PEARSON BUTLER - Key Persons
Angilee is an equity partner at Pearson Butler, and practices in the areas of Intellectual Property, Appeals, Indian/Tribal Law, & Family Law.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Member
Carson Pearson is the managing member and co-founder of Pearson Butler.
Carson primarily works with small business owners and entrepreneurs. His work requires him to be knowledgeable in entity structuring, contracts, tax, qualified plans, charitable structures, trusts, corporate finance, asset protection, insurance concepts, investments, real estate, and estate planning.
Carson has co-founded and operated several successful businesses. Carson has valuable hands-on experience in operations, start-up, and financing of these and other opportunities. In addition to these businesses he has consulted with several small business ventures on operations, sales, marketing, and human resources to increase their profitability or gain profitability and has successfully accomplished both business turnarounds as well as workouts.
He received his Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University. Carson is a member of the Utah State Bar and routinely performs pro-bono work to the community. Carson is fluent in Spanish and is a proud member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Education:
Brigham Young University School of Law, J. D., 1999
University of Utah, 1996
Corinne Baker Ketchum joined Pearson Butler after graduating from the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Prior to law school, Corinne worked as a family law paralegal at Pearson Butler and is well versed in family law matters. During law school, she interned for firms in Idaho and Arizona, focusing her work on family law and civil appeals.
Corinne now focuses her work exclusively on post-divorce retirement division, or QDROs. She is efficient and organized - two skills that help her excel in a QDRO practice.
Corinne was born and raised in Idaho, and she looks forward to snowmobiling in the snowy Idaho mountains every winter. During law school, Corinne was heavily involved in Moot Court and served as an executive board member for the ASU Moot Court team. She represented her school as a competitor at the National Appellate Advocacy Competition in New York City in 2018. Corinne is a member of The Order of the Barristers, a national honor society that recognizes individuals who have excelled in oral advocacy and brief writing. Corinne also has an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance. When she is not at the office, Corinne can be found teaching piano and occasionally performing.
Education:
Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
During the 1999-2000 court term, Dan was a law clerk for the Honorable Alan Norris, U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, Columbus, Ohio.
Dan has also worked for the Office of Senior Staff Counsel for the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, Illinois; the Office of Senior Staff Counsel for the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado; Justice I. Daniel Stewart of the Utah Supreme Court in Salt Lake City, Utah; and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah. He assisted with researching and proofreading Chief Judge Posner's 1996 revision of the Practitioner's Handbook for Appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. At various times from 1997-1999, Dan also worked for Senator Robert F. Bennett in Washington, D.C., including assignments for the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Subcommittee of Financial Services and Technology; Fiddler, Gonzalez & Rodriguez, in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Kim & Chang, in Seoul, Korea.
Dan is a noted litigator and scholar regarding parental rights, education, First Amendment, and institutional reform issues. He has lectured widely and authored law review articles on such topics. He was a contributing author for The Pre-K Debates, a 2011 book edited and sponsored by faculty at Yale University; Neighborhood Disputes: Law and Litigation, a 2013 legal treatise; Personal Liability Under the Utah Payment of Wages Act, Attorney At Law Magazine at 15 (2017); and Managing Irresponsible Actors In Federal Interpleader Actions, 50 Tort Trial & Ins. Practice L. J. 1 (2014), the lead article for the fiftieth issue of the American Bar Association's premier law review. He made a presentation entitled "Overview of Interpleader Fundamentals" at the Utah State Bar 2016 Summer Convention. He has participated in litigation before various local, state, and federal courts, primarily in California, Utah, and nearby western states. Dan is admitted to practice law in the States of California and Utah, U.S. Federal District Court of Utah, the U.S. District Courts of California, the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
Dan believes that attorneys have a responsibility to remember that they are often helping clients with the most important unresolved issues in each client's life, regardless of the client's wealth or societal status. The most satisfying professional moments come when Dan sees clients secure satisfying outcomes for their crucial transactions or disputes and then move forward.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Utah State Bar and a Family Law Attorney
David Dastrup is a member of the Utah State Bar and a Family Law Attorney at Pearson Butler. Mr. Dastrup has been practicing law since 2011. His extensive experience in the courtroom, around judges, clerks, and his peers, has earned him a reputation as a person of high integrity, who zealously advocates for his clients. He has the highest rating of 10.0 on Avvo, a peer review and substantive law rating service. Attorney David Dastrup is both a Juris Doctorate and Master of Dispute Resolution. These post-graduate degrees were earned from Pepperdine University School of Law and Straus Institute (ranked number 1 by U.S. News & World Report 14 times since 2006).
David puts his clients first. He finds great satisfaction in helping people. In family law, his goal is to achieve his client's desired family setting, whether by fighting the good fight or amicably settling a dispute. Previous clients can describe him best. "David is an excellent professional. He takes the time to answer all my questions and ease my mind." L.S. 2020. "At one point, when I was willing to settle, David advised to forge on. The outcome was nothing short of a blessing." R. 2016.
When not at work, David can be found getting dirty in the mountains or in the garden. He enjoys biking and hiking with his wife and four children, and their two dogs. David also enjoys gardening and has created a lush garden of a variety of trees and roses.
Education:
Pepperdine University, School of Law, J.D.
Pepperdine University, Straus Institute, M.D.R.
California State University, B.A., Magna Cum Laude
David R. Williams has been practicing law for over 26 years. He is a graduate of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University and had practiced with the firm Woodbury & Kesler in Salt Lake City since his admission to the bar in 1993.
David has litigated cases in both state and federal courts, including the federal bankruptcy court. He has argued cases and written appellate briefs before the Utah Supreme Court, the Utah Court of Appeals, the Idaho Court of Appeals, the Idaho Supreme Court, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. He has litigated cases involving breach of contract, landlord-tenant disputes, property boundary disputes, water rights, trust administration, and contested probates. He has represented bankruptcy trustees, debtors-in-possession, creditors, and creditors' committees in federal bankruptcy court. He has represented personal representatives in probate administration and has represented buyers, sellers, borrowers, and lenders in real estate transactions.
David and his wife Suzie have five children.
Education:
Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School, J.D. (1993)
Utah State University, BS (1990) in animal science
Job Titles:
- Member of the Estate Planning
Dennis has been practicing law since 1978. After receiving his bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Utah State University, he received his Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University, graduating cum laude. He has assisted thousands of clients to plan and implement their wills and trusts, structure their businesses and protect their assets, manage and structure their business transactions, including real estate, and advise in estate and trust administration.
Dennis has the highest rating available for lawyers for competence and ethics, Rated AV with the Martindale-Hubbell ratings service, the preeminent peer review rating service in the U.S. Dennis also has a rating of 10.0 on Avvo (the highest rating available), an online peer review and substantive law rating service. Dennis has been selected as one of Utah's Legal Elite and Top 100 Lawyers (Utah Business Magazine) nearly every year for the last fifteen years.
Dennis is a member of the Estate Planning, Tax and Business Law Sections of the Utah State Bar Association. He is a former Chairman of the Tax Section of the Utah State Bar. He has been a Member of Legislative Committees on Tax, Estate Planning and Probate matters. As a former Professor of Taxation at the Washington College of Law, Dennis has been a frequent speaker at NBI tax, estate planning and trust seminars for attorney continuing legal education.
Dennis served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Utah Community Development Corporation for over 30 years, an organization dedicated to providing affordable homes to lower income persons and was President of the organization for three years where he also provided legal services in an unofficial capacity. He has served as a Scoutmaster, Varsity Scout Leader, and in other supportive capacities in scouting for nearly 30 years and remains active in working with the youth of his church. Finally, and most importantly, Dennis and his wife have 8 children between them, 13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren, and enjoy many outdoor activities.
Education:
Utah State University, 1975
Brigham Young University School of Law, J. Dl, 1978
Job Titles:
- Head of the Employment Law Division
Jason Haymore is the head of the Employment Law division of Pearson Butler. He graduated from Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis in 2010. During law school, Jason clerked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and Indiana's largest employment law firm. After law school, Jason started a successful employment law practice which rapidly grew and has now become the foundation for the employment law division of Pearson Butler.
Jason has a strong reputation for being well versed in employment law and for finding resolutions to complicated employment matters. He is a dedicated and compassionate advocate and was named as one of Utah's Top 40 under 40 civil litigators by the National Trial Lawyers Association. He has also been given an award by the American Institute of Legal Counsel as one of the 10 best attorneys in Utah for client satisfaction in the area of labor and employment law.
Jason loves spending time at sporting events or in the outdoors with his family. When not in the office advocating for his clients, he can usually only be found somewhere in the mountains trying to get lost on horseback.
Education:
Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis, J.D., 2010
Jason Webb is an intellectual property attorney and registered patent attorney. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Physics and Computational Modeling from Brigham Young University where he assisted in experimental laser physics and cancer research. He received his law degree from the S.J. Quinney School of Law at the University of Utah where he trained as an extern for the Honorable Judges Stephen L. Roth of the Third District Court of Utah and J. Thomas Greene of the District of Utah in Federal District Court.
Jason has deep experience in patent, trademark, copyright, and licensing law. His background in physics, chemistry, and computer science provides a background for him to come up to speed on almost any technology. He has successfully negotiated licensing agreements and settlement agreements for his clients with Fortune 500 companies. His client's products and services are sold nationally and internationally on the internet, through HSN and QVC, and in big box stores, including The Home Depot and Toys'R'US.
Jason has experience as an expert intellectual property witness in federal court, has been featured on numerous radio shows and podcasts, and has been quoted worldwide in nationally syndicated publications. He has owned several successful businesses and knows the entrepreneurial and non-profit worlds from the inside. He regularly speaks and is on panels nationally at business and entrepreneurial conferences, as well as gaming and gamification conferences. Jason also teaches continuing legal education to attorneys in Utah and around the U.S.
Jason is also the author of the best selling book, "Protect Your Intellectual Property with "Your Amazing Itty Bitty®: How to Do Your Own IP Audit". Download your copy on Amazon.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Equity Member
Jeff Butler is a co-founder and equity member of Pearson Butler. Jeff received his Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, after which he spent time living and working in California for a number of years before returning to Utah. Jeff has founded and operated several businesses in both Utah and California. Prior to starting Pearson Butler, Jeff served as executive director of healthcare facilities, overseeing corporate operations and managing a staff of 100-400 employees.
Since starting Pearson Butler, Jeff has focused his efforts on building a legal presence in Utah and gathering experienced attorneys together to provide the quality service that Pearson Butler is known for. Jeff manages the firm's external operations, building relationships with attorneys and businesses alike and managing the firm's community outreach efforts. His work has substantially contributed to the stable growth of the firm and facilitated Pearson Butler's rise to a mid-sized firm in under 10 years. Jeff is motivated by a sincere desire to meet and build relationships with people, which has allowed him and the firm to create significant community ties. Jeff is licensed to practice in Utah and California.
Education:
Brigham Young University School of Law, J. D., 1998
Brigham Young University, Romney Institute of Public Management, M.P.A, 1998
Brigham Young University, University Honors Program, B.A., 1994
Jenna is an equity member of Pearson Butler, having joined the firm in 2015 after 4 years of litigating in the greater Salt Lake area. She splits her time between family law litigation and running IRS Law Pros, the tax resolution department of Pearson Butler. Jenna loves problem-solving and gets a thrill from helping her clients see real results, whether in court or through resolving a tax matter. Jenna has extensive experience in custody modifications, divorces with complex holdings, and emergency family law matters. In her tax practice, Jenna works closely with a team that includes attorneys and CPAs in order to provide clients with the best tax representation available.
Jenna is a native to Maine and Kentucky. She is passionate about travel, contemporary fiction, and Kentucky Wildcat Basketball. Jenna received her Juris Doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 2010 and is licensed to practice in Virginia and Utah.
Education:
Brigham Young University, J.D. 2010
Brigham Young University, B.A. English Literature 2006
Kelli has practiced exclusively in the area of family law since her 2008 graduation from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University. Kelli's undergraduate studies focused on the family and child development, which led to her interest in attending law school and practicing family law.
Following law school, Kelli worked as a judicial law clerk, where she performed research and advised several District Court Judges concerning Utah Family Law. In 2012, Kelli left a boutique family law firm and started her own firm, where she practiced until joining Pearson Butler in 2014.
Kelli is committed to providing her clients with the personalized attention they deserve while she leads them through a complicated process. After meeting with Kelli, clients often comment that they have peace of mind knowing their legal issues are in good hands. Kelli heads the family law department at Pearson Butler and enjoys training paralegals and new attorneys in the practice of family law.
When Kelli is not working, she can be found playing pickleball, hiking, kayaking, camping, reading, playing board games, and spoiling her nieces and nephews.
Education:
BYU, J. Reuben Clarke School of Law, J.D., 2008
Brigham Young University, BS, 2005
Kyle Adams is an equity member of Pearson Butler, having joined the firm in 2015. Kyle enjoys solving problems and helping to resolve conflict. Kyle has focused on developing a personal injury practice where he handles both claims and litigation.
Kyle graduated with honors from Drake University Law School. He received multiple commendations for oral advocacy and held leadership positions for the Business Law Society and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. Prior to law school, Kyle received a business degree from the University of Utah.
Immediately before joining Pearson Butler, Kyle worked for a large firm in Washington, D.C. where his fluency in Japanese placed him on a team of international litigators. He was born and raised a Utah football fan. His perfect day involves watching football games with his three sons and daughter.
Education:
University of Utah, B.A.
Drake University Law School
Kyle joined Pearson Butler in 2022, where he focuses on securities and corporate Law. Prior to joining the firm Kyle worked for several years as in house counsel for a Broker Dealer focusing on the company's securities law compliance and regulation with FINRA and the SEC.
Kyle attended the University of Nebraska School of Law, where he provided pro bono legal services through the University's Civil Legal Clinic program on campus.
As a father of four, Kyle enjoys spending time with his family, playing games, and camping trips in the mountains.
Education:
University of Nebraska School of Law 2013
Brigham Young University B.S. 2009
Marci Hayward is an attorney in the Intellectual Property department of Pearson Butler. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from Brigham Young University, with an emphasis in Environmental and Industrial Microbiology, as well as a minor in Chemistry. As an undergraduate, she helped conduct research regarding cell-signaling, co-authored an abstract published in the Journal of Abstracts for the 102nd General Meeting for the American Society of Microbiology, and presented her findings at the annual conference for the American Society of Microbiology.
Marci received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, at the Yeshiva University, with a concentration in Intellectual Property. As a law student, she served as a managing editor for the Cardozo Women's Law Journal, now known as the Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights and Social Justice. During this time, she also completed an internship with the Honorable Michael J. Haley, District Court Judge for the 86th District of Michigan.
Marci has practiced intellectual property law for several years, primarily focusing on preparing patent applications, including those related to chemical arts, mechanical arts, and medical devices, as well as procuring trademark and copyright protection. She also assists in the preparation of opinions regarding patentability and infringement of United States patents. Marci is licensed to practice law in both Utah and Wyoming, as well as the United States District Courts for the Districts of Utah and Wyoming.
Education:
Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, J. D.
Brigham Young University, Microbiology
Paden joined Pearson Butler as an associate attorney in 2019. His areas of focus include estate planning, securities regulation, corporate governance, and business formation. As a former manager at a small tech company, Paden is particularly passionate about helping entrepreneurs and businesses with their legal needs.
Paden attended the University of Iowa College of Law, where he graduated in May 2019 with honors. As a student, he competed on the university's moot court team and was a student writer and editor for the Iowa Law Review.
Paden enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, and looking for the world's greatest Reuben sandwich.
Education:
University of Iowa, College of Law 2019
Patrick represents clients through the entire lifecycle of a company, from formation through exit. He began his career in Silicon Valley where he gained significant experience representing early-stage tech companies through formation, early-stage legal issues, venture backed financing rounds, and mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Pearson Butler, Patrick worked for multiple Silicon Valley-based AmLaw 100 law firms, as well as was in-house mergers and acquisitions and securities counsel for a Fortune 200 publicly held company. While there, Patrick also acted as lead counsel of the company's minority investment division.
Currently, Patrick focuses his practice on representing local Silicon Slopes startup companies. His experience working in Silicon Valley gives him valuable insights into the legal needs of early-stage companies. As a co-founder of a startup himself, Patrick I extremely passionate about and extremely active in the local startup community.
Additionally, Patrick also has experience representing clients through complex international transactions involving jurisdictions from Europe to Asia. He also speaks Chinese and prior to law school studied law at Nanjing University and worked at a Chinese NGO which focused on ensuring the China-based manufacturing facilities for multi-national corporations complied with international labor law standards.
Rachel Sykes is a trial attorney specializing in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, wrongful death, nursing home abuse, premises liability, and civil rights. Rachel has achieved multimillion-dollar results for her clients during her career. She is an accomplished litigator and trial lawyer and enjoys helping clients solve complex problems. She is not afraid of holding wrongdoers and bad actors accountable for their actions. Rachel is admitted to practice law in Utah, Idaho, Washington, and North Dakota.
Rachel is a highly sought-after speaker and educator. She has traveled around the country speaking to other attorneys about trial skills. She has served on the faculty for the American Association for Justice's Deposition College and many other programs. She is also a tireless advocate for the civil justice system and works to enforce injured parties' constitutional rights to seek justice in the court system. Rachel has vigorously lobbied for her client's constitutional rights on both the state and federal level.
Rachel is an active Utah Association for Justice (UAJ) member and serves on its Board of Governors and Executive Committee. She is currently the treasurer for UAJ. She is also an active member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and a graduate of the association's highly selective Leadership Academy. In 2023, Rachel was appointed by the Utah Supreme Court to serve on its Rules of Evidence and Civil Procedure advisory committees. She also serves on various committees in both UAJ and AAJ.
Outside of the courtroom, Rachel enjoys hiking, reading, traveling, Disneyland, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.
Education:
University of Idaho School of Law, J. D., 2007
Over the past several decades, Randall "Randy" Holmgren has helped over a thousand clients with their estate planning and asset protection.
Ronald N. Vance has practiced business and securities law since 1981. He began his career in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he developed expertise in the fields of corporate and securities law. After working for several years with Reynolds & Moxley, a small boutique law firm focused on securities and natural resources offerings, Ron started his own firm representing small and mid-size private and publicly held companies, their officers, and directors.
Ron focuses principally on smaller reporting companies and assists them in their compliance, transactional, and fundraising activities. He has represented his clients in their registration statements, including Forms S-1, S-8, and 10, PIPE transactions, private placements, reverse mergers, and compliance with the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K and the proxy requirements of Section 14.
Russell Evans graduated from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa in 1995. Since his graduation and subsequent return to Utah, Russ has practiced in the following areas: juvenile law, family law, real estate law, estate planning, personal injury, and bankruptcy. Over the past several years, most of his time has been spent working with debtors in both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases.
He has served on the Bankruptcy Rules Committee for several years and also served on the Utah Bankruptcy Law Forum committee. Russell has been involved with the filing of thousands of cases and enjoys helping people reorganize their debt and get a fresh start.
Russell Evans attended Brigham Young University where he received a B.A. in Spanish Translation and Interpretation. Although he was born and raised in Overland Park, Kansas, he has strong Utah roots, as both, his parents are from Provo, Utah. He is fluent in Spanish.
Education:
Brigham Young University, 1992
Drake University Law, J. D., 1995