The Wasatch Advocates Legal Team
Abraham (Abe) Bates
Abraham Bates is a criminal-defense attorney practicing in Utah. Based out of Salt Lake City, his practice covers the entire state of Utah. Abe is the founder of Wasatch Advocates, a law firm focuses on protecting the rights of the “little guy” – including those accused of committing crimes.
Abe has successfully defended over 100 clients in criminal prosecutions since he started practicing in 2009. Less than six months into practice, Abe successfully convinced the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office to voluntarily dismiss a first-degree felony rape charge on behalf of a client based upon shoddy investigative work done by the law enforcement agency resulting in the client’s arrest after spending 72 days in jail. After the dismissal of the felony charge, Abe filed a civil action, which is currently pending, against the accuser for defamation and civil conspiracy related to the wrongful accusation and subsequent prosecution. Abe also successfully defended and obtained dismissals of a total of 39 felony charges against 3 co-defendants accused of forgery, identity theft, and money laundering in early 2010 based upon arguments related to the illegality of the traffic stop underlying the arrest. After the charges were dismissed, Abe secured the return of all the property seized during the arrest. Abe has also successfully defended a number of out-of-state clients on felony drug possession/distribution charges based upon improper traffic stops on the I-70 and I-80. In several of these cases, Abe obtained misdemeanor pleas/pleas-in-abeyance (fines/good behavior probation-no jail) in these felony possession/distribution cases. In one case Abe’s clients was arrested with over 50 pounds of hydroponic marijuana on the I-80 after being stopped for an improper lane change. Abe was able to get his felony distribution charge reduced to a plea-in-abeyance on a class A misdemeanor attempted possession charge (no conviction after payment of a $1,500 fine). Abe has also successfully defended clients accused of serious felony sex crime charges by intervening in the investigative stage of the criminal justice process and demonstrating the weaknesses in the case – resulting in the State’s failure to file charges.
Wasatch Advocates’ primary focus is on defending those accused of alcohol and drug-related offenses, including DUI/DWI, drug possession/distribution charges, and other charges which often arise from improper traffic stops. Abe is a life-time member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), and he is a firm believer in the decriminalization of drug-related offenses. Abe is intimately familiar with the relationship between undiagnosed mental health issues and the consequent “self-medication” drug use to which many people resort given the lack of affordable health care in our country. Abe completed Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor (LSAC) coursework at the University of Utah and worked as a chemical addiction counselor at Cirque Lodge near Sundance before attending law school.
Because of the conservative/religious culture that predominates in Utah, DUI’s are aggressively prosecuted, oftentimes resulting in excessive consequences, including jail, long-term driver’s license suspensions, ignition-interlock requirements, supervised probation, and fines and other penalties a exceeding the normal consequences for a class B misdemeanor first-time offense. Aggressive DUI defense requires an attorney with a particularized skill-set and understanding of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST’s) and the scientific forensic evidence (the Intoxilyzer 5000/8000, or “Intox” machine) that law enforcement uses to prove a case. Many DUI “expert” attorneys in Salt Lake City charge in excess of $6,000 to defend a client accused of the class B misdemeanor offense. Wasatch Advocates charges a fixed/flat fee of $2,500 for a standard first-time DUI offense. Abe, and his firm Wasatch Advocates, are committed to providing affordable flat-fees and payment plans for those accused of committing crimes.
EARLY CAREER
Prior to law school, Abe worked for two powerful and well-connected members of the United States House Of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Abe then returned to his home in Utah, where he worked as a chemical addiction counselor and taught college students how conquer the standardized tests (LSAT, GMAT,GRE) required for admission into law school, business school and other graduate/professional schools. Abe spent nearly a decade helping start several high technology companies in the mid- to late-1990s. Each of these experiences has enabled Abe to build Wasatch Advocates, a Salt Lake City based law firm committed to defending homeowners facing foreclosure in in the fourth ”hardest hit” state in the Union – Utah – through litigation, negotiation/mediation efforts, legislative action, and by training his staff to empathize and effectively advocate on behalf of homeowners who face the emotional and psychological trauma that comes from the prospect of losing the family home.
Areas of Practice
• Foreclosure Defense
• Consumer Law
• Property Investor Defense
• Commercial Borrower/Foreclosure Defense
• Negotiated Debt Settlement [Secured/Unsecured]
• Criminal Defense
Litigation Percentage
• 75°/o of Practice Devoted to Litigation
• 25°/o of Practice Devoted to Negotiation/Mediation
Bar Admissions
• All state and federal courts in Utah, and pro hac vice admission in Nevada
• 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
Education
• University of Utah College of Law, Salt Lake City, Utah
• J.D.
• Honors: With Honors
• Westminster College/University of Michigan, (Salt Lake City, Utah and Ann Arbor, Michigan)
• B.S, Magna Cum Laude
• Major: Political Science
• Truman Scholar Nominee (University of Michigan)
References
• Associate Dean Christopher Peterson, S.J. Quinney College of Law
• Robert Gilchrist, Managing Partner, Eisenberg & Gilchrist PLLC
• Justice Scott Matheson, lOth Cir. Court of Appeals, Former U.S. Atty. (UT), and Former Dean, Univ. of Utah Law School
Honors and Awards
• Pro Bono Case of the Year (2007), awarded for Abe’s efforts as a law clerk in drafting and prosecuting litigation in defense of two elderly homeowners who were cheated by a foreclosure rescue scheme.
• Giles Rich Moot Court Competition, 2008 – 2009
• 1st Place – University of Utah Competition (2008)
• Best Brief (Appellant), and Runner-Up, Utah State Competition (2008)
• 1st Place – University of Utah Competition (2009)
• 1st Place – Utah State Competition, in front of a panel of Federal District and Appellate Judges (2009)
• Best Brief (Appellant & Appellee), Utah State Competition (2009)
• 1st Place – Western Regional U.S. Competition, San Francisco, CA (2009)
• Semi-Finalist, National Competition, Washington, D.C, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals (2009)
• Outstanding Achievement in Consumer Law (class taught by Dean Peterson)
• Outstanding Achievement in Scientific Forensic Evidence (class taught by Judge Matheson)
Professional Associations and Memberships
• Member,Utah State Bar
• Member,Utah Association of Trial Lawyers
• Member, National Association of Consumer Advocates
• Founder/Member, Utah Foreclosure Prevention Coalition
• Member, Utah Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
• Member, National Lawyers Guild
• Member, Utah Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
• Member, White Collar Criminal Defense Attorneys Association
Past Employment Positions
• United States House of Representatives, Legislative Assistant, Washington D.C. (1997 - 1998)
• Founder, Innovative World Wide Web Designs (IW3D), Ann Arbor, MI(1994-1996)
• Product Manager, Orbitz, Chicago,IL (1999-2000)
• Teacher/Teacher Trainer, Kaplan Test Prep, Salt Lake City, UT (2002-2006)
• Treatment Counselor,Cirque Lodge,Provo, UT (2006)
Pro Bono Activities
• Utah Legal Services – Housing and Consumer Law,2006 - 2007
• Mortgage Foreclosure - Rescue Scheme Litigation, 2007 - Present