Nathanael J. Mitchell

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Nate Mitchell enjoys helping people solve problems. After joining the firm, Nate actively sought opportunities in a range of practice areas, including commercial litigation, employment, bankruptcy, government liability, insurance defense, and white collar defense. Nate occasionally assisted clients with family law issues in divorce or parentage actions.

Nate currently focuses on land use and defense of governmental entities. His practice includes advising clients on issues arising under the Fair Housing Act, defending claims under Utah’s Impact Fee Act, litigating eminent domain and inverse condemnation actions, and assisting municipalities and counties with a range of issues, including enforcement of land use regulations, conditional use applications, exactions, and section 1983 claims.  Additionally, he assists public entities with employment-related issues and belongs to the firm’s Employment Practice Group.

Nate is also a member of the firm’s Appellate Practice Group, which represents clients in civil and criminal appeals. In addition to advising clients on appellate issues, Nate helps write the group’s bi-monthly article on notable cases decided by the Utah Supreme Court, Utah Court of Appeals, and Tenth Circuit in the Utah Bar Journal. He regularly gives presentations on appellate updates to industry groups and associations within the legal community.

Nate also serves on the firm’s  SnowTrial™ Consulting team, which advises clients and outside counsel on issues unique to jury trials.  The group’s services include mock trials, juror focus groups, and assistance with jury selection.

Prior to joining the firm, Nate actively sought out opportunities that would allow him to better serve his clients.  During law school, he completed a judicial externship at the Utah Court of Appeals, participated in the S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Criminal Clinic—where he was assigned to the Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office, prosecuted misdemeanors, and assisted with research issues on felony cases—and represented the school as a member of its National Moot Court team.   Following his graduation, Nate served for one year as a law clerk for the Honorable Robert J. Shelby for the United States District Court for the District of Utah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education

  • J.D., University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, highest honors, 2013
  • B.A., Utah State University, History and Political Science, cum laude, 2008

Bar & Court Admissions

  • Utah State Bar
  • U.S. District Court, District of Utah
  • Speaker, Appellate Issues, Utah Attorney General’s Office, October 2019
  • Speaker, Appellate Highlights, Utah Defense Lawyers Association Annual Meeting, May 2019
  • Speaker, Appellate Updates, SCM Tort and Insurance Seminar, November 2018
  • Speaker, Appeals: What’s New and the Basics You Need to Know, Federal Courthouse, November 2018
  • Speaker, Appellate Case Law Update, Utah Defense Lawyers Association annual meeting, May 2018
  • Speaker, Recent Utah Appellate Cases: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Utah Tort and Insurance Roundtable Discussion, June 2017
  • Speaker, Recent Utah Appellate Cases: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Utah Defense Lawyer’s Association, April 2017
  • Speaker, Navigating the Legal Landscape: Recent Developments & Five Tips for Businesses, Lunch & Learn with The Buckner Company and Nexus IT Consultants, March 2016
  • Co-Author, Justice Sutherland Endures: Sutherland’s Legacy and the Affordable Care Act, Utah Bar J., vol. 26, pg. 38
  • Author, Crime Victims’ Rights During Criminal Investigations? Applying the Crime Victims’ Rights Act Before Criminal Charges Are Filed, 104 J. CRIM. L. & CRIMINOLOGY 59 (w/ Professor Paul G. Cassell and Brad Edwards)
  • Note, Judge 2.0: A Novel Approach to Judicial Ethics in the Age of Social Media, 2012 UTAH L. REV. 2127
  • Pro Bono Commission, June 2015–Present
  • Utah Defense Lawyers Association Board, March 2018–Present
  • Summer Bar Convention Committee, March 2018–March 2020
  • Young Lawyers Division Board, January 2015–July 2019
  • Volunteer: Domestic Lawyer’s Academy; Homeless Youth Legal Clinic; Tuesday Night Bar
  • American Bar Association
  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Inns of Court
  • Listed as a Rising Star in Mountain States Super Lawyers® Magazine for Civil Litigation: Defense
  • Listed in Best Lawyers® in America: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar
  • J.D. (Graduated Highest Honors), 2013
  • Order of the Coif, 2013
  • National Moot Court Team (Team Awarded National Best Brief), 2012-2013
  • Utah Law Review, Articles Editor, 2012–2013, Staff Member, 2011–2012
  • Quinney Research Fellowship, Professors Paul G. Cassell and Deborah Threedy, 2011–2012

Outside of the office, Nate enjoys reading, climbing, biking, and playing complex board games with his family and friends.