Biography
Scott Baker became a lawyer as a second career after successful ventures in the business world. After clerking in the Ramsey County Public Defender's Office during law school, he became a Judicial Law Clerk in Dakota County in 2001 upon graduation. From there, he served for four years as an attorney with the Ramsey County Public Defender's Office handling adult felony, misdemeanor and probation violation matters. Scott began in private practice in 2005, establishing his own law firm.
Scott practices exclusively in criminal law. He has personally tried over 28 jury trials (including 16 felony cases) and has handled cases ranging from low-level misdemeanors to criminal sexual conduct and homicides.
Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a minor in English from Drake University in 1992. At Drake, he was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter at offensive tackle on the football team. He earned an MBA from Drake in 1998 while working as an analyst in the insurance industry. He graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2000.
In addition to his law practice, Scott is a lecturer at the University of Minnesota. Scott volunteers with Criminal Defense Services, a program that provides legal services to serve poor and low-income criminal defendants in Ramsey County. He also contracts with the Dakota County Public Defender to handle conflict cases and represent adults charged with felonies, misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. In 2008, Scott was elected to a two-year term as a board member of St. Paul's District 10 – Como Community Council.
In his free time, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife, a pharmacist, and his young son and daughter. He enjoys playing basketball and distance running and has completed 10 marathons.
Scott grew up in rural communities in Nebraska and Iowa. His father was a school administrator. His mother was a stay at home mom who worked at a Christian book store and volunteered with a social service agency and hospital maternity ward. They now focus their attention on being grandparents. Scott has one older brother, a security consultant in Arizona, who served three combat tours with the U.S. Army in the Middle East (first with Special Forces in Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait and Iraq and subsequently two tours in Afghanistan).
