Jacob Downes is an associate in Hawley Troxell’s Litigation, Insurance, and Employment practice groups in Boise. Jacob received his J.D. cum laude from Notre Dame Law School in 2024 and went on to serve as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan of the Idaho Supreme Court.
During law school, he completed the 2023 Hawley Troxell Summer Associate Program, where he drafted motions, pleadings, & responses to charges of discrimination before the Idaho Human Rights Commission and observed client proceedings and oral arguments before the Idaho Supreme Court. Jacob also spent a semester as a legal intern for Notre Dame Law School’s Community Development Clinic, where he helped clients structure an LLC, obtain 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, and apply for property tax exemptions.
Prior to law school, Jacob attended Oklahoma State University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Science in 2020.
Idaho
Notre Dame Law School, Faculty Award for Excellence – Legal Writing, 2021
Law School:
Notre Dame Law School, J.D. cum laude, 2024
Notre Dame Journal of Legislation
Managing Note Editor, 2023-2024
Staff Editor, 2022-2023
Undergraduate:
Oklahoma State University, B.S. Human Development & Family Science, magna cum laude, 2020
Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan, Idaho Supreme Court, 2024-2025
Legal Intern, Transportation Security Administration, Office of Chief Counsel, 2022
Several significant immigration developments have emerged in recent weeks that may affect employers’ hiring practices, workforce planning, immigration sponsorship strategies, and compliance obligations. Most notably,…
ReadThis article, originally published in the May 2026 Edition of The Advocate, explores several examples of Idaho statutes where the presence of ambiguities and confusion…
ReadThis article, originally published in the May 2026 Edition of The Advocate, explores what law firms can do to leverage AI integration with both innovation…
ReadThis article, originally published in the May 2026 Edition of The Advocate, examines the Court’s interpretation of the Idaho Patient Act (IPA), its articulation of…
Read
