John Avondet is a shareholder with Beard St. Clair Gaffney and is a trial attorney.
John joined the firm in 2006 and has considerable experience in complex tort, commercial litigation, and plaintiff’s medical malpractice. His experience includes cases involving federal and state antitrust laws, the Capper-Volstead Act, the Idaho Competition Act, the Consumer Protection Act, Idaho Trademark Act, and non-competes. John represents a variety of businesses and individuals, including medical clinics, assisted living facilities, printing businesses, seed potato farms, accountants, and construction professionals.
John works on the vast majority of the appellate cases handled by Beard St. Clair Gaffney’s litigation group. He is a founding Appellate Section member for the Idaho State Bar. He has written multiple appellate briefs to both the Idaho Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit. John has multiple appearances before the Idaho Supreme Court where he has argued successfully for his clients.
John served as the President of the Seventh District Bar Association from 2016-2017. He has contributed significant time to fostering an environment of professionalism and collegiality among the members of the local bar association. John’s responsibilities as president included the planning of continuing education for attorneys as well as acting as a liaison between the bar association and the judiciary. John has also been involved in the planning of the East Idaho Citizen’s Law Academy, a forum for citizens interested in the law to learn from judges, educators, and practitioners about the legal system. In 2019, John was appointed to the Civil Rules Advisory Committee.
John is a Sustaining Member of the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association and is a member of ITLA’s Board of Directors. John believes in ITLA’s mission statement to preserve the rights of Idaho citizens to trial by jury and to seek redress for those who have been injured or whose property has been damaged.
John received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Prior to attending law school, he interned for the Department of State at its embassy in Prague, Czech Republic. John received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Kansas School of Law in Lawrence, Kansas. While in law school, he received recognition for exceptional scholarship in the discipline of Land Transactions and for draftsmanship of Moot Court legal briefing.
John is married and has three children. John is a passionate fan of the Kansas Jayhawk men’s basketball team and enjoys playing on his annual USTA men’s tennis team.
Reported Appellate Decisions (Argued)
- Silver Creek Seed LLC v. Sunrain Varieties LLC, 161 Idaho 270 (2016)
- Pocatello Hospital, LLC v. Quail Ridge Medical Investors, LLC, 339 P.3d 1136 (2014) (PMC II)
- Pocatello Hospital, LLC v. Quail Ridge Medical Investors, LLC, 156 Idaho 709 (2014) (PMC I)
- Taylor v. Chamberlain, 154 Idaho 695 (2013)
- Bagley v. Thomason, 149 Idaho 799 (2010)
- Bagley v. Thomason, 149 Idaho 806 (2010) Grover v. Wadsworth, 147 Idaho 60 (2008)
Reported Appellate Decisions (Briefed)
- Wickel v. Chamberlain, — P.3d — (Idaho December 23, 2015)
- Taylor v. Riley, 336 P.3d 256 (Idaho 2014)
- Printcraft Press, Inc. v. Sunnyside Park Utilities, Inc., 153 Idaho 440 (2012)
- Johannsen v. Utterbeck, 146 Idaho 423 (2008)
- Weeks v. Eastern Idaho Health Services, Inc., 143 Idaho 834 (2007)