Scouting for Opportunities

Celebrating men who advance the causes of women and children

by Mary Welch

January 1, 2007

Scott Sorrels, Partner Powell goldstein

Scott Sorrels is on the board of partners for the law firm of Powell Goldstein, where he also serves as its marketing partner. A graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, Sorrels' practice concentrates on securities, regulatory and corporate investigations and litigation.

He is also active in the Boy Scouts and is the national chair for the Scouts' Council Support Committee for the Venturing Program, a co-ed program for teenagers. He is currently the Area Six President, Southern Region, for the Boy Scouts, which serves more than 60,000 youth through 10 councils in four states. He is a past president of the Northeast Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America.

Atlanta Woman: Professionally you work with a lot of women entrepreneurs. Is that rewarding?

Sorrels: I have been fortunate to serve a number of accomplished women who have appeared in the pages of Business to Business and Atlanta Woman magazines. I have particularly enjoyed working with entrepreneurial executives and helping them solve their problems and execute on opportunities.

There are certainly challenges to being a female executive. My reward is helping them grow their companies and become more profitable. I think there are more opportunities for competent women to enter the marketplace than ever before. We need to push through any glass ceiling.

AW: You are very active in the Boy Scouts of America. Why?

Sorrels: The Boy Scouts have made a huge difference in my life and I want to help others have that some experience. The Boy Scouts filled a void in my youth. I was raised by a wonderful mother but my father died when I was young. I needed role models and I found them in the Scouts. It has made such a difference in my life that I will continue to give back long after my two daughters, who have been in the program, have moved on.

AW: Are girls getting more involved in the Boy Scouts?

Sorrels: Absolutely. In fact, I spend a lot of time in the national role with the Venturing program trying to bring that program to even more young adults, and particularly young women. In fact, the current national president is a young lady from North Carolina. I think girls are more attracted to the program for a number of reasons, including the outdoor activities and the leadership opportunities.

AW: Why are the Scouts relevant today?

Sorrels: The core values and lessons that you learn in the program will serve you throughout your life. Sometimes you don't know that you're learning them while you are having fun. I've taken teenagers on an adventure cruise in the Bahamas, and an almost all-female crew for horseback riding in New Mexico. You see that these young people, and sometimes especially the girls, don't realize what they can accomplish. They don't think they can hike that mountain or sail the ship, but they do. It shows them early on in life that they can take on a personal challenge and succeed.

AW: Kids seems to have so many after-school opportunities. Why Scouts?

Sorrels: Young people today have so many choices of activities and also have a much heavier school work load than I ever had. Sports have a lot to offer, but I think kids need to be well rounded and exposed to all sorts of activities, experiences and people.

AW: What kind of personal satisfaction do you get with your involvement?

Sorrels: I just want to try to provide opportunities for young people to experience what I experienced.

AW: What was your Scouting experience like?

Sorrels: I grew up in Macon and when I was a teenager, I was elected a national vice president of the new Exploring program. I traveled all over the world. For any kid, I can tell you it was a life changing experience.

AW: Anything else?

Sorrels: Well, I met my wife though the Scouts. That's another life changing experience! She was an Explorer from Indiana and we met at a national conference and had a long, long-distance relationship.

AW: Attorneys seem to be particularly willing to get involved in causes and civic groups. Why?

Sorrels: Many of us went to law school to make a difference in society. At Powell Goldstein we promote community service, but even more important, we push civic leadership. It's easy to attend a meeting or participate in a run for charity, but we want people to do more. I believe in passionate leadership. We have an obligation to society to give back - and give back passionately.

AW: There's a lot of evidence that today's college graduates are very interested in community service. Are you finding that with your associates?

Sorrels: It's hard to generalize but maybe the difference between today's associates and my generation is that they want to be leaders very early on, particularly the women. They want to be involved as substantial leaders in causes they are passionate about much earlier in their careers than I was or my colleagues.

AW: You and the firm are also involved in mentoring. Tell us about it.

Sorrels: We invite students to the firm who are interested in law careers and have them meet the staff and the lawyers and ask any questions they like. They ask a lot of questions and really want an inside look. They want to see if they could fit in and enjoy the law as a profession.

AW: Tell us about your youth outreach programs?

Sorrels: We have a couple of different ones that come to mind, particularly our mock trial team and Junior Achievement program. We have coached mock trial teams in several high schools, including Grady High School. One year our team won the state championship. A number of the students end up going to college and law school. I believe we've even hired a lawyer who was on one of our early mock trial teams. These young people are very competent in their trial skills. They understand the rules of evidence and how to question a witness. They know how to object better than some lawyers I've seen!