For Elizabeth Scott, law is the family business. But this third-generation attorney and partner with Williams Mullen didn’t always see it that way. “My father had done a lot of real estate law, and in the summers when I was growing up, I’d help him in the office,” she says. “Back in those days you had to pull down heavy, dusty deed books to search titles, and I thought, ‘If this is what lawyers do, then I don’t know if I want to become a lawyer.’”

What she did want to do was attend the University of North Carolina, and once there, her views of the legal profession changed dramatically. “I realized that there were lots of opportunities in law beyond real estate, and once I determined that law was my calling, I became more and more determined to go in that direction.” After graduating for UNC Law School with honors, Scott had the opportunity to clerk with the North Carolina Court of Appeals as well as the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Immediately after her clerkship, Elizabeth Scott joined Maupin Taylor. Then, two years ago, Maupin Taylor merged with Williams Mullen. “Outside of the merger, I’ve been with one firm my entire career,” she says. “Now, I’ve gone from working with 53 attorneys in three offices to in excess of 300 attorneys in 12 offices – and it’s been a wonderful experience.”

Working closely with attorneys in nearly every conceivable specialty has given Scott an even greater appreciation for the field she loves, but her favorite aspect of her job is still building relationships. “The relationships with the people I work with and the opportunity to help younger lawyers who are coming into the practice – particularly women – is very satisfying to me,” she says. “My father spent a large part of his life helping others, whether it was the community, the church or his practice, and that has influenced me to a large degree.”

As a leader, Scott has worked hard to be a mentor and a zealous advocate for her clients. Her determination, dedicated spirit and commitment to fairness and justice have led her to the forefront of her field. She now represents businesses in the manufacturing, banking, health care and petroleum transport industries on a broad range of issues, including products liability, contractual and unfair trade practices disputes, fiduciary duty claims and insurance coverage disputes. Scott is also certified by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission to mediate suits pending before the North Carolina State courts. “Most often I am an advocate in the mediation process,” she says. “But I also serve as a mediator from time to time, and I have great respect for the dispute resolution process. I enjoy watching other attorneys present their cases and learn from their negotiation styles. Helping other parties to resolve their cases is very rewarding.”

“I am deeply committed to ethics and professionalism and I have tried to model that commitment in my career,” she says. “I strive to model myself after people I hold in high regard, and I am aware that there may be someone coming behind me who seeks to emulate me in that regard.”

That’s highly likely, considering that Scott is not only a fearless advocate of the law, but an active member of the community and devoted wife and mother as well. “Keeping work, family and community service in balance is the modern woman’s life,” she says. “It’s a constant challenge, but it’s a constant joy as well.”

“In the end, if I could impart a commitment to hard work and integrity, then I’ve done well,” she says. “Often I’ve been called upon to give advice on something specific, but my advice to the women remains the same: There are certainly competing demands on your time with work and family, but it can be done, and despite its great challenges, it has great rewards.” You might want to considering amending the last quote to read: “Competing demands on one's time with work and family can pose a great challenge, but it can be done and with these challenges come great rewards."