Edward A. Lawson

Ed focuses his practice on real estate, business, banking and finance, including representation of clients before administrative agencies and state and federal courts. He provides general counsel services to numerous businesses, real estate brokers, developers and investors. Ed has extensive experience in representing banks and other financial institutions. He has represented parties in nearly every variety of real estate transaction and land use matter and has served as counsel in litigation involving construction, non-disclosure and breach of contract claims, condemnation, zoning, and other police power issues. He has also assisted clients in various securities and financing matters, including private placements in banking, real estate, telecommunication and publishing ventures, NASD arbitrations, SEC investigations, the formation and merger of business entities, and as lead counsel in state and federal commercial litigation.

Banking Experience

Currently, Ed serves as Secretary and General Counsel to Sun Valley Bancorp and outside counsel to US Bank and DL Evans Bank. While employed at Tobin & Tobin in its banking and finance group, he acted as general counsel to the Hibernia Bank and as special counsel to French Bank of California, United California Bank, and Security Pacific Bank. Ed also acted as general counsel to Mountain State Savings, Ketchum, Idaho which merged into Mountain West Savings and was ultimately acquired by Bank of America where he acted as general counsel to Bank of America – Idaho, which included all compliance, employee matters, loan transactions and general litigation.

Representative Real Estate Development Projects

Ed has extensive experience in debating entitlements from national, state, and local government agencies for real estate projects and served 8 years as attorney for Ketchum, Idaho.

Representative of the projects are the following:

Crystal Creek Ranch Cluster Development, Blaine County, ID
Warm Springs Ranch Resort, Ketchum, ID
Hotel Ketchum, Ketchum, ID
Residences at Thunder Spring, Ketchum, ID
Golden Eagle Ranch Planned Unit Development ("PUD"), Blaine County, ID
Thunder Spring PUD, Ketchum, ID
Bigwood PUD, Ketchum, ID
Northwood PUD, Ketchum, ID
Pineridge PUD, Ketchum, ID
Autumn Woods PUD, Ketchum, ID
Airport West PUD, Hailey, ID
Copper Ranch PUD, Hailey, ID
Sunrise Ranch, Bellevue, ID
Northstar Subdivision, Hailey, ID
Southern Star Subdivision, Blaine County, ID
Pioneer Mountain Ranch PUD, Blaine County, ID
Flying Heart Ranch, Blaine County, ID
Circle C Ranch, Adams County, ID
Country Club of the Desert, Riverside County, California
Quail Creek PUD, Blaine County, ID

Published Cases:

First American Title Company v. Chandler 147 Idaho 765, 215 P.3d 485 (2009) (title insurer of deed of trust sought to enforce indemnity agreement under which lienholder had agreed to release lien)

Blaine County v. Rollins 147 Idaho 729, 215 P.3d 1096 (2009) (landowner failed to apply for a site alteration permit and thus failed to exhaust his administrative remedies)

Point of Rocks Ranch, L.L.C. v. Sun Valley Title Ins. Co., 143 Idaho 411, 146 P.3d 677 (2006) (LLC not entitled to recover under the terms of a policy of title insurance where they discovered an undisclosed encumbrance after they had conveyed the real property to another)

Turner v. Cold Springs Canyon LP, 143 Idaho 227, 141 P.3d 1096 (2006) (provision permitting relocation of easement was personal to the then servient landowner)

Hughes v. Fisher, LLC, et al., 142 Idaho 474, 129 P.3d 1223 (2006) (neighbor had implied permission to use path for access to ski slope and, therefore, acquired no prescriptive easement over it)

Hawkes, etal. v. Sun Valley Land & Minerals, 138 Idaho 543, 66 P3d 798 (2003) (lot buyers had no interest in putative common area outside boundary of their respective lots in failed subdivision)

D.A.R. v. Sheffer , 134 Idaho 141, 997 P.2d 602 (2000) (collateral estoppel or res judicata in partnership accounting)

Robbins v. Blaine County, 134 Idaho 113, 996 P.2d 813 (2000) (determination of number of separate parcels of land in large tract)

Karteman v. Jameson , 132 Idaho 910, 980 P.2d 574 (1999) (specific performance unavailable if agreement contemplates more definitive contract)

Sun Valley Hot Springs Ranches v. Kelsey, 131 Idaho 657, 962 P.2d 1041 (1998) (bank which executed release of single lot in mortgage tract retained security interest in remainder of tract free of common area and access rights)

Enright v. Jonassen , 129 Idaho 694, 931 P.2d 1212 (1997) (real estate licensee’s duty of due care based on statewide standard)

Ketchum v. Sinclair Oil Corporation, 123 Idaho 665, 851 P.2d 961(1993) (local option tax applies to lift ticket sales)

Security Pacific Bank of Idaho, F.S.B. v. Curtis, 123 Idaho 320, 847 P.2d 1181 (1993) (judgment debtor's failure to designate judgment creditor as respondent left judgment creditor as a nonparty to appeal)

Sun Valley Land & Minerals, Inc. v. Burt , 123 Idaho 862, 853 P.2d 607 (1993) (BFP status extended by adoption of “shelter rule.”)

Black v. Young , 122 Idaho 302, 834 P.2d 304 (1992) (conditions on alley vacation were ultra vires)

Badell v. Badell, 122 Idaho 442, 835 P.2d 677 (1992) (affirming trial court's determination that provision of marriage settlement contract entitled husband to receive refund of estimated taxes that had been paid by husband)

Express Publishing v. Ketchum , 114 Idaho 114, 753 P.2d 1260 (1988) (term “published” within statutory meaning did not mean area of circulation)

Evans v. Sawtooth Partners , 111 Idaho 381, 723 P.2d 925 (1986) (testimony by offerer regarding unaccepted offer to purchase is admissible evidence limiting decision in Oregon Washington Railroad & Navigation Co. v. Campbell, 34 Idaho 601, 202 P. 1065 (1921).

Investors Limited of Sun Valley v. Sun Mountain Condominiums Phase I, Inc. Homeowners Association, 106 Idaho 855, 683 P.2d 891 (1984) (application of Idaho Condominium Property Act to unbuilt units)

Loomis Construction v. Cudahy, 104 Idaho 106, 656 P.2d 1359 (1982) (District Court may vacate arbitration award in construction contract only on statutory grounds)

Publications & Instruction

Faculty: National Business Institute, Seminar, 2008, Title Law
Faculty: National Business Institute, Seminar, 1998 and 2005, Keys to Success in Real Estate Transactions
College of Southern Idaho, Real Estate Licenses, Seminar, 1999 and 2003
Author: A Duty Owed to the Other Side, 19 I.T.L.A. 1, 1989
Author: Estate Planning with Disclaimers in California, 52 L.A.B.J. 162, 1976
Instructor: Hastings College of Law, 1976
Research Editor: Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, 1974 to 1975

Employment

2002 to Present, Lawson Laski Clark & Pogue, PLLC, Ketchum, Idaho
1992 to 2002, Hawley, Troxell, Ennis & Hawley, Ketchum, Idaho
1982 to 1992, Lawson & Peebles, Ketchum, Idaho
1979 to 1982, Law offices of Edward A. Lawson, Ketchum, Idaho
1975 to 1979, Tobin & Tobin, San Francisco, California

Education

Hastings College of Law, University of California, Juris Doctorate, 1975
University of San Francisco; AB, 1972; Honors: Alpha Sigma Nu; Pi Sigma Alpha
Authorized to Practice: Idaho and California

Bar Associations, Civic Activities, Family and Interests

Member: Idaho State Bar Association; California State Bar Association
Wood River Community YMCA Board of Directors
Idaho State Bar Fee Arbitration Panel

Ed is married with two adult children. His hobbies include skiing, golf, fly fishing, and horseback riding