LGBTQ Legal Advocacy

• Parental Rights

• Name and Gender Changes

• Adoptions and Surrogacy

• Marriage Recognition

• Common Law Marriage

• Discrimination

• Victims of Hate Crime

• Parental Alienation

• Same-Sex Divorces 

• Asylum Petitions

• LGBTQ-Inclusive Lobbbying

Wharton O'Brien is a leading advocacy firm for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals and families in Utah. We have been recognized for our work in the LGBTQ community in publications like Q Salt Lake and The Salt Lake Tribune, as well as by community organizations such as the Utah Pride Center and PFLAG. In 2015, City Weekly named Chris Wharton the "Best Advocate for LGBT Families" in Utah.

Some of our notable victiries include adjudicating the first common law marriage for a same-sex couple in Utah (and one of the first in the country), representing members of the "Capitol 13" after being arrested for an LGBTQ rights demonstration at the Utah Legislature,  and obtaining more name and gender change orders for transgender clients across the state than any other attorney in Utah.