It is with great sadness that I let the membership of the Marin County Bar Association know of the death of our 2024 MCBA President, Scott Buell. Scott passed away today, June 11, 2026, of cancer. Scott, a resident of Novato, was most recently a mediator with his own firm, Buell Law and Mediation. Scott is survived by his wife of 18 years, Grace.

Scott was a graduate of Albany Law School in Albany, NY. Before relocating to California in 2001, Mr. Buell was a criminal defense attorney at the Legal Aid Society of New York City and at New York County Defender Services, and he also served as Assistant Director of the Legal Aid Society of New York City, Parole Revocation Defense Unit. Upon his relocation to California, he worked as in-house trial counsel for three major insurance carriers.

A hallmark of Scott’s career, however, was his commitment to public service and helping others. He served as a pro tem settlement conference panelist in Marin, Sonoma, and Sacramento County Superior Courts. He was the 2024 President of the Marin County Bar Association, a two-term former Chair of the MCBA Judicial Evaluation Committee, and a three-term former Chair of the MCBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. He was also a member of the Southern California Mediation Association.

Scott was known for his hilarious sense of humor, his compassion and empathy for others, his legal acumen and keen intelligence, and his “Teddy Bear” demeanor. For those of us who worked with Scott on the MCBA board, he was always happy to share his wise, thoughtful counsel and advice. He will be missed by so many. Our condolences go out to Grace as well as Scott’s many other family members and friends.

At this link is an interview Scott did with Marin Lawyer in 2018: https://marinbar.org/news/article/?type=news&id=355

Memorial service arrangements have not yet been set and we will share further information once we have it.

Warm regards,
Tom McInerney
MCBA President