[3] Turley attended high school in Salt Lake City, Utah, when he met Shirley Swensen.
Turley aspired to be a lawyer, by his father's urging, and an Institute of Religion teacher, by his deep personal interest in LDS Church history.
[1] After returning from Japan, Turley studied at Brigham Young University (BYU) as a Spencer W. Kimball Scholar, receiving a B.A.
[1][5] After passing the Utah State Bar examination, Turley practiced law briefly before being hired by the LDS Church in January 1986.
[1][6] At this time, the department was already heavily involved in the investigation of Mark Hofmann, the historical documents forger who attempted to hide his fraud by murder during the previous October.
[1] Turley's legal training helped the department which had examined and acquired several Hoffman forgeries (though some argued it was to hide their controversy).
[6] Watching the case unfold in the press and in books, Turley felt misconceptions lingered from the media frenzy.
[10] In 2002, BYU Press published Selected Collections From the Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which Turley edited.
The department again staffed professional researchers, the Joseph Smith Papers Project sharply expanded, and a new Church History Library was announced.
[18] The two worked closely together through a transition period until Otterson's departure in August, to accept an assignment as a temple president.