Karen Clemes, the former in-house employment attorney and chief ethics officer at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has joined Ballard Spahr as of counsel in the firm's office in Salt Lake City. Ms. Clemes is a member of the firm's Litigation Department and its Labor and Employment Group. She represents employers in litigation defense and in preventive counseling and training.
Ms. Clemes' arrival signals another development in the continuing expansion of the firm's labor and employment capabilities in Utah and the West. In May, leading Utah labor and employment attorney Elisabeth R. Blattner-Thompson joined the firm as a partner. Ms. Blattner-Thompson was named Utah Bar Association's Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year in 2010.