Prior to assuming his current role, Scott was a partner in the Sacramento office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where his practice focused on white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations.

[5] In a trade secrets misappropriation case, Scott won a $52.9 million jury verdict against Patriot Rail Company on behalf of his client, Sierra Railroad.

[7] During his previous tenure, Scott's office prosecuted a number of mortgage fraud cases during the financial crisis of 2008, won a $102 million settlement with Union Pacific Railroad over allegations that railroad workers sparked a large wildfire, and prosecuted Hamid and Umer Hayat for allegedly providing material support for terrorism and lying about it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

[5] The editorial board of The Sacramento Bee endorsed Scott's most recent nomination to become U.S. attorney, writing "Trump could not have found a more qualified chief federal prosecutor for the sprawling district.

[10] In June 2021, Scott joined international law firm King & Spalding as a partner working out of the Sacramento and San Francisco offices.