Bret Rawson is a seasoned trial lawyer. He practices civil litigation, white-collar
criminal defense and administrative law in state, federal and administrative courts. He is
a partner at Nelson Jones, PLLC, a Utah law firm. In particular, Bret’s practice includes
governmental entity defense and the defense of law enforcement officers in internal
affairs matters, and before Utah’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), as well
as civil rights actions, the defense of healthcare practitioners and other licensees before
the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) and defense of
individuals accused of wiretapping, fraud, tax, securities violations and other white collar
crimes. Bret is also a reserve police officer for a Utah municipality.
Just prior to attending the Marshall-Wythe School of Law (The College of William and
Mary in Virginia), Bret worked in the pharmaceutical industry and in public relations for
both private and governmental organizations on the East Coast, to include the United
States Senate. Bret also has an advanced degree in Mass Communication from Brigham
Young University where he studied corporate crisis communications defense strategies
(corporate apologia), a topic in which he is published.
Bret grew up in a Marine Corps family and lived throughout the country before initially
coming to Utah in 1990. During his eight years in Virginia between 1998 and 2006 he
worked for the Federal Government and then as a public relations executive and sales
professional while attending law school. He eventually returned to Utah where he
eventually ran in a Special Election for Utah Attorney General in 2014. In the decade
prior to law school Bret’s experience included extensive work in the area of public
relations and marketing, at the executive level, in Utah’s robust consumable health
products industry.
Academics:
The College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law (2006)
Juris Doctor
Brigham Young University, College of Fine Arts and Communications (1998)
Master of Arts
Honors: Phi Kappa Phi
Admissions:
Utah State Bar
United States District Court for the District of Utah
Publications:
Thomsen, Steven R., and Bret Rawson, ‘Purifying a Tainted Corporate Image:
Odwalla’s Response to an E. coli Poisoning,’ Public Relations Quarterly, Fall
1998, pp. 35–46.
