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Randy Dryer is Of Counsel in the Litigation department. He has extensive expertise in media and internet law and has represented numerous e-commerce businesses and virtually every major news organization in the state of Utah and many national news organizations, including 60 Minutes, Scripps-League Newspapers, Redbook Magazine, The New York Times, CNN and the Associated Press.

Randy is a recognized expert in crisis management and crisis communications. He has advised numerous business clients in preparing their crisis management plans and in responding to a crisis when one occurs. He teaches a course in crisis management at the University of Utah College of Law.

Randy also has extensive experience in commercial litigation matters involving business torts and fraud and has defended numerous health care and defense industry clients in qui tam and False Claim Act actions.

He has argued numerous cases before the Utah Supreme Court, the Utah Court of Appeals and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Randy has also filed various briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Randy was recently appointed as a Presidential Honors Professor at the University of Utah with a joint appointment in the Honors College and the College of Law. He currently teaches courses in crisis management, pre-trial practice, social media law and mass communication law. In 2010, Randy was named the Outstanding Adjunct Teacher of the Year at the law school. Randy was elected president of the Utah Bar in 1992.

He was honored as Lawyer of the Year by the Utah State Bar at its 2010 Summer Convention in Sun Valley, Idaho. He was a member of the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee and chairman of the Utah Athletic Foundation, the Olympic legacy organization that owns and operates various Olympic facilities. He presently is chair of the board of trustees of the University of Utah and a national director of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington D.C. based non-profit organization involved with campaign reform. He has been listed in Best Lawyers in America each year since 1993.  Out of 1.1 million lawyers in the United States, Randy was one of 500 named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators Guide in 2006.

Related Activities and Skills:

• Utah State Supreme Court Committee on Court Technology (current)
• Utah State Bar Association, President (former)
• American Bar Association, Litigation Section (current)
• Salt Lake County Bar Association, President (former)
• University Hospital, Board of Directors (former)
• Repertory Dance Theater, Board of Directors (former)
• University of Utah Board of Trustees (current)
• Commission on Justice in the 21st Century, Board of Directors (former)
• Court ADR Panel Mediator and Arbitrator (current)
• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 1993-2011, First Amendment Law
• Named Best Lawyers’ 2012 Salt Lake City First Amendment Lawyer of the Year
• Named one of Utah's 100 Elite Lawyers by Utah Business magazine
• Named a Mountain States "Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics

Publications

• "Emerging Ethical & Legal Issues in the Brave New World of Social Media and Corporate Transparency," Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute Journal (July 2010)
• "Advising Your Clients (And You!) In The New World Of Social Media: What Every Lawyer Should Know About Twitter, Facebook, YouTube & Wiki" 23 Utah Bar Journal (May/June 2010)
• "Social Media: Business Opportunity and Legal Risks," Utah CEO Magazine (April 2010)
• Protecting Your Intellectual Property in the World of Social Media, Utah CEO Magazine (May 2010)
• "Media Libel Law, MLRC 50-State Survey of  Libel and Privacy Law," Utah Chapter (2004-current)
• "Media Privacy and Related Law," MLRC 50-State Survey, Utah Chapter (2004-current)
• Amicus Curiae brief filed on behalf of Douglas Bailey in Wisconsin Right to Life v. Federal Election Commission, Case No. 04-1581 (U.S. Supreme Court, 2005).
• Amici Curiae brief filed on behalf of 42 former members of Congress in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, Case No. 02-1624 (U.S. Supreme Court 2003).

University Courses Taught

• "Think Tank on Transparency & Privacy," Honors College, University of Utah (2011) 
• "Pretrial Practice," S.J. Quinney College of Law, Utah Chapter (2007-current)
• "Social Media Law," Communications Department, University of Utah (2010)
• "Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Law," Honors College, University of Utah (2011)
• "Crisis Management," S.J. Quinney College of Law (2008 current)

Recent Seminars/Lectures/Speeches

• "The Ethical Risks of Playing in the Social Media Sandbox: What Lawyers Must & Must Not Do,"
  Utah State Bar CLE Seminar (April, 2012)
• "The Web 2.0 Revolution: Five Profound Impacts On Our Justice System," S.J. Quinney College of Law Faculty Symposium (January, 2012)
• "Goodbye Chalkboards: Hello Wikis & Walls: Social Media Legal Concerns for Educators," Southern Utah Education Conference (October, 2011) 
• "Public Access and the Courts: The Brian David Mitchell Case," Federal Bar Association Panel Discussion (moderator)(October, 2011)
• "Judicial Strategies for Navigating (Surviving?) the Brave New World of Social Media," Annual Utah State Judges Conference (September, 2011)
• "Park City Government & Social Media: Balancing Opportunities & Legal Risks," Park City Municipal Corporation Workshop (September, 2011)
• "Social Media & the Art of Judging: Dangers, Opportunities and Challenges," Utah State District Court Judges Conference (May, 2011)
• "Social Media & Municipalities: Opportunities and Challenges,” Utah Association of Municipal Attorneys Annual Conference (May, 2011)
• “Become a Super Librarian with Social Media, But Watch Out For Legal Kryptonite!” Utah State Librarians Conference (April, 2011)
• "Emerging Ethical and Legal Issues in the Brave New World of Social Media and Corporate Transparency," 56 Rocky Mtn. Min. L. Inst. (2010)
• "What Every Lawyer Should Know About Twitter, Facebook, YouTube & Social Media," Utah State Bar Conference (2010)
• "Campaign Finance Reform: The Aftermath of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commissioners," Salt Lake County Bar (2010)
• "Legal Issues Associated with Government Use of Social Media," Utah League of Cities and Towns Annual Meeting (2010)
• "Think Before You Post - Minimizing the Legal Risks of What Your Company and Employees Do with Social Media," Association for Corporate Growth, Utah Chapter (2010)
• "Emerging Legal and Ethical Issues in Lawyer Use of Social Media," J. Reuben Clark Law Society (2010)
• The Informed Leader: Navigating Information in the Decision-Making Process, Utah Community Leadership Lecture Series (2009)
• Commencement Address, College of Science, University of Utah (2009)
• Crises and Trustee Involvement, Association of University Governing Bodies national conference (2009)
• Engaging Trustees in University Capital Campaigns, Association of Governing Bodies national conference (2009)
• Reporters and Confidential Sources, MLRC/American Bookseller Association Lecture series (2009)