Jani Iwamoto was born and raised in Salt Lake County.  She attended schools in the Salt Lake City School District, graduating from Highland High School. She resides with her husband, Steve, in Holladay with their children Nathan and Katie.

Jani graduated from University of California, at Davis (King Hall) law school and received a Mass Communication degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Utah while participating in the Hinckley Institute of Politics Internship program and completing an internship in Washington, D.C. with the Senate Republican Conference.  She also worked in D.C. with Representative Harold S. Sawyer (R-Mich) and interned at the Utah State Legislature with then-Representative Rob Bishop (R-Utah).  She has completed journalism internships with Conant Associates, the Salt Lake Jewish Community Center, and United Cerebral Palsy of Utah.

While practicing law in California, Jani was involved in consumer protection litigation. She successfully litigated business, product liability, securities fraud, civil rights, and malicious prosecution cases. As a member of the American Bar Association she served:

• Delegate, Bar Association of San Francisco
• Board Member; Barristers Club of San Francisco
• Chair, Community Law Week
• Regional Governor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• Nihonmachi Legal Outreach, a on-profit organization providing legal services to low-income and no-income minorities.

Jani is very involved in a variety of community-based organizations.  Her memberships include:

• Howard R. Driggs Elementary School - PTA
• Howard R. Driggs School Community Council
• Central Utah Water Conservancy District - Board of Trustees, appointed by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.
• Salt Lake County Convention Facilities Advisory Board
• Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commission, appointed by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.
• Asian Association of Utah, Executive Board
• Japanese Community Preservation Committee, Vice President
• No! Coalition - a bipartisan committee established by Governor Leavitt to oppose high-level nuclear waste