Joseph C. Rust is currently the firm’s senior shareholder. Mr. Rust is an AV rated attorney, now entering his 40th year of practice. After serving as European Area counsel for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frankfurt, Germany from 1970 to 1974, he co-founded the law firm of Kesler & Rust in 1980.

 

EDUCATION

 

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Utah,1966
  • Juris Doctorate, University of Utah, 1968

 

EXPERIENCE

 

Mr. Rust has extensive experience in the fields of international law, commercial litigation, personal injury and products liability litigation, real property acquisitions and sales, landlord-tenant relations,
construction law, including lien and bond claims,
and estate planning.

 

MEMBERSHIPS & ASSOCIATIONS

 

  • American Arbitration Association, mediator and an arbitrator
  • State of Utah Court-Annexed ADR Program, mediator and arbitrator
  • Utah State Bar Association
    • Former Chairman of the International Section
    • Member of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Bar.
  • Utah Chapter of the World Trade Association, former president
  • International Bar Association
    • Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Civil Procedure in the Section of General Practice from 1985 to 1992 and, from 1993 to 1996, served as the
    • Chairman of Committee on Civil Procedure in the Section of General Practice
  • Southwestern Legal Foundation, Member, Board of Advisors of the International and Comparative Law Center
  • Utah District Export Council, Chairman
  • Utah Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association, Board Member, 1992 to present.
  • Associated General Contractors of Utah, Chairman of the Legal Advisory Committee, 1996-1997.
  • Mr. Rust has been and continues to be active in various civic and community service organizations.

 

REPORTED CASES

 

Mr. Rust has been lead appeal counsel on numerous cases decided by the Utah Supreme Court, by the Utah Court of Appeals, and by the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Among those cases are several which have been classified as “landmark” cases, which are routinely cited by attorneys in Utah and elsewhere as representative of key principles of Utah Law. These cases include:

 

  • Intermountain Health Care, Inc. v. Ortega, 562 P.2d 617 (Utah 1977)
  • Smith v. Warr, 564 P.2d 771, (Utah 1977)
  • Staker v. Ainsworth, 785 P.2d 417 (Utah 1990 )
  • Armed Forces Ins. Exchange v. Harrison, 2003 UT 14, 70 P.3d 35
  • O\'Connor v. Burningham, 2007 UT 58, 165 P.3d 1214.

 

ADMISSIONS TO PRACTICE

 

  • All Utah State Courts
  • United States District Court for the District of Utah
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court

 

ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS

 

Mr. Rust is the author of many articles on international law and other legal matters published in the Utah Law Review, BYU International Studies; for continuing education seminars sponsored by National Business Institute, and for the International Bar Association.

 

LANGUAGES

 

Mr. Rust is fluent in the German language, and has a reading knowledge of French.