Legal Career
Upon graduation from BYU, Mr. Benson accepted a position with a Salt Lake City firm then known as Parr, Brown where he stayed less than one year. He was then offered and accepted a position as a litigator with the firm Snow, Christensen and Martineau, where he remained until 1984.
During his eight-year tenure at Snow, Christensen, Judge Benson took a two-year leave of absence to accept a position with the construction company Ralph M. Parsons Company based in Pasadena, California. With Ralph M. Parsons, he lived in a developing Saudi Arabian city known today as Yanbu. His duties as legal counsel for Parsons included reviewing contracts as well as handling lawsuits that arose with general contractors and employees. Legally, this was a complex assignment given the fact that there was no official court system and the country generally followed Sharia Law.
From 1984 through 1989, Judge Benson served in various U.S. government posts in Washington, D.C, included the following:
- Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution from 1984-1986 – Notable issues that arose during his employment included The Balanced Budget Amendment.
- Chief of Staff to Senator Orrin Hatch from 1986-1988
- Counsel to the Iran-Contra Congressional Investigating Committee 1987, where he helped write the minority report with Dick Cheney.
- Associate Deputy Attorney General to Deputy Attorney General Harold G. Christensen; Christensen was his former senior partner at Snow, Christensen
In 1989, Judge Benson was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah. He was recommended to the post by his former boss, Senator Orrin Hatch after the then-U.S. attorney Brent Ward stepped down. (The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Utah has compiled historical information on those who have served in this position. Full Interview with Judge Benson regarding his tenure as U.S. Attorney). Mr. Benson’s recommendation was further supported by Senator Jake Garn and by U.S. Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. He was initially sworn in under an interim appointment on March 7, 1989. He received a presidential nomination from President George H.W. Bush and confirmation by the U.S. Senate before being officially sworn in on August 8, 1989. The Senate confirmation was considered uneventful and non-contentious. Judge Benson held this post until 1991.
Benson also holds adjunct law school professorships at Brigham Young and the University of Utah law schools, and teaches courses on criminal trial practice and evidence at the respective schools.
Read more about this topic: Dee Benson
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