of the charter class at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU. While in law school, he served as the editor for the BYU Law Review. Benson went on to receive his Juris Doctor in the spring of 1976. In addition to his legal studies, Benson played professionally in the American Soccer League which has since been disbanded. He was a member of Utah's team, The Golden Spikers. He later stated that it made him "realize that I didn't have a future in professional soccer." With soccer as a passion and an affinity for teaching, Benson started and coached the first soccer team at Hillcrest High School in Midvale, Utah. Legal career Upon graduation from BYU, Benson accepted a position with a Salt Lake City firm then known as Martineau & Maak where he stayed less than one year. He was then offered and accepted a position as a litigator with the firm Snow Christensen & Martineau, where he remained until 1984. During his eight-year tenure at Snow Christensen, 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. From 1984 through 1989, Benson served in various U.S. government posts in Washington, D.C., including: 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, Benson was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Utah. He was recommended to the post by his former boss, Senator Orrin Hatch after the then-United States Attorney Brent Ward stepped down. Benson's recommendation was further supported by Senator Jake Garn and by United States Attorney General Richard Thornburgh. He was 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