At the Idaho Association of Defense Counsel’s 61st Annual Meeting in Sun Valley, Trudy Fouser of Hawley Troxell (formerly GjordingǀFouser) was presented with the association’s most prestigious award, The Carl P. Burke Award of Excellence in Legal Defense.
Trudy has been lead counsel for healthcare facilities, governmental entities, businesses and professionals in more than 65 medical malpractice, employment law, and personal injury civil jury trials.
Chambers USA, a national legal directory, interviewees laud Ms. Fouser as an “excellent litigator” and praise her “ability to effectively manage litigation and achieve a successful outcome…along with a gifted ability to persuade and present her point of view.” Benchmark Litigation interviewees hail her as the “leading female litigator in Idaho,” and say “Ms. Fouser’s 20 years of experience in defense litigation makes her the top choice for very difficult and technical matters, particularly in catastrophic injury claims.”
Ms. Fouser is consistently ranked as one the of the top 100 lawyers in the Mountain States (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada) by Super Lawyers. Best Lawyers® named her the Medical Malpractice Law-Defendants Lawyer of the Year in Boise in 2021, and Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants Lawyer of the Year in Boise for the past five years.
Ms. Fouser’s superior trial skills have resulted in her being included into two prominent and invitation-only trial organizations-the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). A lawyer must serve as lead counsel in at least 50 civil trials that are tried to jury verdict to become an Advocate of ABOTA. She is one of only 10 lawyers, and the only female lawyer, in the State of Idaho who has been included in ABOTA. She was also Idaho State Bar President, a 4th District Bar Commissioner, President of the Idaho Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and on the Board of Idaho Women Lawyers.
As stated by IADC’s current President, Stephen Adams, “The Carl P. Burke Award of Excellence recognizes attorneys who possess not only the legal skills to successfully navigate and defend their clients before, during, and after trial, but more importantly, the true civility and ethical standards necessary to maintain the practice of law in Idaho as we have been privileged to experience. Trudy Fouser is a wonderful person who exemplifies these characteristics. She has been a mentor to me for years, and it has been a pleasure for our members to know and learn from her. I have yet to meet a person who has anything negative to say about Trudy, and that is both a testament to her skill, knowledge, and personality.
The Idaho Association of Defense Counsel’s Carl P. Burke Award of Excellence in Legal Defense was established by unanimous Board action in January 2019. The award honors IADC’s first president, 1964 Carl P. Burke, and his contribution to civil defense practice in Idaho. It celebrates and recognizes his distinguished service and extraordinary accomplishments in the field. IADC’s Board saw naming the award after Burke as a way to honor his contributions and to set a standard for future award winners.
