The individuals selected for this year’s Service Awards include attorneys and a non-attorney 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 biographical information, the recipients were asked to answer the following two questions:

Why is serving your community, personally or professionally, a priority to you? And, what advice would you give your younger self as you entered your law practice or began your career?

Hon. Debora K. Grasham

Why Service: Service to my community and profession over the past 35 years has given me enormous personal satisfaction in working with people from around our state for the improvement of our profession. Idaho has a small bar.  That means you can make an outsized impact on the bar—and the future of the practice of law in our state—with your involvement.  I am particularly proud of helping to bring the stories of many great lawyers and judges in Idaho history to light through my involvement with the “First 50 Women in Idaho Law” and Tents to Towers projects.

Advice: Everything is going to work out better than you had ever dreamed, you just need to work hard and trust your instincts. Seek out lawyers and judges that you admire and then follow their lead.

I attended U.C. Berkeley for undergraduate degree, and Santa Clara University for law school. I served as Editor-in-Chief of the Santa Clara Law Review and passed the California bar in 1990. After law school, I joined Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle and became a member of the Washington bar in 1991. In 1996, I moved to Boise with Davis Wright Tremaine and joined the Idaho Bar. In 1999, I joined Givens Pursley in Boise and practiced in the area of commercial litigation, specializing in media law and employment litigation. On April 1, 2022, I was appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Idaho and have held that position ever since.

Ken Howell

Why Service: As a citizen of this community, I have an obligation and a desire to help make it a better place, both for me and for the future. Professionally, I serve on the Client Assistance Fund to assure that our profession makes our community better by seeking to make whole those who have been injured by an attorney’s dishonest conduct.

Advice: Take regular vacations.

Ken received his B.A. from the College of Idaho and went to law school at the University of Idaho. From 1984 to 1992 he was an associate at Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley LLP then became a partner in 1991.

Ken has served in many capacities over the years including as a founding board member and President of Board of Friends of Channel 4 (“PBS”), member of Boise Philharmonic Board of Directors, board member and President of the Downtown Boise Association, board member and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the College of Idaho, board member of Opera Idaho, Chairman of the Board of the Arid Club, Inc., Founding board member of Feed the Gap, Inc. (non-profit providing meals to Idaho children), member and President of the Rotary Club of Downtown Boise, Rotary District Governor for District 5400 (Southern Idaho), Law Day chair for 4th Judicial District (appx. 1986), and finally, a member of Idaho State Bar Client Assistance Fund.

Ken is proud to have practiced law with the associates and partners at Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley, LLP, uninterrupted for the past 41 years.

He is grateful to Julia Crossland, one of his closest friends, for nominating him for this award.  It has been his privilege to work with her on the Client Assistance Fund for many, many years.

Taylor Mossman-Fletcher

Why Service: Serving my community is personally important to me because I have three daughters who are impressionable and eager to learn—so it is imperative to show them that service is a value we have as a family and one that is at the top of our list. Professionally, serving the community, and in particular—the Idaho State Bar—is important because it keeps me connected. Professional connections keep me inspired, engaged, and educated. Of course, voluntary professional service also translates into a profound sense of responsibility and gratitude for me. I am grateful that I have the privilege of devoting my time and resources for a common good.

Advice: I would tell my younger self two things. First, I would advise not to be scared to try new things.  The law can be daunting, but it isn’t necessary to continue practicing law a certain way just because “that is the way it has always been done.”  It is okay to test the water.  Second, I would tell her that it is okay to say “no.”  Clients will be unreasonable, opposing counsel may be difficult and some cases simply are not worth the toll they will take on your quality of life. You can serve your clients, family and community better by not spinning your wheels on things where your time won’t be valued.

Mrs. Mossman-Fletcher grew up in Idaho and learned to love spending time in the outdoors. She graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado in 2002 with a degree in economics. She graduated from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2006. Mrs. Mossman-Fletcher is a member of the Idaho State Bar and the Idaho Trial Lawyers Associations (“ITLA”). Following law school, Mrs. Mossman-Fletcher clerked for Hon. Ronald Bush in Pocatello, Idaho from 2006-2007. She is admitted to practice before the Idaho Supreme Court, the United States District Court, District of Idaho and the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mrs. Mossman-Fletcher is an active member of the American Inns of Court. She is a past president of ITLA, a graduate of Idaho Academy of Leadership for Lawyers (“IALL”) and a four term IALL steering committee member

Mrs. Mossman-Fletcher’s legal experience includes jury trials and Idaho Supreme Court arguments. She has successfully tried hundreds of Social Security and Worker’s Compensation cases to hearings. She also has high appellate remand rates at the Federal District Court of Idaho on Social Security appeals. She is the recipient of the ITLA’s Walter Bithell Professionalism Award, Idaho Business Review’s Accomplished Under 40 Award, Women of the Year Award, and Leader’s in the Law Award.

Mrs. Mossman-Fletcher focuses her practice primarily on representing Social Security disability, workers’ compensation, medical malpractice and personal injury claimants. She lives in Boise with her husband and three children.

Will Fletcher

Why Service: We have become the people we are by being fostered by great communities. It is a privilege to now be able to give back, even in small ways, to the communities and the people who have provided so much enrichment to our lives and relationships.

Advice: Find those smart risks and take them with aplomb.

Will Fletcher serves as General Counsel at Zasio, a global leader in information governance software and consulting solutions. A proud graduate of the University of Idaho College of Law (go Vandals!), Will has been practicing in Idaho since 2008. Will enjoys the dynamism and adventure that each day brings in the tech law landscape. Outside of work, he finds that same dynamism and adventure raising three daughters with his lovely wife, Taylor.

Diane Minnich

Why Service: I think It is important to give back to your community and to serve others, especially for those of us that have the time and resources to do so. It is important to the well-being of our communities, and it is fulfilling. It is also an opportunity to build relationships and make lifelong friendships.

One of my early mentors told me, volunteering and service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.*

*This quote is attributed to Mohammed Ali and Shirley Chisholm.”

Advice: Remember that you learn from your mistakes. It is okay not to get it all right in your early years. What you learn will help you make better decisions as you go forward.

Employed by the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation, Inc. for 39 years, 34 years as the executive director. Served six years as Secretary-Treasurer of the Western States Bar Conference. Volunteer activities include past member of the Board of Directors of the Silver Sage Girl Scout Council, Boise Public Schools Foundation Board member, Board of Directors of Friends of Zoo Boise, and BSU Legal Assistant Program Advisory Council member. A member of the Boise Rotary Club, serving as the club’s president in 2003-04. Graduate of San Jose State University.

Amanda E. Ulrich

Why Service: Community service is a priority to me because my community has given me so many opportunities, both personally and professionally. Serving my community through various groups gives me a chance to build relationships with other community members I might otherwise never get the chance to meet. Community service brings us together, which is always important, but it is especially important right now.

Advice: If I could give my younger self some advice when I was starting my law practice, I would tell her you are far more capable than you think! Though there is a lot to learn when you are just starting out, you’ve got the skills, training and brains to do it.  Do not let self-doubt be self-limiting and give yourself some grace.

Amanda E. Ulrich spent her formative years in Southeast Idaho and is a 2008 graduate of University of Idaho College of Law. Amanda is a partner at Casperson Ulrich Dustin PLLC in Idaho Falls. She practices in the areas of employment and labor law, as well as general litigation. She has experience representing both employers and employees, and has litigated employment-related civil rights claims, as well as non-compete contracts and other employment-related matters.  She has represented clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Idaho Human Rights Commission, the Idaho Department of Labor, and the Idaho Industrial Commission. She also represents clients in Title IX actions and other civil litigation matters. She has appeared in state court, federal court and before the Ninth Circuit, and is admitted to practice law in Idaho and Washington. Ms. Ulrich volunteers for various community and bar organizations, including Girl Scouts and 7th Judicial District CASA. She served as the President the Seventh District Bar Association from 2020 to 2021, served on the Law Advisory Council for the University of Idaho College of Law and is currently a board member of the Idaho Law Foundation and the Labor and Employment Section of the Idaho State Bar. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, and taking advantage of all the wonderful outdoor opportunities Idaho has to offer.

Fonda Jovick

Why Service: As an attorney, serving my community represents the intersection of my professional calling and my personal values. Community service keeps me grounded in the real-world consequences of legal decisions and policies. There is something deeply satisfying about using my professional skills to solve problems for people who genuinely need help, rather than just representing those who can afford to pay.

Advice: Be patient with the learning curve.  The law school version of legal practice bears little resemblance to the actual reality of the practice of law.  It takes years to develop judgment, client relations skills, and practical wisdom to make you truly effective. 

To always remember that this is a service profession at its core. The clients who seem the most difficult and demanding are often the people facing the most stressful situations in their lives.

Fonda graduated from Gonzaga School of Law in 2004 and became a member of the Idaho State Bar later that year and then the Washington State Bar in 2009. After working in the world of Family Law for a couple of years as an associate attorney, she felt ill equipped to deal with the vast array of personality issues, addiction, and parenting dynamics, that she was encountering in my family law and estate administration practice, so she  obtained a master’s degree in forensic psychology in 2013 from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Fonda has practiced in many areas of the law over the years, often being kindly referred to as a “utility infielder.” After over 20 years in the legal industry, she has narrowed her focus to estate planning, probate and trust work as well as representing municipalities and governmental entities in addition to maintaining a mediation practice. She has only worked in two law firms since beginning her career: Paine Hamblen, PLLP from May 2003 to December 2014 and Lake City Law since January 2015, where she is a founding member and the managing partner.