After moving from Florida to California, where he then received his undergraduate degree in accounting / business administration, Rick decided to hone his skiing skills. As we all know, there is no better place than Utah for that. That one year sabbatical was extended of course. Later, Rick found himself working for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control where, as a compliance auditor or investigator, he handled a variety of legal and financial issues involving licensees, license applications, transfers and violations.
Later, Rick wrote position papers on behalf of the DABC to outline and recommend legislation that could help fix some of the many problems besetting Utah’s liquor laws. The suggestions were all good of course, and the Utah legislature took them and ran with them. Then, with one exception, the Legislature butchered them beyond all recognition. (The “Zion Curtain” came much later.) Demoralized and dejected, in 1989 Rick went to law school to drown his sorrows in the law.
Something clicked because he was only one of eight people in his class who actually liked law school. Later Rick teamed up with Jim McIntyre, who had sued him briefly while Rick was still with the DABC. McIntyre & Golden may be the first and only law firm that started with a law suit between the partners.
During his now 20 plus years of practice, Rick has practiced in a wide range of areas, including criminal law, divorce and other domestic matters, business litigation, real property and trust litigation, personal injury, civil rights, administrative law and appellate work. Not surprisingly, Rick still represents businesses licensed to sell alcoholic beverages regarding the various problems they encounter.
Rick remains an avid skier, and also enjoys boating, camping, reading and travel with his family.
Practice Areas
- Administrative Law (Boutique Practice in Utah’s arcane liquor laws)
- Appellate
- Business & Commercial
- Civil Litigation
- Contracts
- Criminal Law
- Family Law
Education
- California State University Fullerton, B.A., Business Administration and Accounting, 1974
- University of Utah, J.D., 1991
Admissions
- Utah State Bar, 1991
- U.S. District Court, District of Utah, 1991
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit, 1993
Associations
- Utah State Bar, Litigation Section
- Utah Association For Justice
- American Inns of Court - Sutherland II (current VIP)
Representative appellate cases:
- Hall v. Process Instrument and Control, 890 P.2d 1024 (Utah Supreme Court 1995) defining the limits of the parol evidence rule in contract interpretation.
- Keene v. Bonser, 2005 P.3d (2005 UT App 37) reversing a trial courts determination that Defendant was a cohabitant under the spouse abuse act and giving guidance to the lower courts.