Attorney
Sarah Tompkins is a criminal defense attorney with over 15 years of experience handling criminal cases ranging in seriousness from infractions and misdemeanors to research and appellate work on death penalty cases. Upon graduating from the University of Idaho College of Law, Sarah was a judicial clerk at Division III of the Washington Court of Appeals in her hometown of Spokane, Washington. Following her clerkship, Sarah left Washington state for Boise to join the Idaho State Appellate Public Defender's Office. Sarah has argued over a dozen cases before the Idaho Supreme Court, and has handled well over one hundred appeals, as an appellate attorney specializing in criminal defense.
After almost ten years in appellate practice, Sarah transitioned to the Ada County Public Defender's Office. As a trial level public defender, Sarah loved engaging directly with clients, but found her true joy in helping to build the first legal research and writing specialist position within this office. During this time, Sarah was awarded the John Adams award, recognizing excellence in public defense, by the Idaho Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.