Lawyers from Idaho’s Fourth Judicial District recently elected Hepworth Holzer, LLP partner Kurt Holzer as one of the Fourth District’s two representatives on the Idaho State Bar Commission. The ISB governs the practice of law in Idaho particularly in the area of admissions and discipline pursuant to authority granted by the Idaho Supreme Court. The ISB is a self-governing agency of the State of Idaho. All attorneys practicing law in Idaho must be licensed by the ISB. But, the ISB operates on attorney licensing fees and receives no tax dollars.
Kurt served 20 years as a member of the ISB Professional Conduct Board. He is a past-President of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association. And, was acknowledged as the Idaho Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2011. Like his firm’s other partners he is AV-rated. He has also been ranked at their top tier by other industry rating organizations such as Super Lawyers, AVVO, Best Lawyers in America and Benchmark Litigation. He graduated from the SJ Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in 1992.
The ISB is governed by five commissioners. They are elected by other lawyers from Idaho’s seven judicial districts. Two commissioners are from the Fourth District (Ada, Elmore, Boise, and Valley counties). One commissioner represents the First and Second Districts, one the Third and Fifth Districts and one the Sixth and Seventh Districts.
Kurt will commence his three-year term on the Board of commissioners starting in July 2019.
John has been with the firm since 1990. Like all partners in the firm, John is an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated Personal Injury Lawyer. . The AV rating is a peer review rating based upon esteem amongst the legal profession. John has had numerous honors bestowed on him by his peers in the legal community, including being selected for membership in respected national organizations, such as The American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). In 2018, John was inducted as a fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, a prestigious organization in which membership is limited to no more than 1% of lawyers practicing in their home state. John has also served as President of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, and in 2015 was named Plaintiff’s Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America.
In addition to his trial practice, John is a frequent lecturer on trial skills and civil practice to attorneys in Idaho. He also maintains his commitment to the legal profession through service on various committees such as Committee to Revise the Idaho Civil Jury Instructions and the Idaho Rules of Evidence Committee. Most recently, John was appointed by the Idaho Supreme Court to serve on the Civil Justice Reform Committee.
John graduated with Honors from the University of Idaho School of Law in 1986, where he served as Executive Editor of the Idaho Law Review. He is admitted to practice in Idaho State Courts, the Federal District Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
His legal acumen, self-effacing style, and presentation skill has resulted in John being a frequent lecturer for other lawyers on topics relating to civil trial practice. He has served the profession in helping revise the Idaho Jury Instructions, the Idaho Rules of Evidence, and the Rules of Civil Procedure through committee appointments from the Idaho Supreme Court. He is a member and past President of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, and is admitted to practice before the state courts, the federal district court, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. John has also had substantial appellate experience, and been involved in a significant number of reported appellate decisions.
