Contact Info
Email: jdecker@fabianlaw.com
Direct Line: 801-323-2288
Fax: 801-596-2814
Jennifer E. Decker
Jennifer Decker’s primary practice areas include Estate Planning, Probate & Trust Administration, Guardianship & Conservatorship, Corporate Law & Business Formation, and Minor Settlements. She has been involved in all aspects of estate planning and asset protection and has successfully represented hundreds of clients with their personal estate planning and probate needs. She also routinely assists title companies and realtors with probate and real property related issues. Jennie’s vast knowledge coupled with her personal and approachable demeanor make her one of Fabian’s most effective attorneys. Because of this, Jennie is repeatedly named by her peers as a Rising Star by Mountain States Super Lawyers magazine, and as one of Utah’s Legal Elite by Utah Business magazine, in the area of Estate Planning & Probate.
Jennie also practices in the areas of Real Property and Business Litigation and has successfully represented individual and corporate clients on a variety of complex real property and business related disputes. She has first and second chaired several trials and has a reputation of winning both inside the courtroom and in the settlement negotiation process.
Jennie graduated from the Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark College of Law in 2000. During law school, she was a member of the BYU Law Review, Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Teams, and Women’s Law Forum Board. Jennie was the Government, Politics & Legal Society Vice-President and chairperson of the annual State and Local Government Conference. She received her Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Utah State University in 1997 with a Political Science major and Philosophy and Social Work minors. She was honored as the Most Outstanding Political Science Graduate her senior year, and was also honored as the Most Outstanding Political Science Student for her sophomore and freshman years.
Jennie focused her senior thesis on local government culminating in the publication of “Innovative Government—Contracting Services: A Guidebook for Utah Cities and Towns”. Since graduation, Jennie continues to be active in local politics and was one of the youngest persons ever to be elected to the Woods Cross City Council, where she served as a City Councilperson from 2005 to 2007. She was the driving force behind getting Woods Cross to be the first city in Davis County to institute a curbside recycling program. Since then, many cities in Davis County followed her city’s lead by adopting similar recycling programs.
Jennie also practices in the areas of Real Property and Business Litigation and has successfully represented individual and corporate clients on a variety of complex real property and business related disputes. She has first and second chaired several trials and has a reputation of winning both inside the courtroom and in the settlement negotiation process.
Jennie graduated from the Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark College of Law in 2000. During law school, she was a member of the BYU Law Review, Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Teams, and Women’s Law Forum Board. Jennie was the Government, Politics & Legal Society Vice-President and chairperson of the annual State and Local Government Conference. She received her Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, from Utah State University in 1997 with a Political Science major and Philosophy and Social Work minors. She was honored as the Most Outstanding Political Science Graduate her senior year, and was also honored as the Most Outstanding Political Science Student for her sophomore and freshman years.
Jennie focused her senior thesis on local government culminating in the publication of “Innovative Government—Contracting Services: A Guidebook for Utah Cities and Towns”. Since graduation, Jennie continues to be active in local politics and was one of the youngest persons ever to be elected to the Woods Cross City Council, where she served as a City Councilperson from 2005 to 2007. She was the driving force behind getting Woods Cross to be the first city in Davis County to institute a curbside recycling program. Since then, many cities in Davis County followed her city’s lead by adopting similar recycling programs.
- Practice Areas
- Professional
- Representative Projects
- Education
- Publications & Presentations
- Attorney and Of Counsel, Fabian & Clendenin, 2000-Present
- Admitted to the Utah State Bar, 2000; United States District Court for the District of Utah, 2000; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 2002
- Recognized as a Rising Star by Mountain States Super Lawyers magazine in Estate Planning & Probate (one of the top 2.5% of lawyers for Nevada, Utah, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming)
- Recognized as one of Utah's Legal Elite by Utah Business magazine
- “Distinguished” BV rating by Martindale & Hubbell Top-Rated Lawyers Network
- Volunteer for Utah Wills for Heroes program, 2009
- Elected Councilperson for City of Woods Cross, Utah, 2005-2007
- Member, Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Alumni Board, 2003-2004
- Volunteer for Senior Citizen Estate Planning Initiative, Senior Community Center of Spanish Fork, Utah, 2000
- Judicial Law Clerk, Honorable W. Brent West, Second District Court, State of Utah, 1998
- Law Clerk, City of Ogden, Utah, Attorney's Office Civil Department, 1996-1998
- Congressional Assistant, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of James V. Hansen, 1996
- Certified CE Instructor for the Utah Departments of Real Estate and Insurance
- Member, Salt Lake Chamber – Leadership Utah Committee, 2011-2012
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Estate Planning Section of the Utah State Bar
- Member, Elder Law Section of the Utah State Bar
- Member, Real Property Section of the Utah State Bar
- Member, The Utah Land Title Association
- Member, Salt Lake Board of Realtors
- Member, Phi Kappa Phi National Scholastic Honorary Society and Golden Key National Honor Society
- Jennie's primary practice consists of assisting clients in drafting, executing, and implementing appropriate estate planning documents and strategies, including Wills, Trusts, Advanced Health Care Directives, Living Wills, Financial & Medical Powers of Attorney, Life Insurance Trusts, Pre and Post Marital Agreements, Elder Law issues, and other wealth preservation and asset protection planning strategies. She has successfully represented hundreds of clients with their personal estate planning needs.
- Jennie also represents Personal Representatives and Trustees in all aspects of Probate Estate & Trust Administration, including Small Estate Affidavits, Informal and Formal Probates, Personal Representative’s Deeds, asserting and defending Creditor Claims filed against Probate Estates, Determination of Heirs proceedings, Affidavits of Heirship, Affidavits of Domiciliary Foreign Personal Representatives, and Real Property Quiet Title proceedings related to a deceased person’s real property.
- Jennie specializes in obtaining Guardianships & Conservatorships, including for incapacitated adults and minor children, and is a leading expert in Minor Settlements, including obtaining approval for settlement amounts negotiated on behalf of minor or disabled children, assisting with Settlement Trusts, Special Needs Trusts and Medicaid/SSI planning, and obtaining conservator appointments for minor children when needed.
- Of particular interest, Jennie assisted in representing the co-owner, operator and parent company of the Crandall Canyon Mine, in relation to the multiple deaths and injuries arising out of the collapse of the mine and failed rescue in August of 2007. Jennie oversaw all of the Probate, Guardianship, Conservatorship and Minor Settlement court approvals stemming from the highly publicized global settlement of all claims against all defendants in less than two years following the accidents.
- Jennie has also successfully litigated cases through trial, including acting as lead counsel in a dispute between a national for-profit college and a commercial landlord. Jennie defended the college through a 3-day trial relating to the interpretation of the underlying contract lease provisions and alleged damages to the leased premises. At the conclusion of the trial, the court ruled in favor of the college on its counterclaim and awarded attorney’s fees and costs incurred through trial.
- Jennie acted as lead counsel in a dispute relating to wrongful liens recorded against the property owner's land. Jennie successfully defended the property owner through a 2-day trial relating to the interpretation of Utah's wrongful lien statute and other related lien issues. At the conclusion of the trial, the court awarded her client a one-third million dollar judgment and attorney's fees and costs.
- Jennie successfully represented a well-known real estate developer in a multi-million dollar dispute over a large residential real estate development project located in Utah County, Utah. The parties ultimately settled on the eve of trial in an amount favorable to Jennie’s client.
- Jennie successfully negotiated a favorable multi-million dollar settlement between a large warehousing landlord and construction company over landlord liens filed against the landlord’s real property.
- J.D., Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, 2000; Law Review, 1999-2000; Moot Court Team, 1998-1999; Trial Advocacy Team, 1998-2000; Vice-President, Government, Politics and Legal Society, 1999-2000; Chairperson, Continuing Legal Education State and Local Government Conference, 2000; Board Member, Women's Law Forum, 1999-2000
- B.S., magna cum laude, Utah State University, 1997; GPA 3.9, Top 5% of class; Political Science major, Philosophy and Social Work minors; 1997 Most Outstanding Political Science Graduate of the Year; Recipient, ASA Bullen Law and Academic Honors scholarships, 1995-1997; Academic All-American, National Dean's List
- A.A.S., magna cum laude, Ricks College, 1995; GPA 3.9, Top 5% of class; 1995 Most Outstanding Political Science Student of the Year; 1994 Most Outstanding Political Science Student of the Year; Campus Woman of the Year Semi-Finalist, 1995; Recipient, Academic Honors scholarship, 1993-1995
- Presenter, "Probate 101", sponsored by the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. September 2011
- Presenter, “Women and Wealth Management: Face Your Financial Future with Confidence!”, sponsored by EDCUtah, May 2011
- Author, “Avoid Storms Ahead, Asset Protection and Estate Planning in any Economic Environment”, Utah Business magazine, May 2011
- Author, “Asset Protection and Estate Planning Strategies for the Business Owner: Lessons Learned from the Recent Economic Slowdown”, Utah Focus section of Salt Lake Enterprise newspaper, April 2011
- Author, “Settling A Case Involving a Minor Child –Issues Every Plaintiff’s Lawyer Should Examine”, Utah Trial Journal, April 2011
- Author, “A Few Things Every Real Estate Agent Should Know About Probate”, Utah Focus section of Salt Lake Enterprise newspaper, April 2011
- Presenter, "The Intersection of Real Property and Probate: What Every Title Agent, Escrow Officer and Realtor Should Know About Probate", sponsored by The Utah Land Title Association, Mid-Winter Convention, January 2011
- Presenter, “Estate Planning for Terminally Ill Patients”, August 2010
- Quoted in Article, “Cover Your Assets: Protecting your personal property isn’t just a good idea—it’s critical in an uncertain economy”, Utah CEO Magazine, August 2010
- Presenter, “Estate Planning: Methods to Dispose of a Decedent’s Assets and How Each Disposition Relates to Real Property”, March 2009
- Author, "A Closer Look at the Pros and Cons of Curbside Recycling", May 2007
- Presenter, “Estate Planning 101”, sponsored by Woods Cross City, Utah, September 2005
- Author, “Innovative Government—Contracting Services: A Guidebook for Utah Cities and Towns”, June 1997