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The Daily Business Review recognized Sen. James A. Scott and 13 other legal industry veterans in its second annual Professional Excellence Awards. The attorneys and judges were selected for outstanding service to the Florida legal community. They were recognized at a May 19 event along with Rising Stars in the South Florida legal community at the Coral Gables Country Club. See the Daily Business Review story here: James A. "Jim" Scott has been a lawyer for almost 50 years, but when he talks about his life he dwells on his other career in public service. "Both of my occupations were basically helping people with solutions and transactions and problems, and I enjoyed both of them very much," said Scott, chairman of Tripp Scott, the Fort Lauderdale law firm he co-founded with Norman Tripp in 1969. He is still much engaged in the activity popularly known as lobbying, which he calls advocating for his clients. Scott just spent two months in Tallahassee, his second home after 24 years in the state Senate, the last two as president from 2004 to 2006. Scott also was a Broward County commissioner for six years. During his Senate days, he pushed for more education dollars for his home county. He's reminded of his success by the Sen. James A. Scott Education & Science Building on the Davie campus of Florida Atlantic University. Right outside is the Janice Scott Butterfly Garden named for his wife of 39 years, who died in 2004. The courtly Kentuckian earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky and moved to Miami as a Coast Guard legal officer. "I learned a lot from one boss who had a combination of academic and personal and political skills," Scott said. When that boss, Bill Kessler, was sent to Washington as a congressional liaison officer, the 24-year-old lieutenant commander worked alone for a year. Entering private practice, he met Tripp as a friendly adversary, and they joined forces. At first they took anything-over-the-transom cases, but over the years transitioned to a general civil practice with expertise in governmental affairs. With 48 lawyers, Tripp Scott is now the largest independent law firm in Broward County, distinguishing it from a slew of national and international competitors. Scott remembers the excitement of his firm's involvement as Republican legal headquarters for the 2000 presidential race. This election season "we were strong supporters of Jeb Bush," he said. "Whatever happens we will be supporting the Republican nominee."