He received his Juris Doctor from the Washington University School of Law in 1985 where he graduated Order of the Coif.

He served two years as law clerk to Judge William Judson Holloway Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

He served as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, teaching civil pretrial litigation.

He is an active member of the Federal Bar Association and has served as the Tenth Circuit Vice President since 2007.

During his time as a magistrate judge, he handled nearly 3,000 civil and criminal cases and presided over more than 400 judicial settlement conferences.