Title: Trust Counsel and Managing Director
Company: Fiduciary Trust Company International of Pennsylvania
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania, United States
Scott Small, trust counsel and managing director at Fiduciary Trust Company International of Pennsylvania, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers for dedication, achievements and leadership in legal services and financial services.
Mr. Small has established a significant career spanning more than 35 years in trust administration, wealth management and fiduciary law. Since 2023, he has excelled as trust counsel and managing director at Fiduciary Trust Company International of Pennsylvania in Radnor, where he provides expert guidance on complex fiduciary matters and is an active member of the regional management team. In this capacity, Mr. Small oversees legal reviews, ensures document accessibility, drafts non-judicial settlement agreements, and manages modifications or terminations of trusts. He also serves as the resident expert for a team of 62 fiduciary and investment professionals, working closely with outside attorneys who designate him as executor for their clients. His leadership has contributed to Fiduciary Trust being recognized as the number one firm in trust administration and wealth management in Pennsylvania by The Legal Intelligencer.
Prior to his present post, Mr. Small was active as a senior vice president of estate services and senior regional fiduciary manager at Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management from 2021 to 2023. He previously held the position of senior vice president of trust services and senior regional fiduciary manager at Wells Fargo in Philadelphia from 2012 to 2021, where he managed individual accounts, profit and loss statements and oversaw large fiduciary businesses.
From 1997 to 2012, Mr. Small found success as first vice president, senior national and managing director of specialized fiduciary services at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Philadelphia. During his tenure at Mellon Bank, he played a pivotal role as national director for state administration in advocating for the families of foreign victims killed on September 11, 2001. Recognizing that many employees at Windows on the World were not United States citizens and thus ineligible for compensation under congressional victims’ benefits plans, Mr. Small persuaded Mellon Bank’s senior management to provide pro bono services as corporate fiduciaries. Collaborating with volunteer attorneys from Shearman & Sterling, he helped secure approximately $26 million in compensation for 12 families—an achievement recognized by an award from the New York State Bar Association in 2004 and a feature in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Small was recruited as a senior associate at Blank Rome LLP in West Palm Beach from 1996 to 1997. From 1988 to 1996, he worked as an associate at K&L Gates in Miami and Pittsburgh, engaging in various areas of law and representing approximately 18 guardianships arising from the largest mass child abuse prosecution in United States history.
Mr. Small has been appointed as the co-chair of the In-House Counsel Committee for the Philadelphia Bar Association since 2024, having been previously elected as an at-large member from 2021 to 2023. He was likewise active as the chair of the Probate and Trust Law Section in 2020, a member of the executive council from 2012 to 2020, a section representative from 2014 to 2016, and a board of governors section representative from 2014 to 2015. Furthermore, Mr. Small was a board member of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council between 2002 and 2011, where he was president from 2009 to 2010.
Civic engagement is central to Mr. Small’s life. He served as the president of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council from 2009 to 2010, contributed to the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force during the 1990s and participated actively with Wills for Heroes. His commitment extends to pro bono activities supporting vulnerable individuals.
Mr. Small is also an accomplished author and presenter on topics related to estate planning, fiduciary law and ethical considerations for digital assets. Notable works to his credit include “Transformative Pro Bono Experiences” published by The Philadelphia Lawyer in 2024, “Planning for Vulnerable Individuals” co-authored with Susan Bartels for The International Family Offices Journal in 2023 and “My Story: I fought for families of foreign victims killed on 9/11” in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance in 2004. He has delivered presentations such as “How Banks and Other Fiduciary/Financial Institutions Protect Vulnerable Individuals” in 2025, “When Good Gifts Go Bad: Examples and Lessons Learned” in 2024 and “Pet Trusts: The Humane Way to Care for Your Animal(s) When You Can’t” in 2024.
To support his professional ambitions, Mr. Small pursued an education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, from which he earned a Bachelor of Arts in classical languages and literature, cum laude, in 1982. He ultimately concluded his academic efforts at the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1987, graduating with a Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude. During this time, he also contributed as associate editor of the University of Florida Law Review. Mr. Small’s early interest in Latin and Greek stemmed from high school studies and a desire to excel academically while participating in the university’s marching band—a tradition inspired by his father.
Mr. Small credits his maternal grandfather, William Webb—a respected Pittsburgh attorney who practiced for more than six decades—as his earliest role model and guiding influence toward a legal career. Lessons learned from his father about enjoying one’s work have also shaped his approach to life and leadership. His wife was integral to his church involvement, encouraging him to serve as both Sunday school teacher and elder at Sewickley Presbyterian Church.
Throughout his career, Mr. Small has been recognized for qualities such as loyalty, esprit de corps, optimism, attention to detail, even temperament, inquisitiveness, tenacity and persistence. He values tools like CliftonStrengths for their focus on building individual strengths within organizations.
Looking toward the future, Mr. Small aims to further elevate Fiduciary Trust International’s reputation as a trusted leader in its field while aspiring to serve as chief fiduciary officer for the organization. Inspired by his grandfather’s longevity in law, he intends to continue working actively while supporting his children’s ambitions—including hopes that his daughter achieves global recognition as an opera singer. His contributions have been recognized with honors including the Social Media Bar Star Award from the Philadelphia Bar Association in 2023. In the coming years, Mr. Small wishes to cement his legacy as an honest and reliable professional deeply committed to his work who embraces life with both passion and energy.
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