About
General Practice of Law
Dr. Spencer is an attorney and economist with nearly thirty (30) years of experience in the fields of law, economics, and finance. For the past twenty-four (24) years, Dr. Spencer has been the Managing Attorney of the Law Firm of TR Spencer & Associates, Inc., which has provided transactional and litigation services to individual and business clients throughout Utah and Idaho.
Litigation Services
Dr. Spencer has acted as counsel in thousands of cases over the past nearly thirty (30) years. Of those cases, Dr. Spencer has taken more than 800 cases to trial before various courts and administrative agencies.
Transactional Services
Dr. Spencer has also provided transactional services to various individuals and small businesses. Among other things, Dr. Spencer’s transactional services have included: (1) the drafting and negotiation of contracts; and (2) regulatory compliance, training and oversight of employment matters (such as EEOC-related matters).
Special Master (Private Judge) Experience
In addition to his transactional and litigation work, Dr. Spencer has also been selected to act as a Special Master (private judge) in various “high conflict” domestic cases. Through his service as a Special Master, Dr. Spencer has been able to assist parties, who otherwise would have spent years and thousands of dollars in litigation, to resolve their matters quickly and economically.
Economic/Financial Expert Witness Experience
For the past eleven (11) years, Dr. Spencer has acted as an economic/financial Expert Witness for other attorneys. Through this work, Dr. Spencer has valued small businesses and their assets in the context of various litigated disputes.
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
In addition to the experience described above, Dr. Spencer also brings to the table a wide range of public policy experience. Dr. Spencer started his career in Washington D.C. as a Staff Economist for the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, before moving on to various economics/finance positions in the aerospace industry. After being elected to the Utah State Senate in 1998, Dr. Spencer chaired the Judiciary Committee (1999-2001) and Human Services Committee (2002-2003).
Public Policy Experience
In addition to the experience described above, Dr. Spencer also brings to the table a wide range of public policy experience. Dr. Spencer started his career in Washington D.C. as a Staff Economist for the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, before moving on to various economics/finance positions in the aerospace industry. After being elected to the Utah State Senate in 1998, Dr. Spencer chaired the Judiciary Committee (1999-2001) and Human Services Committee (2002-2003).
Teaching Experience
In addition to his professional experience, Dr. Spencer has taught various graduate and undergraduate level Economics, Law and Ethics courses for the University of Phoenix (Murray, Utah), Utah State University (Logan, Utah) and Career Com College (Sacramento, California) and others for a combined period in excess of ten (10) years. In 1993, Dr. Spencer was on the three instructor team who wrote the initial “Economic Curriculum” used by the University of Phoenix system from 1993 to 2001. When it comes to teaching, Dr. Spencer’s goal is to make every class he teaches meaningful to every student, and he is willing to put in the time necessary to accomplish that goal.
Formal Education
J.D., J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, 1991
Ph.D., Economics, Utah State University, 1991
Graduate Certificate in Public Administration, Utah State University, 1984
M.S., Economics, Utah State University, 1984
B.S., Political Science, Utah State University, 1982
Certificate in Architectural Drafting, Dixie College, Utah 1979
Sample of Dr. Spencer’s 23 Appellate Cases
Ahmad vs. Graco Fishing & Tools (Pending 2020)
Elkins vs. Elkins, (Pending 2020)
Pacific Energy & Mining vs. Public Service Commission of Utah (2019)
White vs. White, 2017 UT App 141
Brown vs. Babbitt, 2015 UT App 291
Pena vs. Walker, 2014 UT App 38
A Healthy Choice vs. Brown, 2013 UT App 264
Jacobsen vs. Jacobsen, 2011 UT App 161
MAR/REG Investments vs. El Paso E&P Company, 2008 UT App 217
A.M. vs. R.D., 2006 UT App 230
Christiansen vs. Drossos, 2005 UT App 170
K.F.K. vs. T.W., 2005 UT App 85
Channel Twenty Television Company, LLC vs. Spire, 2000 UT App 312