objectively strict quality assurance standards
K
urt Holzer is a James J. May award-winning trial attorney. His fellow Idaho Trial Lawyers selected him as the 2011 Idaho Trial Lawyer of the Year. He has also been recognized as the 2021 “Lawyer of the Year” for plaintiff’s injury representation in Boise by Best Lawyers in America. Like all his partners, Kurt has an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating as a Personal Injury Lawyer from Martindale Hubble, its highest. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© both for plaintiff’s representation and for insurance litigation; as a “Local Litigation Star” for injury litigation by Benchmark Litigation; with the SuperLawyer designation from Thomson Reuters for a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement over the past decade; Lead Counsel designation which provides objectively strict quality assurance standards for attorneys, along with a “Superb” rating of a perfect 10 from the rating organization AVVO and is recognized as a top three personal injury lawyer in Boise and by the Elite Lawyers program. As trial counsel, Kurt has obtained several seven figure jury verdicts in trucking, dram shop, and premises liability litigation. He has also recovered tens of millions of dollars in settlements for his clients. You can contact him via email or our online contact form. He directed the litigation that resulted in a $5,000,000.00 judgment against Advanced Heating & Cooling in a case where their employee driving while drunk killed our clients’ mother. Kurt is also past President of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association. A 1992 graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, Kurt was a William H. Leary Scholar and served as Executive Editor of the Utah Law Review. He is an active presence in the Idaho Legislature and for many years has served as co-chair of the ITLA Governmental Relations committee. He served from 1999 to 2019 as a member of the Professional Conduct Board of the Idaho State Bar. In the spring of 2019, Kurt’s fellow Fourth District Bar members elected him to serve as one of the five commissioners of the Idaho State Bar. He completed his service in July 2022.   Kurt is Chair of the Idaho Law Foundation’s Access to Justice Steering Committee.  Kurt’s service to his profession is also seen in his published articles on trial preparation and litigation skills as well as a survey study on Idaho jury behavior used to inform the legislative process. He has also been the director of the ITLA “Rookie Camp” program teaching new lawyers about plaintiffs’ civil litigation practice. For more about Kurt’s professional background you can visit his personal Linked In page. Kurt is a member of the BikeLaw network of independent cycling attorneys. On his favorite day of the year, Kurt announces professional bicycle racing to crowds exceeding 20,000 at the Boise Twilight Criterium. A long-time competitive cyclist with multiple state criterium champions jerseys, Kurt remains active as a cyclist and a skier. He spends an inordinate amount of his own time advocating for cycling safety and in the saddle himself. For more than a decade he represented America’s Olympic cycling organization, USACycling, in Idaho. He resides in Boise with his wife Ellie and a pair of basset hounds rescued by the Utah Friends of Basset Hounds named Roy and Ben. And with the memory of dogs of earlier eras –Floyd, Rawlf, Lucy, Gunther, Mobley, Katie, Banzai, Phred, Byl and the beloved Ted. He is also ordained as a Minister and enjoys serving as an officiant at weddings. Kurt was elected to two terms on the initial Board of Directors of the Hidden Springs Homeowners Association serving the majority of that time as its President.

EDUCATION & ACCOLADES

  • The S.J. Quinney College of Law at The University of Utah, JD – 1992
    • Honors: William H. Leary Scholar
    • Utah Law Review: Member, 1990-91, Executive Editor, 1991-92
  • Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colorado B.A. cum laude – 1989
  • Idaho Trial Lawyer of the Year 2011 (Idaho Trial Lawyers Association)
  • 2021 Lawyer of the Year for Boise Plaintiff’s Injury Litigation in Best Lawyers®.
  • 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Boise Plaintiff’s Injury Litigation in Best Lawyers®.
  • 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Boise Insurance Litigation in Best Lawyers®.
  • Martindale Hubble AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
  • Listed -The Best Lawyers in America 2015 to Present
    • Litigation – Insurance
    • Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
  • Listed – Super Lawyers 2009 to present
  • Avvo Rated 10- Superb
  • Benchmark Litigation- Local Litigation Star

ORGANIZATIONS

  • Idaho State Bar
    • President – 2022
    • Bar Commissioner 2019-2021
    • Professional Conduct Board Member 2000-2019
    • Member 1993- Present
  • Idaho Trial Lawyers Association,
    • President, 2005 – 2006
    • Governmental Relations Committee, Co-Chair, 2007 – Present
    • Governmental Relations Committee, Member, 1998- 2006
    • Member 1994-Present
  • Idaho Law Foundation
  • American Association for Justice,
    • Idaho Representative, 2000 – 2001
    • Member, 1994 – Present
  • Idaho Supreme Court SLRA Implementation Committee
  • American Inns of Court 1997-99, 2019-Present
  • Southwest Idaho Cycling Association , Manager, 2004 – 2017
  • Lost River Cycling, Board of Directors, 2003 – 2019
  • Hidden Springs Town Association, President-Board of Directors, 2008 – 2010

ARTICLES

  • Relevant Medical Expenses At Trial: Dyet v. McKinley Remains Smart And Controlling Idaho Law, The Advocate, Vol. 60, No. 5, 2017
  • Idaho Injury Law – A Guidebook for Injured Idahoans, Speaker Media Press, 2011
  • SLRA – Its Practical Application Requires Understanding Its Express Language, The Advocate, Vol. 48, No. 2, 2005
  • Jury Awards in Idaho: A Survey Study of Punitive and Non-Economic Damage Awards in Idaho Courts, February 2003, with John Fielder, M.B.A., and Dr. Bryan Storer D.C. (Self-Published Research)
  • The Novice Expert: 20 Rules for Depo Testimony, Law Reporter, Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii, March/April, 2000
  • Readying the Rookie Expert – 20 Rules for Translating Knowledge to Testimony, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 28, Number 4, 1999
  • Understanding and Proving Damages on Behalf of Adult Children in Wrongful Death Litigation, (Co-Author with Dr. Sharon Katz) , Idaho Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 28, Number 2, 1999
  • The Fundamentals of Preparing a Plaintiff for Deposition, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Vol. 27, Number 2, 1998

Commissioner’s Messages

 
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