Practice Areas: Personal Injury, Estate Planning & Probate, Workers' Compensation; view more
Licensed in Idaho since: 1983
Education: Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School
Languages Spoken: English, Japanese
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2024 Call today:
208-963-8779
Free Consultation Merrill & Merrill, Chtd.
109 N Arthur5th Floor
Pocatello, ID 83204 Visit website
Details
Kent A. Higgins is a distinguished attorney at Merrill & Merrill, the oldest and most revered law firm in Pocatello, Idaho. Since joining the firm in 2002, he has adeptly handled a variety of legal matters across Eastern and Southeast Idaho, as well as Utah. His areas of practice are extensive and include personal injury, wrongful death, workers' compensation, commercial litigation, mass tort, Social Security Disability, native tribal law and estate planning. Additionally, his fluency in English and Japanese allows him to effectively communicate and serve a diverse clientele.
Mr. Higgins' academic achievements laid a solid foundation for his legal career; he earned both his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from Brigham Young University in the late '70s and early '80s. During his time in law school, he contributed as both an author and editor to the J. Reuben Clark Law School Journal of Legal Studies, sharpening his analytical and writing skills.
Known for his thorough and compassionate approach, Mr. Higgins has a reputation for achieving substantial settlements and advocating effectively for his clients' rights. His proficiency is particularly noted in managing significant personal injury claims and complex commercial litigation, where his strategic and thoughtful approach leads to favorable outcomes.
In addition to his practice, Mr. Higgins' leadership within the legal community is exemplary. He serves as the president of the Idaho State Bar and has previously led the 6th District Bar Association. His commitment to community service is evident through his roles as chairman of the Southeast Idaho Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society and his active participation in the Pocatello Rotary Club.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Estate Planning & Probate, Workers' Compensation: Claimant, Business Litigation, Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Products: PlaintiffFocus areas
Animal Bites, Assault, Birth Injury, Brain Injury, Construction Accident, Delayed or Incorrect Diagnosis, Dental Malpractice, Dram Shop Laws, Estate Planning, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Informed Consent, Living Wills, Medical Devices, Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Motor Vehicle Defects, Non-Compete Agreements, Personal Injury - Defense, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Pharmaceutical, Power of Attorney, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Probate & Estate Administration, Sexual Abuse - Plaintiff, Slip and Fall, Toxic Mold, Trade Secret, Trucking Accidents, Trusts, Wills, Wrongful Death
- 30% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 20% Estate Planning & Probate
- 20% Workers' Compensation: Claimant
- 10% Business Litigation
- 10% Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff
- 10% Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1982, Utah
Professional Webpage: https://www.merrillandmerrill.com/kent-a-higgins/
- Tribal Court of the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation
- Pocatello Inns of Court, Section Leader
- Utah Federal Court Bar Association
- Idaho Federal Court Bar Association
- Idaho State Bar, Board of Commissioners, President; Commissioner, 2018
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States Tax Court
- Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court
- Sixth District Bar Association, President, 2014
- Wrongful Death Settlement $6,500,000.00, 2020
- Worker's Compensation Settlement in excess of $655,000, 2019
- Worker's Compensation Settlement in excess of $640,000, 2015
- City of Rockland
- City of Bancroft
- City of Inkom
- Member, Pocatello Rotary Club Vocational-Technical Committee
- Chairman, Southeast Idaho Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society
- Member, Pocatello / Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce, 2019
- Rotary International District Membership Chairman, 2019
- AV Preeminent, Martindale Hubbell, 2020
- Bachelor of Arts Degree, Political Science, Brigham Young University, 1979
- The motion in limine should be used early to resolve questions about jury instructions, Author, The Motion in Limine; Probing the Potential of this Powerful Tool, ADVOCATE, Vol 58, No. 2, February 2015, Law, 2015
- Author and Editor, J. Reuben Clark Law School Journal of Legal Studies
- The foundational blocks of our justice system are the rule of law, stare decisis, and Judeo Christian values. When we tamper with those building blocks we risk an ill-fate to our justice system like the lessons learned from removing foundational blocks of the Jenga Tower, Author, A Fond Farewell and Other Lingering Thoughts; ADVOCATE, Vol 61, No. 6/7, June / July 2018, 2018
- Anxiety and depression are the number one health threat to our profession, and yet we do little as a profession to provide protections to keep our best and brightest functioning, Author, If You Can't Take the Heat . . . Really?; ADVOCATE, Vol 61, No. 5 May 2018, 2018
- Are justice, right, and rights anything more than abstract terms with no intrinsic substantive existence?, Author, What is Justice: Substance, Process, or Ideal; ADVOCATE, Vol 61, No. 3/4, March/April 2018, 2018
- Those of us who went to law school to acquire the rudimentary skills of a lifelong trade may have reason to fear for our future in the face of technologies that produce legal documents. But those of us when sought a doctoral education, who longed to enter the ranks of great intellectual minds will always find a demand for our services., Author, The Spinning Jenny and a Tale of Fear; ADVOCATE, Vol 61, No. 2, February 2018, 2018
- Discovery tools are often more a hindrance to justice than an aid., Author, What We Have Discovered; ADVOCATE, Vol 61, No. 1, January 2018, 2018
- Important decisions from the Idaho Supreme Court, Author, Cases Worth Singing About: A Few of My Favorite Things; ADVOCATE, Vol 60, No. 11/12, November / December 2017, 2017
- Lawyers are the greatest contributors to this nation's origins and success, Author, The Role of Law in Our Country's Everyday Success; ADVOCATE, Vol 60, No. 10, October 2017, 2017
- The fundamentals of success in law are much the same as lessons from working the soil, Author, What do Farmers Know? Lawyer Lessons From the Field; ADVOCATE, Vol 60, No. 9, September 2017, 2017
- Idaho State House of Representatives
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2024
