Ben Hadfield, Senior Judge, First District Court, Utah

Ben H. Hadfield is an active senior judge. He was appointed to the First District Court in 1993 by Governor Michael O. Leavitt and served Box Elder, Cache, and Rich counties. After graduating from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 1978, Hadfield joined the Brigham City, Utah, firm of Mann, Hadfield & Thorne and later became a partner in the firm. He was involved in numerous organizations, including service as president of the Brigham City Chamber of Commerce, president of Brigham City Kiwanis, and a volunteer with the Big Brother organization. A large percentage of his work as an attorney was in litigation. Hadfield helped found the Rex E. Lee Inn of Court and is past president of the chapter, which focuses on professionalism and collegiality in the courtroom. In addition to his courtroom responsibilities, Hadfield served on the Ethics Advisory Committee, the Board of District Court Judges, and the Utah Judicial Council from 2000 to 2003. He served as presiding judge in the First District Court from 2004 to 2006, then returned to the Board of District Court Judges, where he became chair of the board in 2009.