RICHARD D MCKELVIE portrait
  • Adjunct Professor, College Of Law - Dean

Biography

Mr. McKelvie graduated from Weber State University in June, 1978. He graduated from the University of Utah College of Law in 1981. Mr. McKelvie was a William Leary Scholar in 1981.Mr. McKelvie was admitted to practice in the Utah State Bar and Utah Federal District Court in 1981. He has been admitted to practice before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals since 1989.Mr. McKelvie became a Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney in October 1981, after having served for two years as a law clerk in that office's Justice Division. During his tenure at the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office, Mr. McKelvie served on trial teams specializing in narcotics, sex offenses, and habitual offenders. His primary responsibility was in the area of felony prosecutions, and his prosecutions included several homicides. Before he left the office in February, 1988, Mr. McKelvie was the team leader of the Career Offender Unit, responsible for prosecuting habitual criminals.In February, 1988, Mr. McKelvie became an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Utah, and Assistant Director of that office's Statewide Prosecution and Illegal Narcotics Enforcement. In that capacity, he was responsible for the establishment and operation of a statewide system designed to provide prosecution assistance to local prosecutors and law enforcement officers. The program was initiated in 1988 as the result of a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and has since become an integral part of the Utah State Attorney General's Office.Mr. McKelvie became an Assistant United States Attorney in April, 1990. He was initially involved as a general crimes prosecutor, handling matters ranging from bank robberies to defense procurement fraud and white collar crime. As a drug prosecutor assigned to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Mr. McKelvie has been involved as trial counsel in numerous federal prosecutions, resulting in convictions and lengthy sentences of many offenders. Additionally, Mr. McKelvie has used federal RICO statutes to prosecute violent gangs, including the Sundowner's Motorcycle Club, the King Mafia Disciples, and the Soldiers of the Aryan Culture. Most recently, he has been assigned as lead counsel in a series of cases involving stolen Native American Artifacts in the Four Corners region.Mr. McKelvie is a frequent instructor of Trial Advocacy at the U.S. Department of Justice National Advocacy Center. An avid runner, he has participated in over 30 marathons across the country and around the world.