About W. Scott
W. Scott Turnbull built a foundation in the liberal arts and business before turning to law. He earned a B.A. in political science and economics from Calvin College, followed by an MBA in business administration from Grand Valley State University. He completed his legal training at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the law review in 1998.
Early in his legal career Turnbull worked as an associate at Miller Canfield beginning in 2000. That period included both litigation assignments and courtroom appearances. The same year he is recorded as having served in a judicial administrative role as Chief Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. His time on both sides of the courtroom informed a litigation practice that spans trial and appellate work.
In 2011 he became a shareholder at Crary Buchanan. At the firm he expanded his practice to include real property, probate and trust matters alongside civil litigation. He holds admissions across multiple jurisdictions, including state bars in Michigan, Florida and Illinois and federal appellate admissions in the Sixth, Seventh and Eleventh Circuits. Those admissions enable him to handle appeals and multi-jurisdictional disputes for clients.
Turnbull maintains active memberships in several professional organizations. He belongs to the Michigan State Bar, The Florida Bar and The Illinois Bar, and is a member of the American Bar Association. He participates in specialized sections such as the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and the Trial Lawyers Section. Locally, he is involved with the Palm Beach County Bar Association and the Martin County Bar Association. Outside the bar roll, he serves as a director of the Treasured Lands Foundation.
Colleagues and clients describe Turnbull as steady in the courtroom and methodical in preparing cases. He pairs litigation experience with transactional work in estates and property matters. He continues to handle trials, appeals and negotiated resolutions, drawing on practice in multiple states and federal circuits. He now practices at Crary Buchanan, where his work centers on litigation and estate and real property matters.
