From UH Law to NASA: J. Brett Swanson (J.D. ’05) Shares How His Career Took Flight
Quick summary: University of Houston Law Center alumnus J. Brett Swanson (J.D. ’05) reflects on his more than two-decade career with NASA and his work as chief counsel for both the Armstrong Flight Research Center and the NASA Office of JPL Management and Oversight.
“I still get giddy every time an airplane flies over my office,” Swanson said. “I feel like I’m a part of that. The excitement hasn’t worn off.”
A 2005 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, Swanson serves as chief counsel for both the Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) and the NASA Office of JPL Management and Oversight (NOJMO) in Pasadena, Calif. The roles place him at the intersection of federal oversight, contractor governance, and complex aerospace operations.
It is, as he puts it, “a lot to keep track of.”
Based at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., Armstrong operates at a traditional NASA field center focused on flight testing. It is considered NASA's premier site for aeronautical research. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), by contrast, is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) operated by Caltech under a distinct contractual model. Swanson’s responsibilities span both environments, each defined by different legal authorities and risk profiles.
His work encompasses both the atmosphere and space, reflecting the breadth of NASA’s portfolio. Whether addressing aeronautical research—such as experimental flight testing within the atmosphere—or complex robotic planetary missions overseen by JPL, he provides the legal guidance necessary for these missions to succeed. His day-to-day work includes negotiating intricate Space Act Agreements for public-private partnerships, navigating federal procurement regulations, managing complex intellectual property issues, and ensuring compliance with stringent ethics rules.
“They are both NASA, but they are different worlds in a lot of ways,” he said. “There are really important distinctions in how they operate.”
His office functions as an enabling layer for decision-making inside the agency. Swanson describes his team in operational terms: not as a barrier to activity, but as a group that defines the legal parameters within which cutting edge science and research can take place.
“We think of ourselves almost like a business safety office,” he said. “Engineers focus on the technical side of risk. We focus on how it’s mitigated and allocated—through legal frameworks, contracts, ethics rules, and stewardship of taxpayer resources.”
This distinction is central to work that involves procurement requirements, intellectual property protections, interagency agreements, and liability allocation. These areas require a balance of precision to withstand scrutiny and flexibility to support NASA’s groundbreaking science and innovative experimental research.
“The safest thing to do in flight research is to never take off,” Swanson said. “But that’s not the point. At some stage, you have to lean forward and do the thing. Our job is to identify legal risks and make sure leadership can make informed decisions about them.”
Swanson’s Journey
Swanson entered law school with an interest in health law, but he quickly discovered that the analytical framework of legal training could apply far beyond any single field — a realization that ultimately shaped his career in federal service. The first-semester civil procedure course taught by Professor Robert Ragazzo proved formative, introducing concepts like jurisdiction and the Erie doctrine. While these topics initially felt abstract, the focus on strategy left a lasting imprint. Swanson still recalls Ragazzo’s phrase “exquisite lawyering,” used to describe the procedural precision that often determines outcomes in a legal dispute.
In his third year, a health law course further shifted his view of the profession. A paper on tobacco litigation exposed him to the mechanics of discovery and its ability to surface internal corporate knowledge regarding product risk.
“I was fascinated by the idea that discovery could bring forward documents that changed public understanding,” Swanson said. “That was when I started to see law as a tool—not just a system for allocating liability and resolving disputes, but a way to build a path for action.”
Following this interest into federal service, Swanson joined NASA as a summer intern in 2004 and returned full-time after graduation in 2005. His responsibilities grew to include ethics, partnerships, and interagency coordination. In 2021, he became acting chief counsel at Armstrong and was formally appointed to the position in 2022, later assuming oversight responsibilities for NOJMO and NASA’s legal interests at JPL.
After 20 years with the agency, his perspective has evolved from an interest in technology to a focus on the institutional processes that support it.
“The initial thrill hasn't faded,” Swanson said. “We do really impressive things here at NASA, and I’ve gained a fuller appreciation for the legal and structural precision it takes to move an agency like this forward.”
This perspective also shapes his approach to recruitment. When hiring attorneys, Swanson looks for “evidence of passion,” where a candidate’s interests connect to their professional goals.
“There is not one single path,” he said. “What matters is whether your experiences point somewhere coherent. You have to be thoughtful about the choices you make. If you are, those experiences come together over time in a way that positions you well.”
— J. Brett Swanson
Whether overseeing contracts for experimental flight systems or guiding oversight of research partnerships, Swanson’s work remains grounded in the belief that law is a foundation for exploration.
In Swanson’s case, these experiences have provided the legal and administrative groundwork for NASA’s missions. He ensures that when the engines ignite, the necessary institutional framework is already in place.
