Joyce Hemmer is a dynamic and experienced defense attorney whose litigation practice focuses on insurance defense involving professional liability, product liability, auto accidents, premises liability and other torts. She also handles consumer and commercial claims, construction defects, and first-party insurance matters.
Joyce largely attributes the success of her practice to a love of research and writing. Before law school, she graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a major in journalism. Her journalistic approach to fact-finding, combined with the personal satisfaction that comes with working toward just results, served as the foundation for her legal career. Joyce’s legal research and writing skills were further refined during law school when she was a summer law clerk for U.S. District Judge Richard L. Voorhees, served as an intern for the Virginia Court of Appeals Chief Staff Attorney, and was selected as an Articles Editor for the William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review.
After law school, Joyce clerked for Idaho District Judge Joel Horton and practiced with two Boise-based insurance defense litigation firms for nearly 15 years before proudly joining Elam & Burke in 2019. Throughout her career, she has represented individuals, corporations and insurers throughout Idaho in state and federal courts, as well as arbitration and mediation. One of her most memorable professional accomplishments was in a professional negligence case, where her strategic mindset and preparation led to significant victories, including the dismissal of the plaintiff’s numerous, complex derivative claims, and a successful motion to exclude the plaintiff’s key expert witness.
In addition to her dedication to her legal practice, Joyce finds joy in creative hobbies, outdoor activities, and time with her family, which includes her attorney husband, two children and two dogs.