First Annual Amy Kane Memorial Award
First Annual Amy Kane Memorial Award
March 3, 2023
On February 27, 2023, Shelley Doi-Taketa received the first annual Amy Kane Memorial Award at an event at the Chicago office of Hall Prangle and Schoonveld (HPS). As part of the award, Shelley will receive a monetary stipend for educational pursuits to help her grow as an attorney and leader.
The award is named in honor of Amy Kane, a partner at HPS who passed away in March of 2022. Marilee Clausing, Managing Partner, said that the award was created as a way to remember Amy and to help attorneys who show some of the characteristics that Amy had to further develop their legal abilities.
"We created the Amy Kane Memorial because we wanted to try to remember, year after year, the qualities that Amy had as an attorney and a person," she said. "Shelley embodies those qualities."
The criteria for the award stated that the recipient will "follow in Amy’s footsteps and will have proven excellence in practice, as well as kindness, empathy, and generosity of spirit. As Amy was a trusted ally and a zealous advocate for our clients, this recipient must likewise be a client-centric team player and collaborative.”
Eric Schoonveld, a Partner who worked closely with Amy in Chicago and works with Shelley in Salt Lake City, said that "Shelley, like Amy, is not only a great lawyer but a great person." He observed that many people think you have to be overtly aggressive and abrasive to be a successful attorney and litigator, but like Amy, “Shelley shows us that is not true.”
A native Salt Laker, Shelley earned a Bachelor of Science, graduating summa cum laude, from the University of Utah, the same school that her late father graduated from 31 years earlier. She joined Hall Prangle and Schoonveld in 2009, after graduating from the Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law in Orange California.
Tawni Anderson, Partner and Lead Attorney in HPS's Salt Lake City office, said that Shelley's legal work is exemplary. Since joining HPS, Shelley has developed her abilities and her practice as an attorney, defending hospitals, medical professionals, long-term care facilities, residential treatment facilities and other healthcare providers in a variety of medical malpractice areas. She has also become known for her tireless excellence in her legal work and her dedication to helping other attorneys develop. “She is an outstanding lawyer,” Tawni said.
Jenifer Ries-Buntain, a partner who for years worked closely with both Amy and Shelley, enumerated some of their shared qualities. "Amy was a perfect example of someone who never got ruffled," Jen said. "Shelley is the same way. In the face of the stress of this job, Shelley is poised." Jen went on to describe another similarity between Amy and Shelley, a deep interest in and care for other people. "Amy had a way of making you feel comfortable in expressing yourself,” Jen said. "Shelley is the same. She has a way of listening well."
In addition to her legal work, Shelley runs a program at HPS to help younger attorneys improve their writing skills. Shelley is also active in her children's school, local groups and her religious community.
Upon receiving the award, Shelley said she was grateful to have her name even mentioned in the same sentence as Amy’s. “It is a great honor.”
Disclaimer: This publication is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide general information on legal matters. Transmission is not intended to create and receipt does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Readers should seek specific legal and/or medical advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication. The attorney responsible for this publication is Marilee Clausing. This post constitutes a form of attorney advertising as defined by some state bar associations.