R. CRAIG SCOTT, ESQ.
“One of the top labor and employment law attorneys in California.”
That’s what Orange Coast magazine has repeatedly reported about R. Craig Scott in its annual “Legal Eagles” feature. Since 1996, Mr. Scott’s peers have honored him every year as one of the Best Lawyers in America®. Mr. Scott has also been named a Southern California Super Lawyer by Los Angeles Magazine each year since the distinction was first announced in 2004. In addition, Martindale-Hubbell, the most recognized lawyer-rating institution in the nation, has given Mr. Scott its most prestigious, AV® PreeminentTM rating for legal ability and professional ethics.
Mr. Scott is the senior partner of the management-side labor and employment law firm of Scott & Whitehead, which has received a Tier 1 ranking in the 2013 Edition of U.S. News - Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” Previously, Mr. Scott was the partner leading the Orange County, California employment law practice of the 260-attorney law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton and, later, of the 50-attorney law firm of Pettis, Tester, Kruse & Krinsky.
Mr. Scott is also CEO and Founder of Executive Law Group, Inc., a law firm that represents senior executives and other professionals in transition. His success in the representation of executives led to his being named “Lawyer of the Year, 2013,” by Best Lawyers® for Employment Law-Individuals, Orange County.
Mr. Scott has extensive experience representing employers in administrative proceedings, and in both state and federal court, including wage and hour class actions. He has been particularly successful in convincing plaintiffs and their attorneys to abandon cases without payment, or to settle for nominal amounts. Mr. Scott has defended hundreds of single plaintiff employment cases, as well as numerous multi-plaintiff discrimination cases.
Mr. Scott is author or co-author of five books:
- Employment Law 101: Just the Basics for California Employers (Seventh Edition, 2013, with Stu Lerner and Anita York)
- Documentation, Discipline & Discharge: Real World Challenges and Solutions (Fifth Edition, 2013, with Stu Lerner and Anita York)
- Sexual Harassment: Training and Investigations for California Employers (First Edition, 2005, with Stu Lerner)
- California’s New Paid Family Leave Program: Important Strategies and Policies for Implementation (Second Edition, 2004, with Stu Lerner)
- Severance Agreements: 6 Steps™ To A Better Deal (2001)
For several years, Mr. Scott authored a regular column, “Employment Law,” in the Orange County Business Journal. He has published over 75 columns and articles on labor and employment law issues for publications including the Orange County Employer Advisory Council's Advisor, Business to Business, Long Beach Business Journal, Personnel Administrator, and Small Business Report. In addition, Mr. Scott lectures frequently on labor and employment law issues to associations of business people, human resources specialists, and attorneys.
In 1991, Mr. Scott was elected to the first City Council of the newly-formed city of Laguna Hills. He served four terms as Mayor of the City, and was an elected member of the Laguna Hills City Council for nineteen years. Mr. Scott served two terms as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Fire Authority, and its Executive Committee, and 15 years as a member of the Board of Directors. He also served as a Director of the Orange County Fire Authority Charitable Foundation.
For many years, Mr. Scott was a member of the Advisory Board of the Collaborative Courts Foundation of Orange County (supporting the work of Drug Court, Truant Court, Homeless Court, and other specialty courts).
Mr. Scott serves as a HUD Hearing Officer, hearing participant termination appeals from decisions of the Orange County Housing Authority.
Mr. Scott graduated from the University of Utah's College of Law, where he received his J.D. Degree in 1978. He was a Member (1976-1977) and Articles Editor (1977-1978) of the Utah Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.
Mr. Scott is listed in The Best Lawyers in America®, 2014.