He received a Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 1981 from Creighton University School of Law.

From 1983 to 2016, he worked at the Omaha, Nebraska, law firm of Fraser Stryker PC LLO, becoming a shareholder in 1987.

He specialized in labor and employment litigation, primarily in federal court.

He is a Fellow (Judicial) in the American College of Trial Lawyers and is the past state chair of that organization.

[7] On June 27, 2016 the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a 90–0 vote.