoring of young lawyers at the forefront—and has a communal attitude that has formed tremendous “glue” for our L&E group through her example and mentoring. Her door is always unselfishly open, and it is such a blessing for us all to walk over and consult with each other and her input is always welcome.”

In addition to giving back to other lawyers and the legal community, Dunning has served others in her local community investing time and significant leadership roles on the Board of Trustees for the Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation and the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment for the Presbyterian Church (USA), which enabled her to help increase human rights and respectful treatment of all people.

About Holland & Hart

Founded in 1947, Holland & Hart is a full-service Am Law 200 firm with offices in eight states and in Washington, D.C. We deliver integrated legal solutions to regional, national, and international clients of all sizes in a diverse range of industries. For more information, visit www.hollandhart.com or on Twitter: @HollandHart.