Introduction

In speaking with this year’s Outstanding Young Lawyer, Alexandra Hodson, it is clear she cares deeply for two things—her family and balancing her passions with her profession. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah with three older brothers, Alexandra and her family moved to Boise when she was six months old after the passing of her father. She has spent her entire life since in Idaho, attending Borah High School, Boise State University, and finally the University of Idaho College of Law.

Career Path

Alexandra’s decision to become an attorney was one she made early on and set her on a very definitive path. She recalls the precise moment this path was made clear, stating “I will never forget it and that’s why I’m a lawyer today.” In one of her ninth-grade classes, she had a teacher (Mr. Graves) who decided she was going to be the lead attorney in the mock trial case they were working on. “I still do not know why he chose me for that role, but I took it very seriously and was really invested. I was obsessed with it.” She remembers pouring over every fact, every detail. “It lit a fire in me, and I just knew, this is it.”

With this path laid out, Alexandra attended the University of Idaho College of Law where she discovered intellectual property law during a brief lecture on the subject in her first year. She remembers learning about the landmark 1995 United States Supreme Court decision in Qualitex Co. v. Jacobson Products Co. in which the Court held that a color alone can be registered as a trademark. She thought that was fascinating and from then on, she set her sights on practicing in that field. “Everywhere I look, there’s intellectual property. From my tennis racquet to the French fries I order at the diner. I’m continuously amazed at what the innovative spirit can accomplish and invigorated by the creative minds I have the pleasure of working with each day.”

During law school, Alexandra interned with the intellectual property legal department of a fortune 500 tech company and externed with the intellectual property legal department of the J.R. Simplot Company. Both provided her invaluable experience in the field, and she remains grateful for those opportunities. Upon graduating law school and being admitted to the Idaho State Bar, Alexandra clerked for Idaho Supreme Court Justice Joel Horton until his retirement, after which she continued her clerkship for Justice Gregory Moeller. In 2019, she was recruited to move into a position with the Boise office of Parsons Behle & Latimer. There, she handled intellectual property matters and “all sorts of other things too,” until 2022 when she jumped up a few floors in the building to work with Holland & Hart. About a year and a half later, she lateraled back to Parsons, where she now maintains a more robust practice in intellectual property law, helping businesses file applications, develop their intellectual property strategies, and defend, enforce, and litigate if needed.

In addition to her work at Parsons, Alexandra has worked as an adjunct professor with the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at the University of Idaho College of Law since 2020. She notes that this is incredibly rewarding work and one of her favorite things to do because the Clinic is able to assist local small business owners and budding entrepreneurs who may not otherwise be able to afford the help they need.

Alexandra has also served as the Idaho State Bar Intellectual Property Law Section’s secretary and chair, Litigation Section’s secretary, Idaho Women Lawyers Community Service Committee co-chair, Women’s and Children’s Alliance ambassador, University of Idaho College of Law student mentor, secretary and member of the Riverstone International School’s Governance Committee, and is a 2025 graduate of the Idaho Academy of Leadership for Lawyers.

Role Models

In line with her deep value of family, Alexandra considers her brothers her original role models. “They raised me and are really amazing people; each of them is smart, kind, and inspiring in his own way. And I’m their favorite sister. Helps that I’m the only one, but I still wear it with pride.” Professionally, she notes a few of her role models and mentors: Margaret McGann, Juliette White, Howie Belodoff, and Chris Cuneo (her defacto mentor at the firm and “other big brother”).

Advice to New Lawyers

In reflecting on her own experience during law school and at the start of her career, Alexandra would encourage law students and new attorneys to weigh the benefit of adding obligations to their already busy schedules. It’s okay to say, “I don’t have the capacity for that right now.” “When I was in law school, I was doing every little thing I could get my paws into because I thought it all mattered so much. Looking back, almost none of it mattered for my career.” This resonates with her even now, as she still strives to take her own advice. “Do the things that are important to you. There’s no need to do everything. Pick the few things that bring meaning to your life or your career and focus on those.”

Alexandra would like to thank her husband, Scott, for being ridiculously supportive of her wild dreams; her daughter, Laela, for being her reliable accomplice in complete, unabashed silliness; and her son, Leland (the OG), for being the reason she kept climbing even when the mountains felt impossibly steep.

Lindsey M. Welfley is the Communications Director of the Idaho State Bar, overseeing all communications-related initiatives of both the Bar and Foundation. She graduated from Grand Canyon University with a B.A. in history in 2015 and has worked for the Bar ever since. Lindsey lives in Boise with her husband, their two daughters, and two pets.