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Walter Bithell
Walter H. Bithell
Partner
wbithell@hollandhart.com
Boise Office
U.S. Bank Plaza
101 S. Capitol Boulevard
Suite 1400
Boise, ID 83702-7714
Phone: 208-342-5000
Fax: 800-943-8240

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PRACTICE AREAS

Commercial Litigation
Construction and Design Representation
Tort Defense and Insurance
Products Liability
Class Actions

EXPERIENCE

Mr. Bithell's practice emphasis is on business and commercial litigation, construction litigation, individual and class action tort litigation, products liability, professional liability, and general litigation.

He practiced as a trial lawyer with Langroise, Sullivan & Smylie from 1972 until 1984, when the firm merged with Holland & Hart. Prior to joining Langroise Sullivan, Mr. Bithell was the deputy attorney general for the state of Idaho and served as general counsel for the Idaho State Department of Insurance and the Idaho State Tax Commission. He is a senior litigation attorney with Holland & Hart and has published and lectured extensively on trial-related subjects.

Mr Bithell is admitted to practice in the following courts:

Idaho Supreme Court (1968)

United States District Court, District of Idaho (1968)

United States Court of Federal Claims (1991)

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (1992)

United States Supreme Court (1995)

HONORS

Currently listed in The Best Lawyers in America (more than 10 consecutive years)

Currently listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business (Litigation)

Currently listed in Law Dragon, The Leading 500 Trial Lawyers in America

Currently listed in Mountain States Super Lawyers

Named for 2009 as the "Idaho Best Lawyers Personal Injury Litigator of the Year" by The Best Lawyers in America

Idaho State Bar 2006 Professionalism Award

Idaho Trial Lawyers Association 2006, Trial Lawyer of the Year

University of Idaho Alumni Association, UI Gold and Silver Award (2001) - recognizes living alumni who have a distinguished record of achievement and service in his/her specialized area of endeavor

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- Fellowship is extended only by invitation, after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.

Fellow, The Litigation Counsel of America, A Trial Lawyer Honorary Society

National Board of Trustees, American Inns of Court (2006-2010)

President, American Inns of Court No. 130 (2005-2006)

President, Idaho State Bar (1998)

Idaho Supreme Court, Committee on Revisions to the Idaho Civil Jury Instructions (1995-2004)

Currently Board of Directors, University of Idaho Foundation

Currently Sustaining Member, SCRIBES, The American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects

Commissioner, Idaho State Bar (1996-1998)

Board of Governors, American Association for Justice (formerly American Trial Lawyers Association) (1993-1996)

President, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association (1981-1982)

Past Member, Idaho Law Foundation Board of Directors

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

April 2010, Panelist, "A Delicate Balance: Judges, Juries, Lawyers and Journalists," Andrus Center for Public Policy and the Idaho Press Club, in cooperation with the Idaho State Bar Association and University of Idaho College of Law Seminar

June 2007, ITLA - Voir Dire

April 2007, University of Idaho, Lawyering Process - Settlement Risk Evaluation

March 2007, Idaho State Bar, Trial Skills Academy, Voir Dire

February 2007, Panelist, ITLA, Anatomy of a Civil Trial

November 2006, Judges Panel, University of Idaho, National Moot Court Region 13 Competition

September 2006, Holland & Hart, Trial Advocacy Institute

July 2006, ITLA, Non-Economic Damages - Real, Substantial, and Provable

October 2001, Idaho State Bar, Evidence Issues

July 2001, Idaho State Bar Annual Meeting, Moderator, Representing Clients in Mediation

June 2001, ITLA, Living With, and Loving the Law

November 2000, May 2001, and November 2001, Idaho State Bar, Citizens Law Academy, Torts

May 2000, Idaho Law Foundation, Presenting an Effective Closing Argument

February 2000, Young Lawyers Section, Idaho State Bar, Building a Plaintiff's Practice

July 1999, Federal Practice Program, Expert Witness Reports

February 1999, ITLA, Anatomy of a Civil Trial - Mock Trial Presentation (Plaintiff's Opening Statement)

January 1999, The Advocate, President's Column: Thanks

December 1998, The Advocate, President's Column: Service

November 1998, The Advocate, President's Column: The California Experience: A Valuable Lesson

November 1998 - January 1999, Idaho Law Foundation, Speaker, Magistrate Judges' Conference District Judges' Conference and Civil Law Update

October 1998, The Advocate, President's Column: Thinking in the Future Tense

September 1998, The Advocate, President's Column: Successful Lawyers Are Not Rude and Unprofessional

September 1998, Idaho State Bar, Speaker, Admissions Ceremony

August 1998, The Advocate, President's Column: Thinking, A Neglected Art

August 1998, University of Idaho School of Law, Class of 2001, Speaker, Convocation

July 1998, Federal District Conference, District of Idaho, Panelist: Chicken Soup for the Motion Practitioner

November 1997, ITLA, Applied Technology in the Courtroom: --Winning Techniques

April 1997, Idaho Law Foundation, Judging Panel: Mock Trial Competition

January 1997, District Judges' Seminar, Tort Law Developments

1996 to present, The Idaho Statesman, Weekly Column Addressing Legal Issues from readers

December 1996, Idaho State Bar, Annual Law Update 1996 - Tort Law

November 1996, ITLA, Cases You Don't Know About That Will Make You Money: Representing People Who Get Sick/Die from Eating at a Restaurant.

November 1995, University of Idaho College of Law, Judging Panel: National Moot Court Regional Competition

November 1994, Idaho Law Foundation, Annual Litigation Seminar: Daubert: Friend or Foe of Junk Science?

July 1994, Federal District Conference, Panelist: Settlement Conferences

July 1994, Idaho Judicial Conference, Panelist: Evidence

June 1993, ITLA, The Perils of Litigation Practice [Ethics]

February 1992, ITLA, Update '92: Questions You Need to Know But Haven't Thought To Ask

November 1991, ITLA, Fall Seminar: Ethics in Litigation

October 1991, Idaho Law Foundation, Multidistrict & Complex Litigation: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Mechanics of the Use of Computers in The Courtroom

October 1991, Boise State University, Topics in the History of Medicine

September 1991, Idaho Law Foundation, Idaho Practical Skills Course: Insurance Law

EDUCATION

University of Idaho J.D. 1968

University of Idaho B.S. 1965