Bar Number: 30615
Pam Howland is the founder of Idaho Employment Lawyers, a boutique management-side employment law firm dedicated to helping employers learn (and stay in) compliance and avoid the courtroom. Howland recently launched Law for Leaders, a training platform aimed at educating business leaders on staying out of the courtroom. She is also the author of Law for Leaders: The Roadmap Every Leader Needs to Know to Avoid Workplace Claims and Lawsuits, and hosts a weekly podcast called Ground Rules. In March, her firm, IEL, rolled out an interactive card game aimed at helping leaders learn compliance basics called No Judgment Here.
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What is the most interesting case you have handled in your career so far and why?
About five years ago we handled an ADA disability discrimination case that went to trial in federal court. I learned so much about trial length, jury attitudes, and post-trial motions (the judgment against our client was ultimately set aside). I could never have predicted that case was going to take so many unexpected twists and turns.
If you could change one thing about the legal system, what would you change?
Our judicial system feels broken. It is so expensive for an employer to bring a claim (or defend against a claim), due to how long the process takes. The court system is becoming largely unavailable to most business owners.
How is being a lawyer different from the way you thought it would be?
I used to love Law and Order. I thought that trial work would be as satisfying as it looks on TV. Civil practice is definitely nothing like Law-and-Order-style TV!
What is your best piece of advice for someone who’s just entered law school?
Hang in there. There are lots of options available and if one legal job no longer works, try something new.
LIGHTNING ROUND
If you had to give a 10-minute presentation on one topic other than the law, what would it be and why? I love entrepreneurship! I am a member of EO Idaho [The Entrepreneurs’ Organization] and I love talking to lawyers about starting their own firm.
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? I had a protein drink—boring. But I love eggs, and on an ideal Saturday I go out to breakfast where someone makes me a classic American-style breakfast.
What is your favorite smell? I love the smell of Boise in the springtime when all the trees are flowering.
What book have you read more than once? I am a Harlan Coben fan—I have read a lot of his books.
What is the last thing you watched on television? The most recent season of The Lincoln Lawyer.
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