Scott Emblidge

Scott Emblidge is a tenacious trial lawyer, a skillful appellate advocate, and a savvy strategist for dealing with issues where law and public policy overlap. Scott’s work covers many of the firm’s practice areas.

For example, he has litigated complex real estate, land use, business and trade secret disputes for dozens of businesses and individuals. He has successfully fended off claims of trade secret misappropriation, represented individuals and business entities in real estate non-disclosure and easement disputes, and pursued a wide range of tort claims for business clients, such as interference with contracts, unfair competition, and trade libel.

Scott has represented the State of California, almost every Bay Area county, and many cities as outside counsel in litigation involving constitutional and municipal law claims, real property and CEQA disputes, and ethics issues.

He also devotes much of his time to counseling clients seeking government contracts, permits or other approvals, particularly in the land use arena. This often involves representing clients in hearings before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, and Board of Appeals, as well as similar bodies in other Bay Area jurisdictions.

Scott is an experienced mediator. He has mediated dozens of cases in a wide variety of areas, including land use issues, such as CEQA, easement, adjoining landowner, and zoning disputes; business disputes, including trade secret, partnership dissolution, and breach of contract disputes; police misconduct and other civil rights claims, employment disputes, and disability access claims. Scott serves, pro bono, as a mediator for the United States District Court, Northern District of California, and Marin County Superior Court.

Before starting the firm, Scott served for ten years as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco when he represented the City in high-profile litigations, and advised the Mayor, Board of Supervisors and many City departments on legal issues ranging from First Amendment rights, disability access rules, open government regulations, affirmative action, civil rights and other constitutional claims, gun control, and state and federal preemption questions.