PETER STIRBA portrait
  • Adjunct Professor, College Of Law - Dean
  • Adjunct Professor, College Of Law
801-364-8300

Biography

Mr. Stirba is a graduate of the University of Utah College of Law, having obtained his J.D. degree in 1976. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. in philosophy from the College of Wooster in 1973. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, Inc. and has had such a rating since 1989.Mr. Stirba is President and the sole shareholder of the firm and has been its President since 1991. His previous employment includes being a partner and Chairman of the litigation section at McKay, Burton & Thurman of Salt Lake City, employment as an Assistant U.S. Attorney of the District of Utah, and Special Counsel to the 1986 Special Salt Lake county Grand Jury. He served as the City Attorney for Gunnison City from 2002 to 2013. Mr. Stirba is a member of both the Salt Lake County and the Utah State Bars. He has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, U.S. Tax Court, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Claims.His professional activities include having previously served on the Third Judicial District Court Nominating Commission, previously being a member of the Utah Appellate Court Nominating Commission, a member of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Criminal Procedure, being a member of the Advisory Committee to the Rules Committee Support Office of the Office of Judges Program - District of Utah, Chairman of the Utah State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee, and membership in the American board of Trial Advocates. In June 2015, Mr. Stirba was appointed by the Governor as Chairman of the Utah Sentencing Guidelines Commission. Mr. Stirba is presently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he is teaching in the law school's Pre-Trial Practice Course. Mr. Stirba has also been a frequent lecturer on various topics of trial and appellate advocacy including having taught civil advocacy techniques at the U.S. Department of Justice, The Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law school, and in numerous presentations before many organizations, including the Utah State Bar and Texas State Bar.His practice is exclusively a trial practice, both civil and criminal, with an emphasis in civil rights litigation, government entity defense, and federal criminal defense.