This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

An assistant Utah attorney general is one step closer to becoming a 3rd District Court judge after he was unanimously approved by the Utah Senate Judicial Confirmation Committee Monday.

Barry G. Lawrence was appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert earlier this year to replace 3rd District Judge William Barrett, who will retire in November. The 3rd District includes Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele counties.

Lawrence's appointment must now be approved by the full Senate. The vote is scheduled for Oct. 17.

Lawrence has worked as an assistant Utah attorney general since 2000, and he became the torts section chief in 2009. He previously worked at the Salt Lake City firm Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough, where he was a shareholder and served on the board of directors.

Twitter: @lwhitehurst