Members,

I would like to congratulate two new board members, Michelle Gustavson and Amy Lombardo in joining the Idaho Women Lawyers’ board of directors.

Michelle graduated first in her class from the University of Idaho College of Law in 2008. After clerking for Justice Burdick on the Idaho Supreme Court, Michelle joined Hawley Troxell where she now has a business transactional and finance practice.

Amy recently moved to Idaho to continue her commercial litigation practice. Before moving to Idaho, Amy was an associate with Bancroft, McGavin, Horvath and Judkins, P.C. in Virginia and graduated from George Mason University School of Law in 2005.

IWL’s board of directors is now made up of the following women:

Laura Burri, Wendy Couture, Jennifer Dempsey (Vice President), Peg Dougherty, Deborah Ferguson, Demi Fisher, Michelle Gustavson, Nicole Hancock (President), Peggy Hinman, Mary Huneycutt, Amy Lombardo, Jenifer Marcus, Kathleen McRoberts (Secretary), Deborah Nelson, Nicole Trammel Pantera, Michelle Points, and Erin Wynn (Treasurer).

Both Amy and Michelle have hit the ground running and we are excited to have them bring new energy and drive to the Idaho Women Lawyers’ board. Welcome!

Nicole Hancock

Leadership is a common theme for IWL this year. Please see the IWL August Letter from IWL President, Nicole Hancock.

Mentor Kick-Off Lunch, Hawley Troxell, July 20 (12-1 pm)

“Summer of Fun,” Fork, July 26 (5-7 pm)

Go Lead Confidently, Susan Dahl-Robertson, Stoel Rives, August 16 (12 -1 pm)

“Summer of Fun,” Botanical Gardens, September

“Case Management and Best Practices” with panelists Chief U.S. Judge Winmill, Chief Magistrate Judge Dale, Keely Duke, and Trudy Fouser. Idaho State Bar, November 3, 2011 (12-1:30pm)

2012 Idaho State Bar Annual Meeting Boise, ID July 11-13, 2012

Dear Members,

Please see the attached IWL July Letter From The President Nicole Hancock detailing our current events and how members can be involved in IWL.

Please join ACLU of Idaho for continuing education about constitutional issues relevant to prescient topics of the day. IWL member and US Attorney Wendy Olson will be presenting on July 26, 2011. Please click the link to learn more. 2011 Law Liberty Flyer

For those who were able to attend the White House Project’s Go Lead Idaho, it was a huge success. The White House Project’s success rate speaks for itself. Thank you to those who attended and represent the next generation of Idaho’s leadership. Thank you to the White House Project for bringing this opportunity to Boise. For more details on the impact coming to our community, see the letter from the White House Project.

Idaho Women Lawyers would like to congratulate member and University of Idaho Law School graduating student, Allison Blackman for earning the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) Outstanding Law Student award. Each year, NAWL selects an outstanding law student, male or female, who best exemplifies the following characteristics: contributes to the advancement of women in society; promotes issues and concerns of women in the legal profession; exhibits motivation, tenacity and enthusiasm, demonstrates high academic achievement, and earns the respect of the faculty. Only one student per school can be selected each year and the University of Idaho chose Allison. University of Idaho Law School Dean, Donald L. Burnett Jr. notified Allison by letter, saying that she “easily leapt to the top of the list as someone who meets all of these criteria.”

During her time at law school, Allison was chair of the Women’s Law Caucus and she was instrumental in launching the mentor program between IWL and the University of Idaho. Dean Burnett closed his letter by saying that Allison has “been a powerful and moving force for women in our school, our profession, and our state.” IWL is proud to call Allison a member and looks forward to many more years of her involvement in our organization. Congratulations Allison!

2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year for IWL. For more information on how to get involved, please see IWL May Letter From The President.

Anne Wilde, an IWL member, is pleased to share the opening of a specialized practice: The HR & Benefits Advisor, PLLC.

The focus of The HR & Benefits Advisor is HR counseling on employment laws and ERISA. With respect to the employment practice, the firm will help employers develop and implement preventive strategies in the workplace to reduce legal and financial risk. The firm provides supervisor and employee training on critical employment law topics, such as discrimination in the workplace, ADAAA disability accommodations in the workplace, wage and hour laws, effective employee leave administration and other topics. The firm’s employee benefits practice focuses on employer-sponsored health and welfare benefit plans, with a present emphasis on advising employers/plan sponsors on ERISA, including significant health care reform compliance obligations.

Feel free to visit the firm’s website for a list of services The HR & Benefits Advisor offers its client employer groups, providing employment and benefits counsel to employer clients with a focus on cost-effective compliance solutions: www.TheHRandBenefitsAdvisor.com.