Hugh Scott

Hugh Scott was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1947, and grew up there, in Sydney, Australia, and in Illinois, and Texas, before graduating from Williams College. Hugh’s next stop was the US Navy, into which he was commissioned on November 22, 1968. The next day, his helpmate, friend, and love of 50 years, Susan, and Hugh were married in Boston, where they still live. Hugh served three years in the Navy, two of them on the USS Charles H. Roan (DD 853), much of the time at sea.

Columbia law school and a clerkship with a federal judge in Boston followed. In 1975, Hugh walked in the door of Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston, where he remains today as Senior Counsel,” having retired from the partnership at the end of last year. For five years in the late 1970s-early 1980s, Hugh served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting public corruption cases. Over the last 40 years, he has litigated many cases in courts around the country, involving commercial disputes, tax matters, criminal law (white collar, and murder), eminent domain, and, increasingly over the last couple of decades, insurance coverage disputes. For most of the 1990s, Hugh headed the Choate litigation department. He is the author of a treatise on computer and intellectual property crime and has written various articles over the years.

Susan and Hugh are blessed to have a wonderful son and daughter-in-law, and two lovely grandchildren. About a decade ago, he lucked into his faithful dog, Maggie, from whom he continues to learn to appreciate the simple, little things.

This year will be Hugh’s 20th row in the Head of the Charles in his single scull, his 5th sail in the Figawi Hyannis-to-Nantucket race, and his 2nd ride in the Pan Mass Challenge bike ride to raise money to fight cancer. He is always towards the back of the pack, but always finishes.

Hugh’s next chapter? After stepping back and thinking things over, he has decided to become involved in immigration asylum work. With the support of Choate, Hugh currently has two asylum cases referred by the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR Project) underway, one of which is scheduled for trial in the Immigration Court in November. Formed in 1989, the PAIR Project provides free legal services to asylum-seekers and promotes the rights of detained immigrants.