J. Scott Coalter is Board Certified Specialist in State and Federal Criminal Law in North Carolina who began defending clients in criminal cases in 1997. He has experience as both a prosecutor and public defender, having served as an Assistant Public Defender for Guilford County, NC from 1997-2001, and an Assistant District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District of NC from 2001-2003. He is qualified for appointment to North Carolina Death Penalty cases and Federal criminal cases. He has appeared before Federal District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, the North Carolina Court of Appeals and numerous State District and Superior Courts. Scott has been awarded the prestigious Super Lawyer designation for Criminal Defense by Super Lawyers Magazine.

A native of Austin, Texas, Scott later served as an Infantryman in the First Infantry Division Forward in West Germany and graduated Cum Laude from the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated Cum Laude from the Campbell University School of Law in 1996. At Campbell, Scott was published ("Vicarious Liability of a Physician for the Negligence of Other Medical Professionals- North Carolina Charts a Middle Course- The Effect of Harris v. Miller," Campbell Law Review, Vol. 17, No. 2 (1995)) and served as Research Editor on the Campbell Law Review from 1995-96. He is a past President of the Greensboro Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He is a member of the Guilford Inns of Court and the High Point Bar Association.