A former member of the executive board of Fulbright New Zealand, he holds a BA degree in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley (1982), a Masters degree (MPhil) in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, England, (1983), and a JD degree from Harvard Law School (1988). Scott interned at the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria (1985), served as a prosecutor in the New York County District Attorney's Office (1990), and clerked for the Hon. Constance Baker Motley of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York (1989).