Associate Matthew Johnson was recently elected as a Board Member for the Rotary Club of Nampa. His term will begin July 1, 2012.

Matt has been a member of Nampa Rotary for two years. Through Rotary Club he has worked on the Nampa Rotary Paws for a Cause dog walk which raises funds to support Rotary’s service projects in the community. For information on the 2012 Paws for a Cause visit http://www.paws4acause.us/.

Matt recently helped with the annual Nampa Rotary Club Dictionary Project which delivered 120 dictionaries to 3rd graders at Willow Creek Elementary. Overall, the 2012 Dictionary Project will deliver over 1000 dictionaries to area third graders.

On February 3, 2012, White Peterson Office Administrator Carla Behrens was inducted into the Skyview High School Hall of Fame for her distinguished service as a Skyview High School Booster’s Club Founder and President. Carla helped organize the Skyview High School Booster’s Club in 1998, and since that time has served as that organization’s only President.

During her tenure as President, Carla has organized many booster events and programs such as Skyview Booster’s College Scholarship, Skyview High School Apparel Sales, and Battle of the Moms. Additionally, Carla has coordinated numerous district and state tournament hospitality events, and supported all athletic and activity programs at Skyview. Carla has also contributed through her dedication of time and service on several committees, facilitating Booster financial support for teams traveling to state tournaments, championship banners, and improvements to Skyview Hawks Stadium, Powerhawk Gym, and the Skyview Baseball Complex.

Carla’s commitment to Skyview High School athletics reflects the type of community involvement that has been a hallmark of employees of White Peterson. Her dedication is respected and appreciated by all who work here.

Three White Peterson attorneys, Terry White, William Nichols, and Matthew Johnson, participated in the Idaho Municipal Attorneys Winter Workshop held in Meridian, Idaho on January 27, 2012. Discussion items included a municipal law legislative preview, dispute resolution for cities, an update on 42 U.S.C. section 1983, a municipal case law update, and a presentation from the University of Idaho College of Law’s new Economic Development Clinic. A roundtable discussion of current municipal law issues was held, including discussion of recent developments in stormwater funding and the City of Lewiston stormwater utility case. Matthew Johnson provided an update on recent legal challenges to the City of Nampa stormwater and drainage utility.

White Peterson has long been active in the Idaho Municipal Attorneys Association [http://www.idahomunicipalattorneys.org/] The IMA provides for the continuing education of city attorneys and for ongoing discussion and deliberation on municipal law issues.

At a recent meeting of the Third District Bar, White Peterson shareholder Philip A. Peterson was awarded the 2011 Professionalism Award from the Idaho State Bar. The Professionalism Award is an expression of respect, commendation and appreciation from the recipient’s peers. It is one of the highest honors Idaho lawyers can receive during their careers.

Honorees are lawyers who have a reputation for civility, ability, diligence, integrity, courtesy and cooperation – epitomizing what it means to be a first-class attorney. Attorneys who exhibit these qualities have distinguished the profession through their conduct and service.

Phil is Past President and current Treasurer for the Southwest Idaho Estate Planning Council and is a regular speaker for the Biennial Idaho Forest Taxation & Estate Planning Conference. He is a current member of the Idaho State Bar Taxation, Probate and Trust Law Section and has also served for years as an Idaho Bar exam grader.

In addition to his law firm practice, he has been active in voluntary community work for over 25 years. Among his community activities are: Nampa Kiwanis Club; Canyon Area United Way; Boise Philharmonic Association; University of Idaho Alumni Association; Parkview School Building Advisory Team; Nampa Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Steering Committee. Phil was recently presented the 2011 A+ Friend of Education Award by the Idaho Education Association for volunteer work with the Nampa School District Early Childhood Learning Center at Lakeridge School.

Commenting on the Award, Phil wrote: I view professionalism in the legal profession as a combination of technical competence, personal integrity, appropriate advocacy and concern for clients’ best interests, ‘bedside manner’ with clients, and respectful courtesy towards other members of the bar. In my experience the late Allyn Dingel and Albert Menard, together with contemporaries Donald Burnett, Edward Ahrens, Stephen Pruss, William Wellman, Carl Hamilton, and William Morrow, have particularly exemplified in their various practices, these attributes.

Phil is the fourth member of the firm to receive this prestigious award.

White Peterson partner, Philip A. Peterson, will assist in two estate planning workshops set for Boise and Nampa in October. The workshops, coordinated by the University of Idaho Extension Service, are being held to help participants safeguard their family’s financial future.

The Boise workshop is scheduled for October 11th and 18th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will be held at the Ada County Courthouse, 200 Front Street. The Nampa workshop is scheduled for October 13th and 20th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will be held at the Nampa Civic Center, 311 3rd Street South.

Over the two evenings, participants will learn which legal documents are essential and why family communication is crucial. They will build an understanding of wills, probate, trusts and proper titling of assets, and how to organize personal information so it can be easily accessed by family members. They will also develop a detailed plan to address estate planning and end-of-life issues.

For more information, please call our office at 466-9272 or contact Beverly Healy at 287-5900. You can also download a registration form from www.uidaho.edu/extension/ada.

White Peterson partners, Terrence R. White and William F. Nichols, have been appointed to the Legal Technical Analysis Team of the AIC Legislative Committee for the 2011-2012 year. In addition to assisting the deliberations of the AIC Legislative Committee, they will play an important role in reviewing and analyzing bills during the 2012 legislative session.

Three attorneys from White Peterson presented information at the continuing legal education portion of the annual meeting of the Idaho Municipal Attorneys Association held in Boise, Idaho on June 24, 2011. William F. Gigray presented materials and information on the methods Idaho cities can use to receive a fair return to taxpayers for private uses of a city’s rights of way, information on the impact of property tax exemptions granted to businesses that expand and add workers, and the effect that foreclosures against developers can have on the construction and ownership of public infrastructure needed to serve a foreclosed development. William F. Nichols presented materials and information regarding assessment liens created by local improvement districts and subordination requests from lenders. Matthew A. Johnson presented materials and information on creation of a stormwater utility to manage and fund stormwater related public infrastructure in order to respond to Environmental Protection Agency requirements related to provisions of the federal Clean Water Act.

Davis F. VanderVelde recently completed the Leadership Nampa course offered through the Nampa Chamber of Commerce. The program, which is now in its 17th year, is an excellent educational opportunity for people that want to shape their professional futures and the future of their communities.

No other program provides this kind of in-depth exposure to a variety of issues that impact the citizens of our community. Participants that go through the program, develop a network of relationships throughout the community that will bring a fresh, broadened perspective of the challenges and opportunities facing our community.

He commented on his experience going through the Leadership Nampa program:

The monthly seminars were incredibly helpful providing the participants with many tools to help hone leadership skills. The many tours that were offered provided significant insight into the City and its operations and the many opportunities that exist in Nampa through both private and public enterprise. Perhaps most importantly, I had the opportunity to meet, work with, and foster relationships with many citizens of the City of Nampa. Leadership Nampa was an incredible experience which helped me further appreciate the incredible community that I have the privilege to live and work within.

White Peterson attorney William F. Nichols testified before the House State Affairs Committee of the Idaho Legislature on Monday, March 14, 2011 as the committee considered House Bill 242. This particular legislation would restrict the ability of state or local government to use eminent domain to obtain property for pedestrian and bicycle pathways, including greenbelt pathways. In his testimony Mr. Nichols explained how the eminent domain process works and why it is sparingly used, typically as a last resort when negotiations to purchase property have failed. The Committee voted to send the bill to the amending order for an amendment to clarify one part of the bill. If the amended bill is approved by the committee it will go to the full House of Representatives.

On Monday, January 17, 2011, Attorneys Matthew Johnson and William Punkoney of the Firm argued the case of Nelson v. NASA before the Mock Supreme Court at the College of Idaho. The case was a constitutional law question involving a public employee’s right to informational privacy. Johnson and Punkoney are both alumni of the College of Idaho who participated on the Mock Court as students. The Mock Supreme Court at the College of Idaho is unique because students take the roles of the nine justices, and Instructor Dr. Kerry Hunter invites local attorneys to argue the briefs before the Court. Students then draft opinions from the perspective of their assigned justice.