John Scott has over 40 years of litigation experience representing banks, insurance companies and product manufacturers in a wide variety of complex civil litigation and arbitration proceedings involving financial services claims, commercial disputes, insurance and reinsurance service and sales claims, securities disputes and product liability claims. He also has served as a mediator and neutral arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association and is an approved FINRA Dispute Resolution Arbitrator.
Professional Recognition
•Listed in Best Lawyers in America and named as Lawyer of the Year - Litigation - Banking & Finance in 2016
•Super Lawyer in Alabama by Mid-South Super Lawyers Magazine
•Holds AV-Preeminent Distinction with Martindale-Hubbell
Highlights
•Successfully defended national insurance companies in complex federal court litigation involving a reinsurance agreement and workman’s compensation claims handling.
•Successfully defended regional bank in litigation involving employee checking account forgery.
•Successfully defended a regional bank in a non-jury trial involving claims of misappropriation of funds in certificates of deposit accounts.
•Obtained a jury verdict in favor of a regional bank on all claims in a case alleging negligence or wantonness in allowing monies to be withdrawn from an equity line account of the plaintiffs by their son, resulting in damages and alleging invasion of privacy due to numerous collection calls from the defendant bank to the borrower’s home.
•Obtained a jury verdict in excess of $800,000 in favor of a mortgage loan broker against a former manager/employee.
•Obtained FINRA arbitration award in excess of $100,000 and injunctive relief arising out of misappropriation of customer information by securities broker.
•Successfully defended claims against a local state bank involving checking account forgery.
•Obtained an arbitration award in excess of $300,000 in favor of a mortgage loan broker against a former manager/employee.
Presentations and Publications
•John spoke on the topic of Representing the Despised Defendant-Lessons Learned, at the FDCC Winter Meeting - Trial Masters Series Plenary Program, Marco Island, FL, March 15, 2014.
•John spoke on the topic of Recovery of Mental Anguish Damages in Alabama at the Tort Law Seminar - Presented by Alabama Law Weekly in Birmingham, Alabama, September 13, 2013.
•John authored an article published in the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel Quarterly, Vol. 63, No. 2 (Winter 2013), entitled “Mortgage Lending Reform Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.”
•John also co-authored an article published in the Cumberland Law Review, Vol. 38, No. 3 (2007-2008), entitled “A Practitioner’s Guide to Recovery of Mental Anguish/Emotional Distress Damages in Alabama.”
•He has served as a lecturer on numerous occasions in seminars conducted by the Alabama Bar Institute for Continuing Legal Education and in programs presented before the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. John has also served as faculty member of the Alabama Defense Lawyers Trial Academy.
News & Insights
•35 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2026
•33 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2025
•30 Starnes Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2024
•30 SDF ATTORNEYS LISTED IN BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA 2023
•29 SDF ATTORNEYS LISTED IN BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA 2022
•Twenty-Six SDF Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2021
•THIRTY-ONE SDF ATTORNEYS NAMED TO THE 2019 EDITION OF MID-SOUTH SUPER LAWYERS
•Thirty SDF Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers 2020
•THIRTY-ONE SDF ATTORNEYS NAMED TO THE 2018 EDITION OF MID-SOUTH SUPER LAWYERS
•Twenty-Seven SDF Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers in America 2019
•Twenty-Eight SDF Attorneys Named to the 2017 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
•Twenty-Six SDF Lawyers Listed in the 2018 Edition of Best Lawyers in America
•Starnes Davis Florie and Attorney John Scott Featured in BBJ’s Table of Experts Series on Banking Deregulation
•Twenty-Six SDF Attorneys Named to the 2016 Edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers
•Twenty Starnes Davis Florie Attorneys Named to the 2017 Edition of Best Lawyers
•Starnes Davis Florie Attorneys John Scott and Gray Stiff Named Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for 2016
•Twenty Starnes Davis Florie Attorneys Named to the 2016 Edition of Best Lawyers
•Twenty-Six SDF Attorneys Named to 2015 Alabama Super Lawyers
•Seventeen Starnes Davis Florie Attorneys Named to the 2015 Edition of Best Lawyers
•Thirty SDF Attorneys Named to Alabama Super Lawyers 2014
