Distinguished Lawyer: Sharon E. Anne Solomon

July 11, 2024 by Carissa Carns

By Lindsey M. Welfley

Background

Sharon E. Anne Solomon (“Anne”) has been a small-town Idaho gal her whole life, remembering these small-town roots wherever she ended up. Born in Sandpoint, Anne is the fifth of seven siblings. She and her siblings were raised without much money but with farm animals surrounding their North Idaho home. Early on she developed a sense of the importance of giving back to her community, specifically to children who are vulnerable or otherwise unable to speak for themselves.

Anne was a quiet kid who loved reading; never an athlete, she found her outlet as a debater on her high school’s Lincoln Douglas team. Having moved to Coeur d’Alene with her family upon entering high school, it was here that she conquered her fear of public speaking and blossomed as a skilled debater. Anne and her team represented Idaho at National debate competitions two years in a row. Her next academic endeavor was to participate in Girls State, a national program geared toward teaching responsible citizenship and leadership among young women. Anne went on to represent Idaho as President of Girls Nation, which allowed for even more travel.

Anne attributes much of her later success in the trajectory of her career to these formative high school years and even more formative opportunities afforded her. She traveled to New Orleans for a political convention, attended inauguration celebrations in Washington, D.C., and participated in a United Nations Youth Pilgrimage to New York City. It was in these adventures and leadership roles that she found her niche.

Anne recalls an encounter that would go on to shape her decisions toward college and beyond – in Washington, D.C. at one of the inauguration parties, Anne met a woman who started talking about college. Though the next steps of her education were far from her mind, Anne was encouraged to head back home and immediately apply to Stanford University. She did as she was instructed and landed a full-ride scholarship to attend Stanford that coming Fall Semester.

Anne graduated from Stanford University with her B.S. in political science and economics in 1973. She then spent some time continuing her travels and working on various accounting projects. At that time, Anne and her eldest sister, Sue Flammia, both made a point to realize their shared passion to help those who cannot help themselves by attending law school with the end-goal of working together some day. Anne began her studies at the University of Idaho College of Law and Sue went on to Gonzaga University School of Law. They both graduated one day apart, with their ailing father able to witness both graduations prior to his passing.

 

Early Career & Family Ties

After graduating with her juris doctorate, Anne spent some time in San Jose, California working in business law before returning to Coeur d’Alene in 1980 to form Flammia & Solomon with her sister. Their end-goal met, Anne and Sue shared a fulfilling practice together for 35 years, until Sue’s passing in 2015. Those three decades were marked by the incredible opportunity to practice with one’s family, knowing they’d always have each other’s backs; whether that was so Anne could take Friday’s off to spend time with her children, or so Sue could travel to Italy with her husband. Anne notes her incredible gratitude for this time in her career.

In addition to the sibling ties, Anne has also had the privilege of practicing with her son, Beck Roan, for the past four years. Beck clerked for two terms with Judge Huskey at the Idaho Court of Appeals before moving from Boise to Coeur d’Alene in 2020. Anne notes that Beck was incredibly lucky to work with Judge Huskey, as she fostered his skills in legal writing and analysis which now serve him well in his work at Flammia & Solomon.

Anne has been married to her beloved husband, Charlie, for 39 years and they have two children. Beck is the youngest of the two; her daughter, Erin, is an occupational therapist with children in the local school district up in Coeur d’Alene. Additionally, Anne’s niece, Jacinda, works in her firm as their paralegal. Overall, Anne mentions that these close family ties, first with her sister and now with her family’s next generation, have likely been the reason why she’s hung in there for as long as she has.

Service & Important Projects

Throughout her life, Anne has been guided by the principle of giving back – to her community, to those in need, or to those who are unable to do for themselves what she may be able to provide. She notes just how much of a difference individuals can make in small towns like Coeur d’Alene, even when the towns don’t feel like they’re particularly “small” anymore.

Anne served on the Magistrate’s Commission, the Idaho Judicial Council, the Idaho Personnel Commission in the 1980s, the Kootenai County CASA Board, the Idaho Legal Aid Service Board, the Women’s Center Board, the Park Foundation Board, and the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy Board.

Despite her very long resume of service to the community and the legal profession, several of Anne’s most notable achievements have been in memory of her late sister, Sue. While she was practicing, Sue Flammia, alongside fellow Coeur d’Alene attorneys Janell Burke and Heidi Fisher, worked to put together a “mediation week” in the mid-1980s during which they would train attorney mediators and focus the week on trying to get cases resolved. Out of this work came the Conflict Resolution Center, a 501(c)3 that would bring in a national speaker annually to discuss child development, the latest research, conflict resolution, the real-life effects of domestic violence, and much more. In Sue’s memory, Anne has continued this work and currently serves on the Center’s Board of Directors.

Anne recounts the only thing her sister asked of her prior to her death – to keep the Art on the Green (formally named the Citizens Council for the Arts) financially healthy. Currently in its 56th year, this annual festival brings over 120 artists, mostly from the Pacific Northwest region to Coeur d’Alene for a weekend to showcase their work and celebrate artistic endeavors. Anne sits on the Board of Directors and serves as Treasurer, working primarily on the administrative side of the event and handling all of the logistics. Anne’s whole family helps with this endeavor in Sue’s memory.

Mentors & Role Models

When they both began their practices, Sue and Anne looked to the late Scott Reed as a mentor and guide for anything particularly technical or complex. Anne remembers Scott as an incredibly intelligent, kind, and funny force in her life, and keeps in touch with his widow, Mary Lou, who is still in Coeur d’Alene and is as lively as ever.

Anne notes that she would be remiss not to mention the high caliber of Idaho’s judges. “We have an amazing group of judges. I don’t know how they get all the work done; they listen to some crazy arguments that we bring them and the worst of the worst.” After practicing for the majority of her career in the four northern-most Idaho counties, Anne has become uniquely acquainted with how things operate in Idaho’s Courts. “We are really lucky for the work they do, especially considering how little they are paid. I don’t think I could practice without our judges.”

In this same theme, Anne continues by highlighting the unique opportunity we have in Idaho to truly interact with our judiciary unlike anywhere else. She recalls the annual visits to Coeur d’Alene by the Idaho Supreme Court Justices, during which they answer questions, talk to the members, and discuss what’s happening within Idaho’s Court system. “It is so meaningful. And that’s Idaho. The best it can be is what we have right here.”

Reflections

When she first ventured into the legal profession, Anne sought to put her best foot forward as a force of positive change in her community. “To me, the most important thing in the end is, What did I do to help someone? Sometimes it’s hard and you feel like an utter failure. We can’t solve it all, but we can try.” Despite considering herself not particularly unique or special, Anne has crafted a decades-long career to meet that goal of helping those around her. The clients, community members, and families she has no doubt impacted along the way are a testament to a career well-spent.

In light of this successful career, Anne is quick to answer the question of “most important achievement” with this: “The most important thing I’ve ever done is raise two amazing kids. It’s the best part of anything I’ve ever done in my life. They truly ground me.” Anne is a stellar example of how to meld family life with a fulfilling career.

Anne would like to express her gratitude for the love and support of her family, friends, and colleagues through all these years.

 

Lindsey Welfley

Lindsey M. Welfley is the Communications Director of the Idaho State Bar, overseeing all communications-related initiatives of both the Idaho State Bar and the Idaho Law Foundation, Inc. She graduated from Grand Canyon University with her undergraduate degree in history in 2015 and has been employed with the Idaho State Bar ever since. Lindsey has been the Communications Director since March 2019.

Endnotes

[i] John A. Bailey Bio. Hawley Troxell. https://hawleytroxell.com/the-firm/people/john-a-bailey/.