Chad is a small-town guy with a big world view. He grew up in one of Idaho’s smallest towns with a high school graduating class in the single digits. During career week of Chad’s junior year, he shadowed an attorney. While career week failed to give Chad a clear path forward, he came away from the experience with one certainty: he did not want to be an attorney. The following year he signed up to be an exchange student because he knew there had to be more out there.
Chad spent his senior year of high school in Argentina. There, he made a lot of friends, attended school and grew to love the culture. Cell phones and the internet were not common in Argentina in those days so he took advantage of the disconnect and immersed himself in Spanish. By the end of the trip, Chad was torn to leave South America but excited for more adventure. He returned to Idaho for the summer and started college at Washington State University that fall.
Somewhere toward the end of college, wanderlust began to take hold again. Chad quickly finished up his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and set off for South America. From there he bought tickets to Japan, where he taught English to fund his travels. Using central Japan as a home base, Chad got to climb to the top of Mt. Fuji and visit much of Asia. Before long, he met his wife Michiko, and together they set off to travel New Zealand on a “working holiday.” Finally, after a year living out of a van named Pluto, and vagabonding all over New Zealand, Chad yearned for Idaho.
Chad also developed a strong desire to make a difference. He wanted to exercise his brain and so he found himself full-circle, once again wondering what it would be like to be an attorney. Chad took the law school admissions test and worked his way through law school. From medical malpractice to immigration, Chad learned about different areas of law by working in them. Once out of law school, Chad jumped into a trial attorney position in criminal defense. He spent about three years representing ordinary people against the seemingly insurmountable power of the government. At Strindberg & Scholnick, Chad continues to represent ordinary people against powerful entities, both public and private.
Chad and his family love Idaho’s natural beauty. They spend many a weekend soaking in natural hot springs, skiing into yurts and cabins, camping, biking, boating, and just being outside. If you need to break the ice and get Chad talking, just ask him about his van. He’ll probably tell you that he’s been into van camping since before it was cool – which is true.