Boise, Idaho—Stoel Rives LLP is pleased to announce that litigators Elijah M. Watkins and Jenny Palmer have each received a 2023 “Leaders in Law” award from the Idaho Business Review. The award recognizes practitioners for their dedication, hard work, skill, tenacity, and compassion and is dedicated to individuals whose leadership, both in the legal profession and in the community, has had a positive impact on Idaho. The honorees will be celebrated at a ceremony on November 14, 2023, at Boise Centre East.
Watkins, a partner of the firm, is a trial attorney with extensive experience and success in defending clients in “bet-the-company” disputes on complex intellectual property, product liability, unlawful trade practices, and commercial contract matters. He represents public and private companies of every size operating in a broad range of industries, including Fortune 50 companies, in state and federal courts across the country. Since 2018, Watkins has been selected as one of “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business” by Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial.
Dedicated to pro bono service throughout his career and a member of Stoel Rives’ Pro Bono Committee since 2022, Watkins has also taken on a wide range of pro bono cases in which he represents vulnerable members of the community, including domestic violence victims, political asylees, endangered children, disabled citizens, and incarcerated persons. The impacts of his pro bono work range from securing broad civil rights protections for citizens to using the power of the courts to obtain legal protections within the intimate space of families.
Palmer, an associate of the firm, is a skilled litigator with deep experience in employment defense. She defends her clients against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, and wrongful termination and has led high-impact employment cases and achieved significant wins for her clients. She also conducts internal investigations and advises clients on employment-related questions. Over the past few years, Palmer recognized a growing need for employment counsel in Idaho and took the lead in expanding Stoel’s Boise employment practice, which continues to grow. Since 2022, Palmer has been Included in Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in America in Commercial Litigation.
Palmer also maintains an active pro bono practice. Since 2021, she has represented court-appointed guardians ad litem in child protection cases in Idaho state court. Guardians ad litem advocate for children removed from their homes in cases of parental neglect or abuse.