Donald Edward Scott

Donald Edward Scott, age 66, of Denver, Colorado passed away on July 18, 2015 outside of Cody, Wyoming. Don was born in Plainfield, Illinois to John and Joyce Scott on September 18, 1948. He went to Plainfield High School, along with his brother David and sisters, Diane and Beth, graduating in 1965. Don went on to earn a B.A. degree in economics from Harvard College, magna cum laude, in 1970, and was Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1973 where he was on the Editorial Board of the Yale Law Journal. During his schooling, he would return home to Plainfield to spend summers with his family and work construction with his uncle. Don began his legal career at Kirkland & Ellis where he worked in Chicago, Washington DC and finally Denver, trying cases across the country. In 1993, Don, along with Fred Bartlit, Phil Beck, Skip Herman, Jim Palenchar, and Mark Ferguson formed the law firm Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP. Don's reputation as one of the top trial lawyers in the United States continued to grow while at Bartlit Beck, where he had an extraordinary record of success in high stakes trials across the country. Among other notable verdicts, Don obtained trial victories for Pratt & Whitney in a lengthy trial in Texas, for Alpha Therapeutics in Louisiana, for Bayer in cases involving PPA in Utah and Florida, and for NL Industries in several trials across the country. In addition to his trial victories, Don was an exceptional mentor and colleague, training a generation of trial lawyers at Bartlit Beck and being a true partner to his colleagues. He was universally respected by the lawyers he litigated against and the judges he argued before for his honesty, integrity and thoughtfulness. Don showed everyone that success in the courtroom and in life came, first and foremost, by knowing yourself and being genuine. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Layers. He instructed with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy for over 30 years. In the community, he served as a long time trustee, and most recently vice-president, of the Denver Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, as a trustee of the Foundation Board for Craig Hospital in Englewood, and as a trustee of the Endowment Board for the Central City Opera in Denver. Don is survived and will be greatly missed by Ellen MacMorris Scott, his former wife of over 20 years; his two sons, David MacMorris Scott and Edward "Teddy" McAllister Scott; his sister Beth (David) Axelrod; his nieces Caroline (Ronald) Smith and Sarah Joyce Axelrod; his nephews Christopher (Chantel) Stubbs and Ward (Alyson) Scott and many more whose lives were greatly touched by his kindness, character, and love. Funeral services honoring Mr. Scott's life and work will be held at Park Hill United Methodist Church, 5209 Montview Blvd., Denver, CO 80207 on Monday, July 27, 2015 at 3:00 pm, with Pastor Eric Smith officiating. A private family burial service will take place earlier in the day at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, CO. Memorial Donations may be made to the Craig Hospital Foundation, www.donate.craighospital.org , and to the Park Hill United Methodist Church, 5209 Montview Blvd., Denver, CO 80207.