Betty Richardson joined Concordia University School of Law as an Adjunct Professor in August of 2016. Previously, she was an adjunct professor at Boise State University where she taught American National Government, Family Law and Constitutional Law. She also served as the Idaho Law Foundation’s staff attorney for Continuing Legal Education Program Planning, working with accomplished attorneys statewide to plan and present Continuing Legal Education programs on a wide variety of topics.
In 1991, Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus nominated Prof. Richardson as the attorney Commissioner on the Idaho Industrial Commission, the state agency that adjudicates workers’ compensation disputes, reviews appeals from the Department of Employment, and administers the Idaho Crime Victims Compensation Program. She was confirmed by the Idaho State Senate and served as Chairman of the Commission.
In 1993, President Clinton nominated Prof. Richardson as the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho. She was unanimously confirmed by the full United States Senate. In this position, Prof. Richardson served on the U.S. Attorney General’s Subcommittees on Domestic Terrorism, Environmental Crimes, and Native American issues. She also served on the Judges and Lawyers’ Representatives Committee, the Gender Fairness Committee, and the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee for the District of Idaho. While U.S. Attorney, Prof. Richardson received the Harold Hughes Exceptional Service to Rural Communities Award from the National Institute on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Previously, Prof. Richardson engaged in private practice in Boise, Idaho. She has served as a judicial law clerk in three capacities. She was employed for two years in the chambers of U.S. District Court Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill, for one year in the chambers of former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Robert C. Huntley, Jr., and for one year for the San Francisco Superior Court, Criminal Division. She is currently on sabbatical from the firm of Richardson and Adams, PLLC.
Prof. Richardson received her Bachelors of Arts, magna cum laude, in 1976 from the University of Idaho where she was named an Outstanding Senior. A 1982 graduate of Hastings College of the Law, Prof. Richardson was a teaching assistant for the Hastings Legal Education Opportunity Program, providing academic support in courses on Torts, Civil Procedure and Constitutional Law. Prof. Richardson wrote for the Hastings Constitutional Law quarterly and graduated from the Hastings Public Service Law Program. A three year recipient of the prestigious Tony Patino Fellowship, a merit award recognizing exceptional scholarship, leadership and public service, Prof. Richardson was named a Tony Patino Fellow upon graduation.
Prof. Richardson has also received the Idaho Women Lawyers’ Kate Feltham Award honoring individuals who have made extraordinary efforts to promote equal rights and opportunities for women and minorities within Idaho’s legal profession. She has been recognized by the Idaho State Bar with an Outstanding Service Award and a Pro Bono Service Award. She has received the ACLU Dave Judy Civil Rights Service Award and been named an Idaho Business Review Woman of the Year.