Stephen F. Smith

Steve Smith is a native Idahoan, having been born and raised in Coeur d’Alene. After graduating from the University of Idaho, he went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho Law School.

The Administrative District Judge in Steve’s home judicial district then recruited him to become its first law clerk. After serving in that capacity for a year and a half, he was then recruited by the premier law firm in Bonner County for its new law office in Sandpoint.

Since 1978, Steve has continued his law practice in the same building, representing not only individuals from across the country and around the world, but also municipalities, quasi-governmental districts and numerous businesses. He serves as a presenter at continuing legal education seminars, especially on the topics of business law, wills, estates and trusts, and attorney ethics.

Steve, his wife Yulanda, and their children enjoy the natural beauty of North Idaho at their home on Gold Hill just south of Sandpoint.

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Sarah B. McOwen

In August of 2023, Steve sold his practice to Sarah McOwen, who formed Smith & McOwen, Attorneys at Law, Chartered. Steve serves as of counsel. Sarah is licensed to practice law in California (since 2000) and in Idaho (since 2021). Her experience includes working in the Silicon Valley office of Morrison Foerster LLP, a large international law firm. As a member of its Business + Finance practice, she worked for public and private emerging growth and technology related companies. This work included formation of new business entities, legal research, support for mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, IPO's and yearly securities filings, drafting of business contracts, and maintenance of corporate records. She also was a founder of a law firm in California that provided counsel for intellectual property transactions, venture capital funding, mergers, acquisitions, and entity formation, including corporations, LLCs and partnerships. She was the founder and developer of an innovative non-profit organization in one of the nation's most economically suppressed regions serving abused women and their children. She handled all legal matters in forming the organization, including its 501(c)(3) designation, raised all funds needed to begin operations, provided oversight for hiring, client selection and also recruited volunteers. As Chairperson of the Board of Directors, she led the organization through the ups and downs of the economy, adapting the program accordingly to serve i000+ persons.

She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 2000 from Santa Clara University School of Law. Honors include: recipient of the Emery Scholarship for academic achievement and professional promise; the American Jurisprudence Awards in Constitutional Law II, Evidence and Legal Research and Writing; the "Excellence in Legal Analysis, Research and Writing" certificate; member of the Dean's List; Symposium Editor for the Computer and High Technology Law Journal; competition in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition for Intellectual Property Law; recipient of the High-Technology Law Certificate; and Vice-President of the Intellectual Property Association. During law school, Sarah earned a certificate in Comparative Intellectual Property Law at Oxford University. While there, she was one of two chosen advocates in an English-style moot court competition at Gray's Inn, in London, England.

Since being licensed in Idaho, Sarah has continued her business practice, in addition to estate planning, probate, guardianship and conservatorship law and real property transactions.

Sarah is a member of the Idaho State Bar Business & Corporate Law Section and Taxation, Probate, & Trust Law Section. She is also a member of the California Business Law Section and Trusts & Estates Section.

She is committed to education, including home education. She holds a Master Teacher Certificate from Ambleside Schools International, an art instruction certification from Monart, and a Master at Work II certificate in Educational Physiology, which involves enhanced learning through specialized movements. She educated her two sons who are now in college and remains a member of a local homeschool group offering encouragement and support. Sarah and her husband are members of a local church where she informally serves. She is also a volunteer coach for a NICA team in Sandpoint, a middle-school and high-school mountain bike team that her husband helped to form, where she especially loves to be at the back of the pack with the undaunted and spunky kids. She also loves hiking, skiing, snow-shoeing, biking and going to the lake with her husband and her McNab Shepherd in beautiful North Idaho.

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