Mr. David Scott

David William Scott, Q.C., born January 27, 1936, represents the fourth generation of a distinguished Ottawa legal family, with roots tracing back to his great-great-grandfather Sir Richard Scott who helped select Ottawa as Canada’s capital. Educated at Ashbury College and Loyola College, Scott began his career combining criminal defense with part-time Crown prosecution before forming the litigation-focused firm Scott & Aylen, which grew to nearly 50 lawyers before merging with Borden Elliott to create a national firm.

Scott’s career was marked by extensive involvement in royal commissions and public inquiries, beginning with the 1976 Marin RCMP Inquiry and continuing through major investigations including the McDonald Inquiry (which created CSIS), the Stevens Inquiry, the APEC Inquiry, and notably the Gomery Inquiry into the sponsorship scandal where he represented Jean Chrétien. His practice encompassed significant litigation including his first Supreme Court appearance in Batary v. Saskatchewan (1965), patent litigation, defamation cases, and high-profile matters involving public figures like Joey Smallwood and Pierre Trudeau. Beyond his legal practice, Scott served as a Law Society of Upper Canada Bencher from 1991, held leadership positions in The Advocates’ Society and Canadian Bar Association, and made history as the first Canadian President of the American College of Trial Lawyers, traveling across 42 states in that role.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.