MICHELE MATTSSON portrait
  • Adjunct Associate Professor, College Of Law - Dean

Biography

Michele Mattsson received an Honors B.A. in English from the University of Utah where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Beehive Honor Society. She then earned a J.D. from the S.J. Quinney College of Law and was a Note and Comment Editor for the Journal of Contemporary Law/ Journal of Energy Law and Policy. After graduation, Michele spent seven years in private law practice and seven years as a staff attorney at the Utah Court of Appeals. She became the Chief Appellate Mediator in 2001 (a role she currently holds) and has mediated over 1,600 cases.

Michele sits on several dispute resolution committees. She has been a long-time member of the Dispute Resolution section of the Utah State Bar and has served in all leadership positions, including President of the section. Beginning in 2002, Michele joined Utah Council on Conflict Resolution (UCCR) and has served in several capacities for that organization, including Board President and Symposium Chair. Since 2008, Michele has also been a Board Member of Utah Dispute Resolution (UDR) and has served as Board Vice Chair for many years.

In 2010, Michele was selected by Utah Business Magazine as one of “30 Women to Watch.” She received the Peter W. Billings Sr. Award for Excellence in Dispute Resolution in 2011 and UCCR’s Peacekeeper Award in 2015.

In addition to dispute resolution, Michele’s life-long passion is the University of Utah. She was President of the Alumni Association from 2008 to 2011 and served on the U’s Board of Trustee’s from 2008 to 2016. Michele was Vice Chair for five years and served on the Executive, Audit, Financial, and Community Forum trustee committees. Michele was the first, and so far, only woman to be Chair of the U’s Board of Trustees. She also sat on the Crimson Club, Red Butte Garden, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and KUED Boards. She is currently on the College of Humanities Partnership Board, the Undergraduate Board of Advisors, and is the Chair of Crimson Parents. Michele is an avid Utah sports-- and anything U of U--fan. She also has a great fondness for the outdoors--skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, and tennis.

Her husband, Benjamin Ted Wilson, is also a graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Their daughter, Sam, is U of U Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE) graduate. Their son, Matthew, is a Computer Engineering student at the U.
    
Affiliations
•    Utah State Court’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Member, 2001 to present
•    Utah Dispute Resolution, Board Member, 2008 to present
•    Utah Council on Conflict Resolution, Board Member, 2013 to present
•    Utah State Bar Dispute Resolution Section, 2001 to present
•    Utah State Bar, Member, 1989 to present
•    University of Utah Board of Advisors, Undergraduate Advancement, 2016 to present  
•    University of Utah Humanities Partnership Board Member, January 2017 to present
•    University of Utah Crimson Parents Chair, January 2017 to present

Articles & Speeches
“Mediation in Administrative Agencies,” Second Annual ALJ, Government and Admin Law Conference, May 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah, panel member.
“Hidden Advocacy Strategies in Mediation,” Excellence in ADR: Mastering Process, Advocacy and Ethics seminar, March 2011, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and panel moderator.
“Civility and Mediation,” ADR Academy, December 2010, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“Mediation Hits the Headlines: What You May Not Know But Should,” July 2009, December 2009, Utah State Bar Annual Convention, Sun Valley, Idaho, and “Best of Series,” Salt Lake City, Utah, speaker.  
“Mediation, Arbitration, and Litigation,” March 2009, Governor’s Economic Summit, Salt Lake City, Utah, speaker.
“Understanding Cultures: A Tool for Problem Solving,” May 2008, Utah Council on Conflict Resolution Symposium, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“Utah Court and Agency Programs,” April 2008, Utah Agency Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“How to Prepare for and Succeed in Mediation,” December 2007, Utah State Bar Presentation, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“The Mediation Process--Do What Works: Joint Meetings, Caucuses, Stages, Phases,” September 2007, ADR Academy, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“Mediation Musings,” July 2007, Utah State Bar Annual Convention, Sun Valley, Idaho, author and speaker.
“Utah Court of Appeals: What We've Learned in Twenty Years,” July 2007, Utah State Bar Annual Convention, Sun Valley, Idaho, author and speaker.
“Appellate Mediation: It's Never Too Late to Mediate,” May 2007, Utah State Bar Appellate Law Section, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“ADR is For You: What Can Be Learned from Court Programs,” 2007, Utah State Bar presentation, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“Appellate Mediation,” Southern Utah Bar Association Conference, December 2006, St. George, Utah, author and speaker.
“Why Don't You Let Us Talk: Advice Practitioners Have For Mediators,” October 2006, ADR Academy, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“Don't Eat That Poison Apple: Tips on How to Successfully Mediate,” October 2006, Utah State Government Conference, Moab, Utah, author and speaker.
 “Here’s Why You Should Settle Your Case on Appeal,” 2005, author.
“Negotiation Tips From All Kinds of Professionals,” November 2005, Utah State Bar Fall Forum, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.
“Maneuvering Through Mediation: The Tricks, Twists and Turns of Finding Untracked Powder--Resolution,” Sept/Oct 2005 Bar Journal, pp. 30-32, author.
“Deal Making Part II--Practical Applications: Using Negotiation and Mediation in Deals,” July 2004, Utah State Bar Annual Convention, Sun Valley, Idaho, author and speaker.  
“Being a Fly on the Wall in Mediation: What’s Going in the Other Side’s Room?” March 2004, Utah State Bar Mid-Year Convention, St. George, Utah, author and speaker.
 “Navigating Utah's Mediation Programs: What You Need to Know,” July 2003, Utah State Bar Annual Convention, Sun Valley, Idaho, author and speaker.
“Why Settle on Appeal,” 2001, Utah State Bar presentation, Salt Lake City, Utah, author and speaker.