SLLDA - Key Persons
Alex Sanchez graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2021. He began working at the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association in 2020 as a legal intern in the Misdemeanor Division and has been a trial attorney since 2021. He grew up in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. After gaining admission at S.J. Quinney College of Law, Alex further developed his passion for criminal defense through internships with the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center, the criminal defense firm of Conyers & Nix, and by working on federally appointed criminal cases as a Criminal Justice Act Intern. Prior to law school, he worked as a paralegal for the criminal defense firm of Brown, Bradshaw & Moffat.
Alex is a member of the Young Lawyer's Division.
Alex is fluent in Spanish.
Annie Edwards graduated from the S.J. Quinney College at the University of Utah in 2021. She joined the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association soon after.
Benjamin Hurst is an attorney who has been with Salt Lake Legal Defender Association since 2022.
Brett Skidmore graduated from Chapman University School of Law in 2008 and began working at LDA in 2019. He has practiced in the areas of Criminal Defense, Family Law, and Civil Litigation.
Chris Manberg is a trial attorney in LDA's felony division. He joined LDA in 2021.
Chris graduated from Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He then practiced indigent defense as a deputy public defender at the Maricopa County Public Defender's Office in Phoenix, Arizona, where he defended felony cases. In 2016, he was awarded the distinction of "Public Defender of the Year," and in 2017 he helped establish the Sex Crimes Litigation Unit at that office. In 2019, Chris moved to Seattle, Washington to work for the King County Public Defender's Office, where he carried a complex felony caseload.
Chris is recognized nationally as an expert in the defense of cases involving issues in pediatric forensic medicine. He frequently consults with attorneys from around the country on such cases, and he has taught CLEs on these issues in several states.
Chris's practice areas also include sex crimes, violent crimes, fraud, theft, white collar crimes, domestic violence defense, homicides, capital homicides, mental health defenses and mitigation strategies, drug offenses, DUIs, Fourth Amendment, Sentencing and mitigation and 402 reductions.
Christine Seaman is a trial attorney with the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. She graduated from Gonzaga University in 2000, majoring in History, Criminal Justice, and Sociology. She then attended the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, where she received many academic achievement awards. She was also on the University of Utah Law Review. She graduated Order of the Coif in 2004. Prior to her graduation, she began clerking with Salt Lake Legal Defender's Appellate Division. She began working as a trial attorney in 2005. Since then, she has represented thousands of clients and handled thousands of cases ranging from misdemeanors to first degree felonies.
She is an attorney leader.
Daniel Torrence is a trial attorney for the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1981 and Hastings College of the Law in 1989, where he was Technical Editor of the Hastings Communication and Entertainment Law Journal. Following graduation, he worked at firms in Oakland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City before joining LDA in 1998.
Practice Areas
Sex Crimes
Darnell Crandell joined the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association in 2018. He graduated from the S.J. Quinney College of Law.
Darnell is an attorney leader.
Kimberly Clark graduated from the University of Utah Law School in 1989. She joined the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association soon after.
Rob K. Ljungberg is a trial attorney for the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association. He graduated from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 1991. After admission to the Utah State Bar, he was hired as Salt Lake County's first Law Clerk/Bailiff. He clerked for Judge Leslie Lewis before joining the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association in 1992. He acted as Misdemeanor Chief in 1993-1994 before being moved to the Felony Trial Division. In 1999, he was recruited by Allstate Insurance to represent defendant/insureds in personal injury actions. He returned to LDA the following year and remained until 2005 when he left to start his own practice. During the next ten years, he represented clients in criminal actions throughout Utah. He spent two years practicing criminal defense in Louisiana, and was a member of the CJA panel in both Utah and the Eastern District of Louisiana. He returned to Utah and the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association in 2015.
Steffen received his JD from the University of Utah. He handles district court cases.
Zachary Powell graduated from the S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2013 and joined the Salt Lake Legal Defender Association in May of 2018. He speaks Serbian/Bosnian.