In the September issue of The Advocate, Chris Graham, author of the article on the 1980s, closed with an invitation to “bring on the 1990s!”[i] I accept that invitation! On the national stage, the 1990s featured the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union; the Oklahoma City bombing; the election of Nelson Mandela as the first Black president of South Africa; the Columbine High School shooting; the death of Princess Diana; the Los Angeles riots following the beating of Rodney King; the O.J. Simpson trial; the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope; the beginning of Google and Amazon; the debut of the iconic television series, Friends; the end of another iconic television series, Seinfeld; and the publication of the first Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling.[ii] And, as an alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that the 1990s also marked milestones in the careers of two fellow alumna who made a mark on sports’ history—Mia Hamm led the United States to its first women’s World Cup win in soccer in 1992 and Michael Jordan announced his retirement (for the second time) in 1999.[iii]

Meanwhile, on our home court in Idaho…

A New Home for the Idaho State Bar & Idaho Law Foundation

On September 20, 1990, a joint meeting between the Idaho State Bar Commissioners and the Idaho Law Foundation’s Board of Directors was held and included members of the ISB/ILF Bar Center Taskforce. The charge of the Taskforce “was to ascertain the staff, space, and facility needs of the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation.”[iv] The purpose of the September 20, 1990 meeting was to decide “whether to accept the building at 701 W. Franklin which had been offered by J. Charles Blanton.”[v] To sweeten the offer, Blanton agreed to make a “$15,000 cash contribution.”[vi] The 701 W. Franklin building offered 7,830 square feet of space and thirteen parking spots.[vii] Acceptance of the offer would cost a total of $770,000, an amount that would include “payment of $475,000 in indebtedness and back taxes,” and $295,000 in “deferred maintenance, remodeling, and transactional costs.”[viii]

The meeting participants also discussed other options, including renovations of ISB/ILF’s current location at 204 W. State Street.[ix] Ultimately, “[a]fter considerable discussion, regarding the relatives costs and long term suitability of the [701 W. Franklin] facility,” the group unanimously decided to decline Blanton’s offer.[x] The Taskforce determined its next steps would be to continue “looking at existing buildings and potential building sites” that would best serve the needs of the Bar and the Foundation.[xi]    

In late 1991, the Taskforce’s efforts led to an offer to purchase the property located at 525 W. Jefferson, where the Law Center now stands.[xii] Although the $230,000 offer was rejected, [xiii] there was an eventual counter-offer for $325,00, after which a final purchase price of $300,000 was agreed upon.[xiv] The Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors then created “bar center committees to facilitate the building of a new bar center.”[xv] The Directors who served on the committees included Mike Moore, Judge May, Dennis Baird, Dave Gadda, and P. Craig Storti.[xvi] A request for proposal was sent to local architecture firms to bid on construction of the new building.[xvii] Armstrong Architects won the bid.[xviii] The budget for construction of the new bar center was $650,000.[xix] Fred Hahn led fundraising efforts for the Law Center campaign to solicit contributions to assist in paying the costs of the new building.[xx] The fundraising goal was set at $300,000.[xxi] Just over half of that goal was reached by the time the Law Center was occupied in late 1993.[xxii]

Construction on the Law Center began in March 1993.[xxiii] Perhaps unsurprisingly, the project quickly fell behind. Weather delays and “problems with compacting the dirt” were the culprits.[xxiv] After the initial delays, there were relatively few hiccups during the construction process. The July 21, 1993, minutes from the Board of Commissioners’ meeting noted: “There are no problems at this point except for possible costs incurred in installing streetlights which may be required by the city of Boise.”[xxv] The disagreement revolved around whether the Law Center would be required to install “historical streetlights” at a cost of “about $12,000.”[xxvi] 

Construction was substantially completed by the end of October 1993, and the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation staff occupied the Law Center at 525 W. Jefferson in Boise in November 1993.[xxvii] On December 10, 1993, there was a dedication and open house celebrating the Law Center as the new home of the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation.[xxviii] The lot for the new building previously housed the Ada County Public Defender’s Office and the Clerk’s office.

Meanwhile, an appraisal of the State Street building that was being used by the Bar and the Foundation before the Law Center was built was conducted by Idaho Land and Appraisal; that appraisal indicated a market value of $345,000.[xxix] The property was listed at $380,000 with a plan to advertise it in The Advocate and to notify physicians in Ada County that the building was for sale.[xxx] Advertising later expanded to include listings in the Idaho Statesman, the CPA Society newsletter, the Idaho Business Review, and “local medical and dental journals.”[xxxi] These advertising efforts were part of a plan to avoid hiring a realtor to facilitate the sale.[xxxii] This strategy proved unsuccessful. By January 1993, the Executive Director, Diane Minnich, was interviewing realtors to assist with the sale.[xxxiii] The first potential buyer for the State Street property made a full-price cash offer and tendered a check. Immediately thereafter we received visitors from The Treasury Department or the IRS advising us not to cash the check, because the proceeds were a result of a fraudulent tax refund.[xxxiv] Chuck Winder was eventually selected to assist with the sale of State Street building; Winder generously agreed to donate 1.5 percent of the 6 percent sales commission to the Idaho Law Foundation.[xxxv] The State Street property was finally sold for $327,500 in November 1993.[xxxvi]

Looking back, the Law Center looks like a pretty great deal by today’s standards!

Play Ball!

As I write this article, we are closing in on the end of the 2025 regular season in Major League Baseball. As the count creeps toward the final 162-game tally, I anxiously await to see where my two favorite teams—the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets—may (or may not) land in the post-season. The Dodgers currently sit with a three-game lead on the San Diego Padres in the National League West—not a spread I am comfortable with, particularly given the team’s underperforming injury-laden season despite a pitching roster with big names and a lineup with even more star power, including Shohei Ohtani, a true unicorn of the game. Meanwhile, the Mets are sitting in second place in the National League East, eleven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and fighting for a wild card spot. Whatever the result of this major league baseball season, at least there is no risk of a baseball strike, which resulted in the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.[xxxvii]

But the real story involving a bat and a ball in the 1990s was right here in Idaho when Idaho State Bar Commissioners faced off against members of the Idaho Judiciary in what may have been a bigger rivalry than anything in the big leagues. The minutes from the March 22, 1991 Board of Commissioners meeting indicate that then-Bar Counsel Mike Oths had secured “a commitment from ex-commissioner Mark Nye to play on the Idaho State Bar team,” and that Oths had “sent a copy of the proposed rules to Justice [Byron] Johnson.” [xxxviii] Clearly this match-up was not going to be some haphazard, beer league, pickup game.  Indeed, Oths recalls that he and John “Jack” McMahon “were the delegation sent to discuss protocols with Justice Johnson and it was soon obvious he was taking this pretty seriously.”  Indeed, it was serious enough that there were player-eligibility requirements.  The eligible players on the judicial team included appellate judges, district judges, Fred Lyon (Clerk of Court for the Idaho Supreme Court from 1982 to 2004[xxxix]), and Carl Bianchi (Administrative Director of the Courts from 1973 to 1993[xl]).  For the Commissioner side of the scorecard, eligible players could be any past or present Commissioner, then-Executive Director Diane Minnich, and, of course, Oths.

Although the minutes from subsequent Board of Commissioner meetings are silent on the result, Oths reports that the judicial team won the first game. That win may have been attributable to Justice Johnson’s skills (honed from his days on Harvard’s baseball team) in combination with Judge Larry Boyle’s abilities at shortstop.  Although Oths notes: “In the altitude of Sun Valley the ball really carries, and a DJ (who shall remain nameless) let a couple balls go over his head. Justice Johnson never invited him back.” In that same game, Oths recalled that “Bill McCurdy got on base but didn’t want to run. Then-trial judge, Roger Burdick, was sitting in a lawn chair by 1st base and took his place. When Justice Johnson noticed Burdick on base, he protested that he was ineligible. Justice Bakes simply told him ‘Byron, we’ll take it up at conference on Monday.’” Despite falling short in the first game, the Commissioners’ team won the next three games. At one point, Justices Trout and Silak told Oths: “He (Byron) is never going to let us discontinue the series until we get even in the standings.” Nevertheless, the annual contest came to an end after “5-6 years.” Apparently, it wasn’t always fun and games, especially that time when a couple of players on the field nearly came to blows. I am told there was an “audible gasp” from the crowd. For me, and hopefully for you, the story led to an audible chuckle.[xli]g

Oath

Speaking of oaths, this article appears not long after the September 26, 2025, admissions ceremony. The ceremony is the time new admittees to the Idaho State Bar take the Attorney’s Oath; it is also an opportunity for practicing attorneys to take the oath again. While the principles reflected in that oath have persisted over time, in 1990, then-Bar Commissioner McMahon and Oths took the lead on updating and improving some of its language.[xlii] The language changes were approved by the ISB Board of Commissioners on August 10, 1990.

American Inns of Court

The American Inns of Court was introduced in Idaho in 1991.[xliii] The American Inns of Court is a national organization with a mission to “inspire the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring.”[xliv] The program is designed to bring together “lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals from all levels and backgrounds who share a passion for professional excellence.”[xlv] The Inn is “divided into ‘pupillage teams,’ with each team consisting of a few members from each membership category depending on the members’ level of experience. Each pupillage team conducts one program for the Inn each year.”[xlvi] Through this collaboration, law students and less-experienced attorneys can learn “to become more effective advocates and counselors by learning from the more-experienced attorneys and judges.”[xlvii] 

The first Inn meeting was scheduled in Boise for September 18, 1991.[xlviii] Idaho has since created five Inns: the Richard C. Fields American Inn of Court in Boise; the Portneuf American Inn of Court in Pocatello; the Theron W. Ward American Inn of Court in the Fifth Judicial District; the Eagle Rock American Inn of Court in Idaho Falls; and the Ray McNichols American Inn of Court in Lewiston and Moscow.[xlix]

Soviet/American Lawyer Exchange Program

As noted in the introductory paragraph, the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. That same year, the Idaho Law Foundation received an application for the creation of a Soviet/American scholarship fund.[l] The request was made by then-Idaho Governor John Evans on behalf of Konstantin Gavrilov who, at the time, was attending Stanford University.[li] Prior to that, Gavrilov was an intern at Boise Cascade’s Corporate Legal Office in Boise.[lii] The Executive Committee approved the request, which was for $5,376.90, in addition to approving future funds up to the total amount requested ($7,315).[liii]

The minutes of the Board of Commissioners meeting on March 22, 1991, indicate there was a more formalized program to support an internship for lawyers from the Soviet Union.[liv] In particular, the Bar president at that time “sent a letter to the major firms and corporations in Idaho asking them to participate in the Soviet/American Lawyer Intern exchange program sponsored by the American Bar Association.”[lv] The ABA arranged to have “30 lawyers from Soviet bloc countries come to the U.S. in the summer of 1991 to serve a six month internship” at an “approximate cost” of $13,000 per year, “plus housing for the firm or corporation that sponsors the attorney.”[lvi] A notice was placed in The Advocate advertising the program and seeking participation by Idaho law firms.[lvii]

The Seeds of Tents to Towers

The publication of Tents to Towers: The History of the Practice of Law in Idaho has been one of the key features of this year’s celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the Idaho State Bar and the 50^th anniversary of the Idaho Law Foundation.  As it turns out, the seeds of that endeavor were planted in the 1990s and it appears it may have been inspired by the publication of the Centennial History of the Idaho State Courts.[lviii] The Idaho Law Foundation approved a request from the Administrative Director of the Courts to serve as the book’s publisher.[lix] Four months later, in May 1990, the Board of Commissioners received a proposal for a written history of the organized bar in Idaho.[lx]

At the June 8, 1990 Board of Commissioners meeting in Big Fork, Montana, then-Executive Director Dennis Harwick presented a proposal based on his meeting with Madeline Buckendorf, a graduate student at Boise State University.[lxi] “It was estimated that the project would take between 300 and 350 hours and would result in a document of approximately 100 pages” at a charge of $15 per hour payable to Buckendorf for her work.[lxii] The Commissioners approved the project and “asked to meet with Ms. Buckendorf as early as possible to share its ideas on such a history.”[lxiii] That meeting occurred on August 10, 1990.  The minutes from the meeting reveal that Buckendorf “asked for clarification as to the intended audience for such a document.”[lxiv] The “consensus” was “that the audience would be members of the Idaho State Bar.”[lxv] There was also a “consensus” (and “considerable discussion”) related to “the focus of such a history on the period of 1900 to approximately 1950, i.e., the ‘ancient’ history of the bar.”[lxvi]  Buckendorf “noted that she would focus on the major turning points within the bar and the transition from an informal apprenticeship profession to a formalized institution.”[lxvii]

Consistent with the agreement between the Board of Commissioners and Buckendorf, subsequent meeting minutes reflect regular updates on the status of the project. Buckendorf submitted the first installment of her work in March 1991[lxviii] and a first draft in June 1991.[lxix] At that point, individuals responsible for reviewing the draft and making edits were identified.[lxx] It appears the project stalled sometime after that before it was picked up by members of the Idaho Legal History Society, which later became a section of the Idaho State Bar.  After years of work by many volunteers, the final product came to fruition in 2025. If you haven’t already purchased a copy of Tents to Towers, I encourage you to do so before it is sold out![lxxi]

Miscellaneous Notables

On April 19, 1990, the Board of Commissioners “formally adopt[ed] a policy prohibiting smoking at Commission meetings.”[lxxii] In conjunction with this vote, “the Executive Director was asked to obtain a discreet sign to be place din the Conference Room to that effect.”[lxxiii] This prohibition was a sign of the times, and perhaps even ahead of its time given that smoking bans on all domestic and international flights did not occur until 2000.[lxxiv]

In 1991, Diane Minnich began her tenure as Executive Director of the Idaho State Bar and Idaho Law Foundation. Minnich retired in 2024 after 39 years of service to the legal community.  Thank you, Diane!

Judge Jessica M. Lorello is an Idaho native who graduated from Boise High School. She received a master’s degree in health care administration and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After law school, she worked in private practice until 2004 when she joined the Criminal Law Division of the Idaho Attorney General’s Office. Governor Otter appointed Judge Lorello to the Idaho Court of Appeals in 2017. Judge Lorello is also an adjunct professor at the University of Idaho College of Law, is a member of the Law Related Education Committee of the Idaho Law Foundation and is a founding member of Attorneys for Civic Education.

[i] Chris Graham, The 1980s, The Era of Modernization Begins, 68 The Advocate 9 (2025).

[ii] https://www.britannica.com/story/timeline-of-the-1990s (last visited September 11, 2025).

[iii] Id.

[iv] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner, Directors of the Idaho Law Foundation, and Members of the ISB/ILF Bar Center Task Force Joint Meeting Minutes, September 20, 1990.

[v] Id.

[vi] Id.

[vii] Id.

[viii] Id.

[ix] Id.

[x] Id.

[xi] Id.

[xii] Conference Call Minutes for the Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors, December 12, 1991.

[xiii] Conference Call Minutes for the Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors, December 12, 1991.

[xiv] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, December 13, 1991; Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, January 24, 1992.

[xv] Id.

[xvi] Id.

[xvii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, February 14, 1992.

[xviii] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, April 24, 1992.

[xix] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, July 22, 1992.

[xx] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, October 23, 1992.

[xxi] Annual Meeting Minutes, July 21, 1993.

[xxii] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, January 21, 1994 (noting $177,140 in funds raised to contribute to the construction of the new Law Center).

[xxiii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, April 2, 1993.

[xxiv] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, April 23, 1993.

[xxv] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, July 21, 1992.

[xxvi] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, July 22, 1993.

[xxvii] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, October 22, 1993.

[xxviii] Id.

[xxix] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, March 6, 1992.

[xxx] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, April 24, 1992.

[xxxi] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, October 23, 1992.

[xxxii] See Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, November 19, 1992.

[xxxiii] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, January 29, 1993.

[xxxiv] Email interview with Diane Minnich, September 15, 2025.

[xxxv] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, March 5, 1993.

[xxxvi] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, October 22 1993.

[xxxvii] https://www.britannica.com/story/timeline-of-the-1990s (last visited September 11, 2025).

[xxxviii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, March 22, 1991.

[xxxix] https://isb.idaho.gov/blog/60-year-milestone-attorneys-admitted-in-1964/ (last visited September 11, 2025).

[xl] https://isb.idaho.gov/blog/50-year-milestone-attorneys-admitted-in-1973/ (last visited September 11, 2025).

[xli] Many thanks to Mike Oths and Diane Minnich for their insight on the softball saga and to Diane for photo evidence of the same.

[xlii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, February 16, 1990.

[xliii] See Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, May 10, 1991.

[xliv]https://www.innsofcourt.org/AIC/About_Us/Our_Vision_and_Mission/AIC/AIC_About_Us/Vision_Mission_and_Goals.aspx?hkey=27d5bcde-8492-45da-aebd-0514af4154ce (last visited September 12, 2025).

[xlv]https://www.innsofcourt.org/AIC/About_Us/What_Is_an_American_Inn_of_Court/AIC/AIC_About_Us/What_Is_An_American_Inn_of_Court.aspx?hkey=d3aa9ba2-459a-4bab-aee8-f8faca2bfa0f (last visited September 12, 2025).

[xlvi] Id.

[xlvii] Id.

[xlviii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, September 7, 1991.

[xlix]https://www.innsofcourt.org/AIC/Find_an_Inn/AIC/AIC_Get_Involved/Find_An_Inn.aspx?hkey=ffb07a28-dcd9-45dc-bda5-48ab4e2d8e62 (last visited September 12, 2025).

[l] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, January 3, 1991.

[li] Id.

[lii] Id.

[liii] Id.

[liv] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, March 22, 1991.

[lv] Id.

[lvi] Id.

[lvii] Id.

[lviii] Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, January 26, 1990.

[lix] Id.

[lx] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, May 11, 1990.

[lxi] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, June 8, 1990.

[lxii] Id.

[lxiii] Id.

[lxiv] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, August 10, 1990.

[lxv] Id.

[lxvi] Id.

[lxvii] Id.

[lxviii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, March 22, 1991.

[lxix] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, June 7, 1991.

[lxx] Id.

[lxxi] https://laserfiche.isb.idaho.gov/Forms/BookOrder.

[lxxii] Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioner Meeting Minutes, April 19, 1990.

[lxxiii] Id.

[lxxiv] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflight_smoking (last visited September 11, 2025).