SCOTT SAEF has, for over 25 years, assisted clients with addressing local regulatory issues and obtaining zoning approvals, efficiently combining on each assignment a substantial knowledge of local government law and procedure with broad-ranging tactical experience.
Scott’s land use, incentive and property tax practice involves frequent appearances before a range of government bodies, both administrative and legislative, in the Chicago metropolitan area with which he works to bring to fruition a variety of complex projects, particularly focused on commercial, industrial, utility, institutional, transportation, and educational initiatives. Scott’s work has included significant interaction with the City of Chicago and its agencies, including the Chicago City Council, Chicago Plan Commission, Department of Planning and Department of Transportation, as well as variety of suburban jurisdictions. Scott also coordinates land use and zoning activities in out-of-state locations, working cooperatively with a network of land use practitioners around the country to help clients with portfolios of properties manage the entitlement process and maintain a consistent approach.
Scott also counsels clients in stadium development matters and other transactions involving public-private partnerships, opportunities for economic development assistance—such as tax increment financing and state income tax incentives—as well as State and local property tax matters, including property tax division and exemption petitions, property tax incentive matters, and payment-in-lieu-of-tax arrangements.
Scott has been recognized for his handling of complex zoning negotiations and tax issues by The Legal 500 US 2009 and has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America in 2022, 2024, and 2025.
Scott worked as an attorney for the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1993 and later worked actively on behalf of an Illinois public utility on landmark legislation deregulating that state’s electric utility industry. Prior to joining the firm, Scott worked as a business reporter for several daily newspapers covering the real estate industry, land use, and growth. At Northwestern School of Law, Scott was the coordinating articles editor of the Northwestern University Law Review.