Jacob Scott Wessel was born in Boise, Idaho on March 23, 1978. He grew up in Idaho Falls, and he graduated from Hillcrest Highschool in 1996. He attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah for one year before serving an LDS mission in Ukraine. He graduated from BYU in 2002 with a double major in Russian and International Studies.

After graduating from Brigham Young University, Mr. Wessel was a medicare benefits specialist working on contract with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Mr. Wessel began law school at the University of Iowa College of Law, a nationally ranked top law school in 2003 and graduated in 2006. During law school Mr. Wessel worked as a research assistant and a clerk for Thomsen Stephens Law Offices in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Wessel joined the firm Thomsen Stephens Law Offices, PLLC as an associate attorney in fall 2006 after successfully completing the Idaho bar exam. He practices in the areas of family law, employment law, collections, commercial litigation, personal injury, and property law. He is currently licensed to practice law in Idaho State Courts and the Federal District Court for the District of Idaho.