Official Government Website
Month: March 2021
Scam Email Re: General and Administrative Expenses
We have been informed of a scam email circulating in which a request is made by a scammer posing as a District Bar Officer to mail a check or wire transfer money to cover administrative expenses. If you receive an email similar to what is seen below, do not reply or click on any links. Immediately and permanently delete the email.
District Bar Officers of the Idaho State Bar do not make requests for checks to be mailed or funds to be transferred via wire transfer.
Idaho Law Foundation Wraps Up Virtual High School Mock Trial Competition
The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program hosted its annual High School Mock Trial State Championship from Thursday to Saturday, March 18 to 20. For 2021, the three-day tournament was held virtually. This year students explored a criminal mock trial case that centered on a charge of domestic terrorism involving the destruction of a dam in the fictional state of Monida.
All teams in the state competition participated in four rounds of competition in virtual Zoom Courtrooms on Thursday and Friday with the top two teams facing off for the state championship on Saturday morning.
The 2021 state competition involved 150 high school students on 15 teams. 125 teachers, judges, attorneys, and other community leaders donated their time to serve as coaches, advisors, judges, and competition staff.
The following teams placed in the top five for Idaho’s state tournament:
- 2021 State Champion: The Ambrose School, Meridian
- State Runner Up: The Logos School, Moscow
- Third Place: Mountain Home High School
- Fourth Place: The Ambrose School, Meridian
- Fifth Place: Victory Charter School, Nampa
Mock trial team members who played roles as attorneys and witnesses also had the opportunity to be recognized for individual awards. For each trial through four rounds of competition, each judge had the opportunity to select the students they believed gave the best performances for the trial. The top witnesses and attorneys for the 2021 competition include:
Top Witnesses:
- Audrey Hansell (The Ambrose School)
- Jordynn Hunt (Centennial High School)
- Maria Jimenez (Thunder Ridge High School)
- Kalkidan Meyer (The Logos School)
- Reagan Moore (Sage International School)
- Ben Perrigo (The Ambrose School)
- Josiah Rauch (The Logos School)
- Allie Reid (Mountain Home High School)
- Marilla Story (The Logos School)
- Sophia Thompson (Victory Charter School)
- Paige Williams (Centennial High School)
Top Attorneys:
- Zach Atwood (The Logos School)
- Mya Brushey (The Ambrose School)
- Nina Linder (Lewiston High School)
- Nadjeda Luker (Centennial High School)
- Hunter Marang (Victory Charter School)
- Daly Marvel (Sage International School)
- Ty Olney (Thunder Ridge High School)
- Oam Patel (Mountain Home High School)
- Kyleigh Rohrs (Mountain Home High School)
- Samantha Snow (Sage International School)
- Kristen Stanciu (The Ambrose School)
- Ronen Wyrick (The Logos School)
In addition to the mock trial competition, Idaho’s mock trial program hosts a Courtroom Artist Contest as part of the program. Artists observed trials and submitted sketches that depict courtroom scenes. The top three entries for 2021 were:
- First Place: Lily Giordano, Centennial High School
- Second Place: Nicholas Remalce, Lewiston High School
- Third Place: Josephine Wyrick, The Logos School
The Ambrose School will represent Idaho at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in May and Lily Giordano will represent Idaho in the National Courtroom Artist Contest.
Plans will soon begin for the 2022 mock trial season. For more information about how to get involved with the mock trial program, visit idahomocktrial.org or contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law Related Education Director, at cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov.
About the Idaho High School Mock Trial Program
Idaho Mock Trial is a statewide hands-on civic education activity for high school students. Working with attorney and teacher coaches, participants prepare a hypothetical legal case and present it in a simulated courtroom competition. In real and virtual courtrooms, before real judges and attorneys, teams try cases they have been preparing since the fall. From opening statements, through direct and cross-examination of witnesses, to closing arguments, each team has its own attorneys and witnesses and must be ready to present either side of the case before juries who score their performances.
About the Idaho Law Foundation & Law Related Education
The Idaho Law Foundation is the charitable arm of the Idaho State Bar. As a program of the Foundation, Law Related Education is a statewide civic education program that works to enhance public understanding of the legal system and bring together attorneys and teachers to help students of all ages understand the role of law in a democratic society. For more information, visit idaholawfoundation.org.
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New Local Rules for the Fourth District
Idaho Supreme Court Comments Sought
Scam Alert: Fraudulent Unemployment Claims
Idaho lawyers are reporting that unemployment claims have been filed under their names with the Idaho Department of Labor. Most discovered the scam through emails or letters to them or to their employers. The scammers often have obtained victims’ personal information such as home addresses and social security numbers. Please note the Idaho State Bar does not store, cache, or archive data needing for filing claims with the Idaho Department of Labor.
If you receive a reference to an unemployment claim that appears fraudulent, or if you receive an unexpected 1099-G tax form from the Idaho Department of Labor, please follow this link to report possible identity theft. You might also run a credit check to pick up any unwarranted activity.
Finally, please make note of the “scam alert” feature on the front page of our website. We keep this updated with any scams reported to us that specifically target lawyers, law firms, or courts. We welcome those reports via email.
2021 ISB Award Nominations Form
Each year the Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioners presents awards to members of the Bar who demonstrate exemplary leadership, professionalism and commitment to the legal profession and to the public. Nominations can be submitted at any time, but the deadline to be included in the current year is at the end of March, with selections in May.
One Nation: Saving Our Democracy Through Bipartisanship -Mar. 3
Today Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 6 pm MST. Mansfield Civil Discourse Dialogues, University of Montana
WEBINAR REGISTRATION
Federal Bar Association CLE – Mar. 31
Join the Federal Bar Association Idaho Chapter for Election, Litigation & Recounts, a CLE featuring speakers, Phil McGrane, Ada County Clerk, Jan Bennetts, Ada County Prosecutor and Matt Gordon, Perkins Coie, LLP.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
12:00 pm – 1:15 pm MST
1.0 CLE credits (pending)
Cost:
$10 Non-FBA Members
FREE for FBA Members
To Register, call (208) 867-8169 or email sheadlee@parsonsbehle.com
Idaho Law Foundation Program Receives National Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Idaho Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Program received a 2020 Law Day Outstanding Activity Award from the American Bar Association for its Annual Law Day Podcast Contest. The Award highlights the best Law Day programs from around the country that promote public understanding of law and integrate the Law Day theme into activities that serve the community.
The Annual Law Day Podcast Contest offers students an opportunity to win cash prizes while exploring the importance of the rule of law in the United States. Working individually or in groups, students submit a 5 to 10-minute podcast that ties to the annual American Bar Association’s Law Day theme.
Will Gunn, ABA Law Day Chair said of the award-winning Law Day Podcast Contest: “You were selected from a competitive national pool of applicants by a committee of leaders assembled from the legal community. The Law Day Podcast Contest demonstrated broad outreach to your community, with a substantive understanding of the Law Day theme. You engaged your audience in meaningful conversations to help foster understanding about voting rights and the role of access to the ballot in our American democracy. And, in 2020, you managed to do all of this in the face of a national pandemic that forced everyone to rethink their programs under extraordinarily uncertain conditions. The ABA truly commends your work.”
Greg Dickison, Chair of the Law Foundation’s Law Related Education Committee said, “A group of attorneys and educators who are committed to the importance of civic education and engaging young people to explore the rule of law spent many years developing our Annual Podcast Contest. We are honored to be recognized for our work.”
For more information about the Annual Podcast Contest, visit idaholawfoundation.org and click the Law Day link from the main page. For questions, contact Carey Shoufler, Idaho Law Foundation Law Related Education Director, at cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov.
The Idaho Law Foundation is the charitable arm of the Idaho State Bar. As a program of the Foundation, Law Related Education is a statewide civic education program that works to enhance public understanding of the legal system and bring together attorneys and teachers to help students of all ages understand the role of law in a democratic society. For more information, visit idaholawfoundation.org.
Established in 1958 by President Eisenhower, Law Day is celebrated every year on the first day of May. It’s designed to help people better understand the law and our legal system and is centered on a different theme each year to spotlight important aspects of the law. For more information, visit the American Bar Associations’ Law Day website.
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Contact: Carey Shoufler, Law Related Education Director
208-334-4500
cshoufler@isb.idaho.gov
Nominations Open for the 2021 ISB Commissioner Election – 6th & 7th District
Nominations for a new Commissioner to replace Donald Carey (Idaho Falls) on the Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioners are now open.
Pursuant to Idaho Bar Commission Rule 900, the new commissioner representing the Sixth and Seventh Districts must reside or maintain an office in the Sixth District.
Commissioners of the Idaho State Bar – the elected governing body of the Bar – serve for three (3) years, beginning on the last day of the ISB Annual Meeting following their elections. The Board of Commissioners is charged with regulating the legal profession in Idaho, which includes the testing, admission, and licensing of attorneys, overseeing disciplinary functions, and administering mandatory continuing legal education requirements.
Nominations must be in writing and signed by at least five (5) members of the ISB in good standing, and eligible to vote in the districts. The Executive Director must receive nominations no later than the close of business on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. A nominating petition form may be obtained by clicking the link below, or by calling the office at 208-334-4500.