ATTORNEYS
JESSICA REED
ATTORNEY
I grew up in Star Valley, Wyoming. After high school, I served a mission for my church in Mexico City. After my mission, I attended Utah State University. While there, I met and married my husband, and we had our first child.
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After graduating from Utah State, I attended law school at the S.J. Quinney College of law. After my first year of law school, I spent the summer in Vernal clerking for Judge McClellan of the 8th District Court. The following summer, I returned to Vernal and worked for Harrington Beech Law. During those summers, I fell in love with Vernal and the surrounding areas. We decided to move to Vernal to be close to family, to raise our children, and to get away from the city. We love being able to enjoy the outdoors without competing for parking!
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I graduated from law school with honors in 2023 and we moved to Vernal right after. Since moving here, we have upgraded from kinetic sand to a real sandbox and from noisy neighbors to friendly baby deer. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my husband and two sons. Together, we like to go hiking, camping, and attend sporting events – especially cheering on the Uintah Utes!
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I am excited to practice law in the Uintah Basin!
VAUN HALL
PARTNER
I graduated from the University of Utah and the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University. Following law school, I worked for six-years with the Washoe County Public Defender’s Office in Reno, Nevada. During my time in Nevada, I was elected President of the Washoe County Public Attorneys’ Association (1999-2000). As a Public Defender, I was lead counsel in more than fifty trials.
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In 2001, I returned to my native Utah and I have served as legal counsel to Utah’s medical professionals and liability insurers. My clients include COPIC Insurance, the University of Utah, MedPro, UMIA Insurance, Inc., Intermountain Healthcare, AMN Healthcare, as well as other local and national professional medical liability insurers.
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I am a member of the Utah Society of Healthcare Risk Management, and Utah Defense Lawyers Association.
DEREK WILLIAMS
PARTNER
After growing up in Idaho Falls, Idaho, I served a mission for my church in the south of France. After my mission I attended Rick’s College in Rexburg, Idaho, and then graduated from the University of Utah with Bachelor of Arts (1997) and Juris Doctorate degrees (2003).
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In 2020, after working for 17 years at the downtown Salt Lake City law firm of Snow Christensen & Martineau, I was honored to be asked to join Dave Ference and Vaun Hall as a partner at their firm. Like them, my primary practice area is in representing doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers involving regulatory, insurance, and professional liability matters.
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After my wife and I adopted our two children, hopeful adopting parents started asking me to help them with building their families through adoption. After nearly seventeen years, I have developed a fulfilling adoption practice. I am a Fellow of the invitation-only American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. I represent adopting parents, agencies, and birth parents. Some of my most rewarding moments as an attorney are appearing before a judge and seeing adoptive parents’ dreams come true. I am featured in “Adopting in America: How to Adopt Within One Year (2018-2019),” one of the best resources on adoption. I am grateful and humbled to get to play a small role in helping my clients find and adopt their children.
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Prior to law school, I worked for the Utah Attorney General’s Office, where I was significantly involved in the complex litigation and subsequent settlement between the state and numerous tobacco companies. I also served a Judicial Clerkship for Judge Pamela T. Greenwood on the Utah Court of Appeals. I am grateful for the many mentors and valuable stepping stones I have had placed before me along my path to becoming the lawyer I am today.
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Throughout my career I have presented on topics related to electronic medical records, nursing and physician documentation, and other legal considerations for health care providers. I have also taught seminars and spoken on adoption law and practices in Utah. I have long believed that we should all share our information, experiences, and knowledge for the benefit of others, and I try to live by that principle by freely answering questions and helping other lawyers navigate their adoption cases.
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I also try to offer my time serving in my Church, community, and on committees for the Utah State Bar and Utah Supreme Court related to the practice of law. I am the past chair and longtime member of the Utah State Bar’s Office of Professional Conduct Diversion Committee, and am currently serving on the Ethics and Discipline Screening Panel. I am a Past President and member of the Utah Adoption Council, a member of many local and national professional organizations.
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Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two children, and friends. I also enjoy reading, cycling, traveling, skiing, exploring new places, and watching sports, particularly local college football.
SUPPORT STAFF
Britni Gaertner
Britni has been in the legal field since 2015. She graduated in 2020 from Utah Valley University with a bachelor's degree in legal studies. She graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the Woodbury School of Business' outstanding student of the year award. As a paralegal, she has extensive experience in family law, including divorce and adoption, business law, estates and probate law, and various other civil litigation and transactional areas of law. In her spare time, Britni enjoys spending time with her family.
Deidre Daniel​
Deidre joined the office in 2023 and is our secretary. She provides administrative support to ensure smooth and efficient office operations. With close attention to detail and a desire to help others, she plays a vital role in keeping everything running behind the scenes.
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Outside of work, Deidre is a busy mom of two kids. She loves her cats, reading, listening to music, and going on adventures with her family.