Paralegal Supervisor, Valerie H. Thomas

Valerie grew up the 7th of 8 children in a small South Dakota-Wyoming border town (then, pop. 2,000). Not to be outdone by the remarkable accomplishments of her older siblings, Valerie’s high school performance earned her a “full-ride” to an Ivy League school “back East” where she obtained a B.S. degree from Vassar College, worked in a Washington D.C. U.S. Senate office under the direct supervision of Tam Daschle (later, U.S. Senate Majority Leader), and then in New York City at the Wall Street law firm of Cravath, Swain, and Moore as the firm’s Legislative Paralegal and then its Legislative Librarian.

Valerie eventually returned “West” to attend law school, during which she married, was blessed with 2 of her 3 magnificent children, and teamed up her 2L year to win the National Championship of A.T.L.A.’s Student Trial Advocacy Competition on behalf of the Wyoming College of Law. Prior to obtaining her J.D. degree, Valerie and her family moved to a rural, but culturally diverse, community in the heart of Wyoming’s spectacularly beautiful Wind River Country where she and members of her young family matured and flourished. While supporting her 3 children’s healthy development both in and out of the classroom, Valerie also established her legal career, focusing earlier on labor and employment law before transitioning to the complex practice of Federal Indian, as well as Tribal, law, and finally, once all her children had flown their “proverbial nest,” the full-time practice of criminal and quasi-criminal juvenile law. Valerie’s professional career in Wyoming culminated in her serving as its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Ombudsman until 2019 when she moved to Idaho’s Treasure Valley where all her young grandchildren then lived.

Since moving to the Greater Boise Metro area, Valerie has adapted her passion for cross-country skiing to other, more urban outdoor activities. She continues joyfully devoting herself to life-long learning, volunteering in the field of addiction recovery, and connecting with numerous friends and family in the Valley, across the country, and beyond its borders.