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2023 Service Awards
The individuals selected for this year’s Service Awards include attorneys and non-attorneys alike who have committed their time and expertise to the service of the legal profession. Whether it is serving in leadership or in a more intimate setting, these individuals are dedicated to the betterment of the profession. In addition to providing biographic information, the recipients were asked to answer the following two questions:
Why is serving your community, personally or professionally, a priority to you?
What advice would you give your younger self as you entered your law practice or began your career?
Mia M. Bautista
Moscow
Why Service: “I’ve always wanted to live my life in a way where I was contributing to the greater good. I believe service through the career I’ve chosen and service through the volunteer work I’ve engaged in are small acts that could have big impacts. I believe helping lift others up has a positive impact on the community. My favorite quote that best describes why I feel serving my community is a priority comes from Martin Luther King, who said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’”
Advice: “Find a mentor who will understand the work-life challenges you will face depending on your circumstances to help you navigate finding the right work-life balance. Balance is important for your professional and personal life. It’s important to not lose yourself while trying to find yourself as a new lawyer.”
Mia grew up in Minnesota but considers Idaho her home. She attended the University of Idaho College of Law and was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in 2003. During law school she interned with the Nez Perce Tribe and with the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office. Upon graduation, her first job was with the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office. She then worked for the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office. After about 18 years working in a Prosecutor’s Office, she was ready for a change. In 2018, she was appointed City Attorney for Moscow. She has volunteered throughout her legal career. She serves as a member of the Idaho State Bar’s Character and Fitness Committee, on the board for the Idaho Municipal Attorney’s Association, and as the Idaho representative for the International Municipal Lawyers Association. Previously, she served on the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance, served on the board for the Ray McNichols American Inns of Court, and volunteered as an Instructor for the FBI’s Digital Evidence Moot Court Program.
Howard D. Burnett
Pocatello
Why Service: “Before I went to law school, I spent four years as a member of a very successful collegiate rowing team – an experience that instilled in me an abiding understanding that genuine success inevitably requires collaboration. Accordingly, a willingness to serve diligently with others in devoting time and energy to community endeavors, local governing boards, volunteer groups, service organizations, and professional associations not only advances worthy causes benefiting our fellow citizens, but also affords a sense of fulfillment far greater than self.”
Advice: “The advice I would have given to my younger self as I began my career would simply be to recognize from the outset what I’ve come to learn over the course of my 45-year career. The lawyers who are most admired are those who demonstrably and consistently dedicate themselves to achieving a just and fair result – whether in transactional negotiations, in litigation proceedings, or in any other context – without bombast, pretense, or sharp practices, but instead with conscientious preparation and respectful, principled advocacy. That kind of approach not only serves the best interests of clients, but simultaneously fulfills the highest aspirations of our noble profession’s calling.”
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia, Howard spent seven enjoyable years with Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City. In 1985, after years of commuting between Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County and Wall Street for at least an additional three hours a day to work long hours at the tip of Manhattan (thus often depriving him of seeing his young children awake from Monday morning until Friday evening), it became clear to him that it was time to go home to Idaho. After passing the Idaho Bar Exam, he had the very good fortune of being part of the original opening in 1985 of Hawley Troxell’s office in his hometown of Pocatello. He has been a proud member of Hawley Troxell ever since – and his commute never exceeds eight minutes.
Debbie Dudley
Boise
Why Service: “Serving the community as a volunteer has been a very rewarding experience, especially when utilizing my professional training to help organizations needing assistance. I’ve also been fortunate to share volunteer experiences with my daughters.”
Advice: “As a CPA, I often worked long hours and struggled to find that perfect work/life balance. Therefore, my advice would be to select a career opportunity that provides a work/life balance that fits your lifestyle. It isn’t always about the paycheck. Choose a career path that is challenging and that you enjoy. And build relationships with your colleagues as you will work with many of them throughout your career.”
Originally from Las Vegas, Debbie graduated from the University of Idaho with an accounting degree. Her professional career was spent in Boise working in public accounting and more recently as the Controller for the Idaho State Bar. Debbie served as the Controller for the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation for 15 years. She retired in 2022. In 2023, the new Controller resigned because her husband was transferred. Debbie graciously stepped in to assist in the transition and to train a new controller.
C. Clayton Gill
Boise
Why Service: “My personal philosophies are to pay it forward and try and leave this place better than how I found it. Many people have mentored me along the way and provided me with incredible personal and professional opportunities. To honor their legacy, I have an obligation to pay it forward. Watching others succeed because of some small part I played in their lives is the biggest reward I can ever receive.”
Advice: “Take risks and get out of your comfort zone as much as you can. The best way to learn is through TRIAL and error. Taking a case to trial teaches you what’s important and what’s not. Try as many cases as you can when you are a young lawyer because it’s the best way to hone your legal skills.”
Clay graduated from Tulane Law School and was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in 1994. He’s been a commercial litigator for most of his career, the first 24 years in private practice and the last five years as in-house counsel. Currently, he manages Simplot’s litigation, employment law, and labor law matters. His core professional philosophies are integrity, simplicity, and hard work, while constantly striving to improve the legal services that his team (including outside counsel) delivers to Simplot. He’s passionate about the practice of law because of the opportunity it gives him to make a difference in his clients’ lives, businesses, and industries. Clay is a consistent volunteer for bar and foundation programs and activities.
Emily A. MacMaster
Boise
Why Service: “We have much to do to help all Idahoans. The political climate today is separating our communities into ‘we’ and ‘them’ instead of just ‘us.’ My commitment is to enhance respect for each other and build community, and I try to do that on a daily basis.”
Advice: “Get six years of good, solid legal training and then go out and start a firm. Find your tribe and hold onto them. When you surround yourself with good people, you can do anything.”
Today, Emily serves on the Board of Directors for Idaho Women Lawyers, where she is working to enhance diversity in Idaho’s judiciary and to strengthen bridges between law school students and practicing attorneys. She is a Bencher in Inns of Court, a member of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of two Idaho State Bar sections. For fun, Emily enjoys any free time she can get to spend with family and their dogs, or to garden, paint and travel.
William H. McAdam, Jr.
Sandpoint
Why Service: “I am fortunate to be able to devote much of my time to volunteer organizations. I presently serve as a volunteer for Rubicon, the Idaho State Bar Professional Conduct Board, and as a Volunteer firefighter in Idaho.”
Advice: “Interview for a variety of possible job opportunities, even though you may think you have already decided. Do not overlook interviewing with the military and government organizations.”
William attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, graduating in 1966. He is presently a member of the State Bar of California and the Idaho State Bar. He has practiced law in the State of California and the State of Idaho. Recently, he retired as a Superior Court judge in San Diego, California. During the Vietnam war, William served as a captain in the United States Marine Corps. In 1968, he was a company commander of an infantry company in Vietnam. He also served as a legal officer.
Casey Simmons
Coeur d’Alene
Why Service: “I learned from an early age the importance of community because my parents modeled it for me through their many various volunteer engagements. I witnessed firsthand the good those opportunities provided to everyone. From family and friends to professions and community organizations, communities, much like the way to serve them, come in a myriad of forms. But more specifically, the opportunity to be involved and help shape them for the benefit of all is essential. It continues to be a priority because this is where I live, this is the profession I am proud to be a part of, and this is the world in which I am raising my children. I have been blessed to receive a lot of help and support from various sources on my journey and it is important to me to give back.”
Advice: “Find the opportunity to learn and grow in every situation, both professional and personal. Find good mentors, seek out advice and feedback, try new things, and take the opportunity to be involved in the Bar, whether locally or statewide. The time you provide will be well spent in terms of knowledge gained, experiences enjoyed, and connections made. You will meet some amazing people who will help and support you throughout your career and your life will be all the richer for it.”
Casey attended the University of Idaho College of Law, graduating in 2012. She was admitted to the Idaho State Bar that fall and began her legal career clerking for the Honorable John T. Mitchell in the First Judicial District. She then worked at the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office from 2013 until 2019. That year, she jumped into private practice at Winston & Cashatt. Her practice includes civil litigation, trust and estate litigation, personal injury, and criminal defense. She has been involved in Bar activities throughout her career, including as a John P. Bench Bar Forum board member, bar exam grader, and First District Bar Association officer, currently serving as Past-President.
Brent T. Wilson
Salt Lake City
Why Service: “For me it has been a good way to stay connected to my roots as an Idaho lawyer and to help promote something that is personally important.”
Advice: “There are so many things, but two things in particular come to mind: (1) figure out what you’re best at based on your natural, inherent skills and abilities and find a way to maximize those things in your work (i.e., focus on your strengths); and (2) identify a niche or a specialty in the law and become the best at doing that work.”
Brent attended the Willamette University School of Law, graduating in 2002. He moved to Boise and was admitted to the Idaho State Bar that same year. He started his law career clerking for the Honorable Wayne L. Kidwell at the Idaho Supreme Court. After clerking, he worked in private practice in Boise, first with Hall Farley and then with Evans Keane. After almost a decade in private practice, he transitioned into health care compliance, starting as a Compliance and Risk Manager at the Elks Rehabilitation System and then as the Integrity and Compliance Director at Saint Alphonsus Health System. In 2019, he accepted an offer to be the Chief Compliance Officer at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. He continues to participate as a volunteer for Idaho State Bar programs and activities.