Mark Gaylord

Mark R. Gaylord

Partner
Salt Lake City

Mark R. Gaylord is the former Managing Partner of Ballard Spahr's Salt Lake City office. He focuses on complex civil litigation, at both the trial and appellate levels in federal and state courts throughout the United States, with an emphasis on corporate business litigation, land use and development disputes, and construction matters.

Mark also handles complex matters in a variety of other areas, including environmental matters, creditor and bankruptcy matters, and business governance disputes. He represents private and public companies in business disputes as well as real estate developers and municipalities relating to land use decisions. 

Experience 

Representative Matters

  • Represents real estate developer of high-end residential property in Utah resort town relating to dispute with homeowner association arising from alleged failure and/or defective construction of infrastructure roadways and retaining walls in multimillion-dollar development with ski-in and ski-out facilities
  • Represents national banking institution in fair debt collection claims and bankruptcy matters involving individuals and corporate bankruptcies
  • Successfully represented law firm in $50 million malpractice action relating to multimillion-dollar merger and acquisition transaction involving Arizona development company that financed transaction with Lincoln Savings & Loan Association

Professional Highlights

Pro Bono Experience

Since the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Mark has represented amateur athletes competing on a national and international level in a variety of disputes including the right to participate in protected competitions, sexual harassment, and doping cases. He has also represented clients involved in property disputes, adoptions, and physical abuse cases.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association

Federal Bar Association

Utah Bar Association

Salt Lake County Bar Association, Executive Committee

Utah Trial Lawyers Association

Recognition & Accomplishments

The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Construction (Salt Lake City), 2024; Litigation - Real Estate (Salt Lake City), 2024

Named in Attorney Intel's "Top 25 Attorneys of Utah" List, 2023

Named "Litigator of the Week" by The AmLaw Litigation Daily, June 2017

Chambers USA, litigation: general commercial law (Utah), 2011-2023

The Legal 500 US, finance – municipal bankruptcy, 2014-2016

Utah Business Magazine's "Utah Legal Elite" (based on peer reviews), business litigation, 2005-2007, civil litigation, 2015-2017; litigation: general commercial, 2023

Speaking Engagements

Moderator, "Key Takeaways from the 2018 ACC State of Cybersecurity Report: An In-House Perspective," ACC Mountain West Lunch and Learn, Salt Lake City, August 2, 2018

Moderator, "A Roundtable of Best Practices: Attorney/Client Privilege for In-house Counsel: What Applies and What Doesn't," Association of Corporate Counsel, July 9, 2008

Board Memberships & Community Service

National Ability Center, Board Member, 2004-present; President, 2007-2009
Utah Arts Festival, Board Member, 2005-present; Vice Chair, 2008-2009
University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, Board of Trustees, 2006-present


Publications

"Secretary of the Interior v. California and Federal 'Consistency Provision' of the Coastal Zone Management Act, Like It or Not?" 7 J. Energy Law & Policy, 337, 1986

Credentials 

Education

University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law (J.D. 1987)
Editor-in-chief, Journal of Contemporary Law

Lewis and Clark College (B.S. 1982)

Admissions

Utah

U.S. District Court for the District of Utah

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court