Attorney Profiles
Walter F. Bugden, Jr.
Tara L. Isaacson
Walter F. Bugden
Walter F. Bugden, Jr. is a partner with Bugden & Isaacson, LLC. Mr. Bugden focuses his practice in the area of criminal law. He handles all types of criminal matters including drug crimes, sex offenses, DUI, murder/manslaughter, and white collar cases. He is a seasoned criminal trial attorney with over 35 years of experience, including having tried over 225 criminal jury trials. Between 2000 and 2010, Mr. Bugden obtained 25 acquittals in jury trials involving such charges as manslaughter, rape, negligent homicide, forcible sexual abuse, assault, drunk driving, and aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
Mr. Bugden was an adjunct law professor at the University of Utah College of Law for over five years. He has served on the Utah Sentencing Commission and on the Utah Supreme Court's Task Force on Improving the Jury System. In October 2005, Mr. Bugden was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. In addition, he has received an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the national directory of lawyers. This is the highest possible rating at attorney can receive, indicating preeminent legal ability and the utmost ethical standards.
In 2008, Super Lawyers magazine featured Mr. Bugden in an article entitled “The Unpopular Defense.” He was selected for the Mountain States Super Lawyers from 2007 through the present. Utah Business magazine named Mr. Bugden as one of the Legal Elite in Utah.
In 2006, Mr. Bugden and Ms. Isaacson published an article in the Utah Bar Journal, Crimes, Truth and Videotape: Mandatory Recording of Interrogations at the Police Station. This article provided an overview of cases involving false confessions. The article recommends that the Utah Supreme Court to exercise its supervisory power to require videotaping of custodial interrogations of juvenile and adult crime suspects.
Mr. Bugden earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law and has been licensed to practice law in Utah since 1977. Email him at [email protected].
Tara L. Isaacson
Tara L. Isaacson is a partner with Bugden & Isaacson, LLC. Ms. Isaacson focuses her practice in the area of criminal defense. She has represented clients accused of violent offenses, drug possession and trafficking, DUI, domestic violence and white collar offenses. She has been a criminal trial attorney since 1996 and has won acquittals in 32 jury trials. She has argued cases before the Utah Supreme Court and the Utah Court of Appeals.
In 2011, Ms. Isaacson was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers.
In 2008, Super Lawyers magazine featured Ms. Isaacson in an article entitled “The Unpopular Defense.” She was selected as a Rising Star for the Mountain States Super Lawyers in 2008 and 2009. Utah Business magazine named Ms. Isaacson as one of the Legal Elite in Utah.
In 2006, Mr. Bugden and Ms. Isaacson published an article in the Utah Bar Journal, Crimes, Truth and Videotape: Mandatory Recording of Interrogations at the Police Station. This article provided an overview of cases involving false confessions. The article recommends that the Utah Supreme Court to exercise its supervisory power to require videotaping of custodial interrogations of juvenile and adult crime suspects.
Ms. Isaacson served as a Utah State Bar Examiner from 1998 to 2005. She has also served on the Utah Sentencing Commission's DUI Subcommittee and on the Board of the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Ms. Isaacson earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law and has been licensed to practice law in Utah since 1996. Email her at [email protected].
