Administrative Law Judges

Bryan Nickels was appointed by Governor Brad Little to be the first Chief Administrative Law Judge for OAH in September 2022.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Nickels was a partner and founding member of Scanlan, Griffiths, Aldridge + Nickels, a civil trial and litigation law firm in Boise, and has more than 20 years of experience in administrative, civil, and criminal law. Mr. Nickels was also a registered civil mediator and civil litigation evaluator prior to joining OAH. His areas of practice included civil litigation, administrative law, criminal defense, medical indigency, and appellate litigation. Mr. Nickels received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Idaho before receiving his Juris Doctorate at Boston College Law School. Mr. Nickels has also previously served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Idaho, teaching civil litigation, as well as Boise State University, teaching business law.

He is a member of the Richard C. Fields American Inn of Court No. 130, and a member of the Idaho Mediation Association, Idaho State Bar Association, and a graduate of the Idaho Academy of Leadership for Lawyers. Mr. Nickels also currently serves on the Selective Service System District Appeal Board for the State of Idaho. Mr. Nickels has also previously served on the 4th District Magistrates Commission, as well as the Ada County Historic Preservation Council. Mr. Nickels is admitted to all state courts in Idaho, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, the Ninth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Leslie Hayes joined the OAH in November 2022. Prior to coming to the OAH, she spent ten years with the Office of the Attorney General serving in several capacities, including as a Lead Deputy in the Civil Litigation Division. During her time with the Office, she has handled over 80 administrative appeals in front of various boards and commissions. Prior to joining the Attorney General’s Office, Ms. Hayes worked in private practice in insurance defense and clerked for the Idaho Supreme Court. Ms. Hayes is a certified civil mediator and has represented clients in all Idaho state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Idaho, the Western District of Washington, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Ms. Hayes attended the University of Portland and Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating cum laude. She is active in the bar, volunteering to grade bar exams and serving as a member of the Appellate Section Governing Council. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Idaho Women Lawyers, currently serving as the President of the Board. Ms. Hayes is a graduate of the Idaho Academy of Leadership for Lawyers and the recipient of the Idaho State Bar’s Service Award and Professionalism Award and Idaho Business Review’s Women of the Year and Leaders in the Law Award.

Scott Zanzig joined OAH in 2023 and currently serves as a Lead Administrative Law Judge. Before joining OAH, Mr. Zanzig practiced law for more than 30 years as a civil litigator. Mr. Zanzig spent more than 20 years in private practice representing individuals and businesses in a wide variety of cases involving contracts, business torts, securities, real estate, lender liability, consumer protection, insurance coverage, and employment disputes. He also served for almost ten years in the Office of the Attorney General handling a wide variety of civil cases, including numerous administrative hearings and appeals. Mr. Zanzig has tried cases in federal and state courts and in private arbitrations, and has handled numerous appeals before state and federal appellate courts and is a certified civil mediator. Before entering law practice, Mr. Zanzig served as a law clerk to a federal district judge.

Mr. Zanzig has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Idaho College of Law, teaching trial advocacy. He also has volunteered time as a moot court judge at the College of Law, and previously served as an instructor in the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s Northwest Deposition Program. Mr. Zanzig currently serves on the Governing Council of the Health Law Section of the Idaho State Bar.

Tyler Beck began his career as a deputy city attorney, prosecuting criminal cases on behalf of the City of Boise, serving several positions, including Lead Prosecutor for the DUI court team and Blood Alcohol Content Chemical Test Refusal court team. Additionally, he acted as a police liaison, providing training, legal advice, and on-call expedited warrant applications for local police departments.

Mr. Beck joined OAH on July 1, 2024 acting as an Administrative Law Judge in the Health and Social Services Division. Prior to that, Mr. Beck worked in the Office of the Attorney General, where he represented various agencies in state and federal court. Mr. Beck also served in the Attorney

General’s Fair Hearings Unit, where he acted as a hearing officer presiding over Idaho Department of Health and Welfare contested appeal hearings, ensuring due process to the involved parties.

He received his undergraduate degree from Boise State University, and law degree from the University of Idaho College of Law and is admitted to practice in all Idaho state courts and the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.

Merritt Dublin joined the OAH July 1, 2024 as an Administrative Law Judge in the General Government Division initially and recently began transitioning to the Health and Social Services Division. Ms. Dublin has enjoyed a diverse legal career in both the public and private sectors. For the past three years, Ms. Dublin was a Professor with the University of Idaho, College of Law, serving as the Director of the Family Justice Clinic and instructing experiential learning courses. Previously, she clerked for two federal district court judges, practiced in commercial litigation defense for an international law firm, and served two Attorneys General as Chief Counsel for Child Protective Services in Arizona and Lead Deputy Attorney General for the Idaho State Police. She has participated in a variety of administrative proceedings as both an agency attorney and on behalf of private parties. Ms. Dublin is a certified civil mediator.

Ms. Dublin received her undergraduate degree from [INSERT] and is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, graduating cum laude.

Michelle Vos joined OAH on July 1, 2024 as an Administrative Law Judge in the Health and Social Services Division. Prior to joining OAH, Ms. Vos was a Hearing Officer with the Fair Hearings Unit of the Office of the Attorney General where she presided over contested case hearings from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Ms. Vos began her legal career in Florida representing municipal corporations and businesses in matters involving land use, environmental law, and code enforcement. After moving to Idaho, she advised an Idaho rehabilitation health care system on a broad range of regulatory and compliance matters and ensured compliance with state and federal laws related to managed care. Ms. Vos has also worked full-time in academia, most recently as an Assistant Professor of Law at Widener University Commonwealth Law School. She taught business law to future business leaders and accountants as a full-time Lecturer for Legal Studies in Business at Boise State University. And she developed a corporate compliance course which she taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Idaho College of Law.

Ms. Vos earned her JD cum laude at St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, Florida, where she served on the St. Thomas Law Review, and interned for then Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis as part of the Florida Supreme Court Internship Program for Distinguished Florida Law Students. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies at Florida International University and her Graduate Certificate in College Teaching at Boise State University. Ms. Vos is licensed to practice law in Florida and Idaho and a certified civil mediator. She served as an Articles Editor with the Journal of Legal Studies Education and served on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Advocate, the official publication of the Idaho State Bar. Ms. Vos is a graduate of the Idaho Academy of Leadership for Lawyers.