M. Scott Bucci

Partner  |  Cantor, Grana, Buckner, Bucci, P.C. (The Virginia Trial Firm)  |  Richmond, Virginia

Reviewed by M. Scott Bucci, Partner. Last reviewed: June 18, 2026.

M. Scott Bucci is a partner at Cantor, Grana, Buckner, Bucci, P.C. (CGBB), The Virginia Trial Firm in Richmond, Virginia. Scott concentrates his practice on premises and retailer liability and on serious motor vehicle cases, and he has tried a wide range of matters, including car and truck collisions, premises liability, products liability, and construction disputes. Other lawyers frequently bring him in as co-counsel on complex retailer and premises cases, an area in which he has developed particular skill. He represents people who have been seriously injured and families who have lost a loved one because of negligence.

Practice Areas: Car Accidents, Truck Accidents, Catastrophic Injuries, Premises Liability, Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injuries, Wrongful Death

Direct Office Line: (804) 888-9501

Email Address: [email protected]

Virginia Bar No.: 42636

Over more than 27 years in practice, Scott has tried more than 125 civil cases to verdict in more than 25 jurisdictions across Virginia, and he has secured numerous verdicts and settlements larger than $1 million for the people he represents. His reputation as a trial lawyer reflects the preparation he brings to every case and the breadth of courtrooms in which he has tried them.

Representative results include:

• $16 million in a motorcycle crash that killed a husband and seriously injured his wife (co-counsel)

• $3 million in a highway collision that killed a husband and wife (wrongful death, co-counsel)

• $2,353,504 for a truck driver who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a fall from his trailer (workers’ compensation, co-counsel)

• $2.35 million in a medical malpractice case for a woman who died from oxygen deprivation during a hospital procedure (co-counsel)

• $1.5 million in a premises-liability wrongful death after a hotel failed to timely summon emergency medical assistance (co-counsel)

• $1.4625 million for a driver who suffered a severe brain injury when an improperly loaded pallet fell on him (workers’ compensation, co-counsel)

Part of what makes Scott effective for injured clients is where he started. He began his career on the defense side of the courtroom, representing corporations and insurers in litigation across Virginia, including more than seven years defending a national retailer in state and federal courts and before the Fourth Circuit. That work gave him an inside understanding of how retailers and insurance companies evaluate, value, and defend claims, and he now uses it on behalf of the people those companies once paid him to oppose. It is the foundation of his particular strength in premises and retailer liability cases. He tries cases throughout Virginia’s state and federal courts, including the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. He is especially experienced in the Eastern District of Virginia, known as the “Rocket Docket” for one of the fastest median times to civil trial in the country, and he has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Virginia.

Scott is widely recognized by his peers. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2015, for Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs and, in the 2026 edition, also for Product Liability Litigation Plaintiffs. He has been selected to the Virginia Super Lawyers list each year since 2013, after earlier recognition as a Rising Star, with Top 100 Virginia and Top 50 Richmond selections, and he was named again in 2026. He is AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest available rating for legal ability and ethical standards, and he has been named to Virginia Business magazine’s Legal Elite in civil litigation.

Scott is a leader in the national trial bar. He is a past President of the Virginia chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and served as its National Board Representative, and he is a past President of the Southeastern American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA), the regional body of ABOTA chapters across the Southeast. He is a member of the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. American Inn of Court and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

While Scott is devoted to the work he does for his clients, he is also devoted to his community. He has served on the board of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia since 2016, supporting survivors of the brain injuries that are so often at the center of the catastrophic cases the firm handles. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Midlothian with their four children, two sets of twins, and their English bulldogs, Butch and Sundance. In 2011, Scott donated a kidney to his wife.

Education and Bar Admissions

Scott earned his J.D. with high honors from the George Mason University School of Law in 1998. He earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1995, where he was awarded the Malcolm H. Kerr Memorial Scholarship to study in Cairo, Egypt. After law school, he served as a law clerk to the Virginia Beach Circuit Court.

He is admitted to practice in Virginia (1998, Bar No. 42636) and before the Supreme Court of Virginia, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia.

Honors and Awards

• Best Lawyers in America®, Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs (2015 to present); Product Liability Litigation Plaintiffs (2026)

• Virginia Super Lawyers® (2013 to present); Rising Stars (2009 to 2012)

• Top 100 Virginia Super Lawyers® (2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)

• Top 50 Richmond Area Super Lawyers® (2016, 2017, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026)

• AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest rating for legal ability and ethical standards

• Legal Elite, Civil Litigation, Virginia Business magazine

Professional Associations

• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)

• National Board Representative for Virginia (2020 to present); ABOTA Foundation Civics Education Committee Co-Chair (2025 to present); Chapter Relations Committee (2020 to present); International Issues Committee (2024)

• Southeastern American Board of Trial Advocates (SEABOTA): 

• President (2024); Treasurer (2020); Secretary (2021); Vice President (2022) President Elect (2023); Executive Committee (2020 to present)

• Virginia Chapter - American Board of Trial Advocates (VA - ABOTA): 

• President (2019); Secretary (2016); Treasurer (2017); President Elect (2018); Membership Chair (2024); Executive Committee (2017 to present)

• Litigation Counsel of America (Fellow, 2025 to present)

• Lewis F. Powell, Jr. American Inn of Court

• Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

• Brain Injury Association of Virginia: Board Member (2016 to 2019)

Client Testimonials

“As a client of Scott Bucci’s, I was treated like family! He constantly kept me updated on any changes with my case and made sure I had the most favorable outcome by the end of it all. I couldn’t recommend him more! Scott and his team really were the best. They handled me with care, support and respect; you can’t ask for more than that!”

— Julie F.

“Mr. Bucci is not just a lawyer - he is so much more than that. I have never met an attorney with so much heart, compassion, and genuine empathy for his clients. I could not have found a better person to represent me and fight for my rights. Throughout the entire process he made me feel supported and heard.”

— Chanibel S.

“The best!! Scott Bucci and his team were exactly the law firm I needed. They worked endlessly to get the solution I hoped for. They kept my husband and I in the loop about everything. Thank you Scott for putting so much work into getting the solution we did.”

— Leigh B. 

Publications and Presentations

• SEABOTA Trial Skills Seminar - Opening Statements (2025)

• University of Virginia Law School Civility Matters (2023, 2024)

• SEABOTA Civility Matters Seminar (2023)

• Virginia CLE - Rules of Evidence in Virginia: Hearsay (2023)

• Virginia CLE - Witness Examination (2023)

• Virginia CLE - After the Winning Verdict (2019)

• Removal to Federal Court, VTLA Tort Law Seminar (2019)

• VTLA Premises Retreat - Chair (2019)

• What You Need To Know About Personal Injury and Premises Liability, video (The Virginia Trial Firm)

• The Terrorism Exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Journal of International Legal Studies, Editorial Board (Spring 1997)

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of cases does Scott Bucci handle?

Scott Bucci handles catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases in Virginia, with particular strength in premises and retailer liability and motor vehicle cases. He also handles products liability and construction disputes and represents clients with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. Other lawyers frequently bring him in as co-counsel on complex retailer and premises matters.

Where is Scott Bucci licensed to practice?

Scott Bucci has been admitted to practice in Virginia since 1998 (Bar No. 42636) and appears before the Supreme Court of Virginia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. He practices from the firm’s Richmond, Virginia office.

What is Scott Bucci known for?

Scott Bucci is known as a premises and retailer liability trial lawyer who began his career defending corporations and insurers and now uses that insight for injured clients. He has tried more than 125 civil cases to verdict in more than 25 jurisdictions across Virginia and is a past President of both the Virginia chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Southeastern American Board of Trial Advocates.

Has Scott Bucci been recognized by his peers?

Yes. Scott Bucci has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2015 and selected to Virginia Super Lawyers since 2013, with Top 100 Virginia and Top 50 Richmond selections, and he is AV Preeminent peer-review rated by Martindale-Hubbell. These recognitions reflect peer assessment and do not guarantee a particular result.

This profile is attorney advertising and is provided for general information. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Case results depend on the unique facts of each matter, and prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Listings and awards reflect peer assessments for the year indicated and are not approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia or the Virginia State Bar.