Tara Jalali Malek is an Idaho licensed attorney and Smith + Malek, PLLC co-owner. With vast experience in civil and criminal law, Tara practices in state and federal court in business and commercial litigation.

Previously, Tara worked as a Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor, a Special Assistant United States Attorney, and an Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney’s Office in Boise. Tara’s most significant career accomplishments include a reversal of a jury verdict in federal court and reinstating a college president after an unlawful suspension.

Tara is a first-generation Iranian American who is fluent in both Farsi and English. She holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Arizona in Tucson. In 2008, Tara moved to Idaho to attend the University of Idaho College of Law where she graduated with her J.D. in 2011.

Tara’s personal ‘why’ is the pursuit of justice. She believes that lawyers can change the world for the better by pursuing justice on behalf of clients.

She’s a frequent legal pundit on national shows regarding criminal cases across the U.S. and teaches trial advocacy to law students at the University of Idaho College of Law, her alma mater.

When not in court, she serves on several boards, including Mountain West Bank, Building Hope Today, Idaho Contraceptive Education Network, Idaho for All, Your Health Idaho, and the University of Idaho Law Advisory Council. In her free time, Tara enjoys volunteering in her community, backpacking, hiking, skiing, and fly-fishing with her spoiled dog, Tequila.

ACHIEVEMENTS
Idaho Women Lawyers Notable Achievement, 2024
North Idaho Business Journal Top 40 Under 40, 2024
Idaho Business Review Idaho’s Women of the Year honoree, 2017, 2018, 2023
Soroptomists Women of Distinction, 2022
Kootenai County Young Professionals Top 30 Under 40, 2021
Leaders in Law, 2019