Amy Jackson Leach is an Assistant Attorney General in the Environment, Health, and Human Services Division of the Office of the Utah Attorney General, where she provides legal counsel across four state agencies.
As primary legal counsel to the Utah State Hospital, she advises on all legal matters affecting the institution, helps formulate and defend statutory language in litigation and court hearings, and supports staff physicians in trials and competency hearings, work that frequently puts her in the position of defending clinical judgment against challenges from criminal defense attorneys.
For the Utah Public Health Laboratory, she reviews, negotiates, and approves procurement contracts, data-sharing agreements, and memorandums of understanding, while also working to protect the confidentiality of lab records against the steady stream of subpoenas the Lab receives in connection with criminal proceedings. She serves as general counsel to the State Long Term Care Ombudsman Office, advising on federal and state statutes and regulations, contracts, resident rights, and policy compliance with the Older Americans Act and Utah law governing senior living and elder care communities.
She also advises the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council on compliance with state and federal law, drafts administrative rules, reviews contracts, and helps ensure the Council’s advocacy stays within its statutory authority as it works to help Utahns with intellectual and developmental disabilities live and participate independently in their communities.
Leach holds a J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, along with an M.A. in music performance from the University of Utah and a B.A. in music performance from Brigham Young University. She clerked for Judge Raymond Uno in Utah’s Third District Court. She is a member of the Utah State Bar and has volunteered with the Bar’s Tuesday Night Legal Clinic for several years.
