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Scott Walterbach may not have it all figured out, but he’s pretty close if he’s not already there. Between understanding the importance of balancing work and home — and practicing it — to his dedication to doing things the right way, Scott is one of those people who embraces and embodies fulfillment. Read on to learn more about Scott, how he manages the chaos of being in a big family, and how he models his office after a doctor’s office.
Name: Scott Walterbach
Job Title: I am our firm’s Chief Operations Officer. That’s a fancy way of saying I’m going to be doing less court-stuff and more management and client stuff from now on. I’m a 50% partner with Matt Bessine, a longtime friend and colleague who is a great person of integrity and a sharp lawyer.
Company: Bessine Walterbach, LLP, a collection litigation firm covering all of Missouri, Kansas and Iowa. We have four attorneys and 10 staff.
Length of time at current company: Just passed 16 years here!
Length of time in industry: Same, 16 years.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I graduated law school in 2007 and worked at a different firm during school and immediately after until 2010. My best friend’s dad, who was a collections lawyer, was diagnosed way too young with liver cancer. He passed away a few months later. One morning at my firm, the partner for whom I worked announced he was retiring and moving to Wisconsin in a few months. That same afternoon I got a call from my friend’s mom asking if I’d come help them out until they figure out what to do next with the practice. I said well you won’t believe this, but as of this morning I’m looking. I had little clue what debt collection was, and maybe had heard the word garnishment once or twice in passing. Nevertheless, I took over the firm and worked long hours, making a lot of changes to the practice. A year later I made 50% partner. Clients stayed, we proved we could do the job well, and the rest, as they say, is history.
What is your career highlight so far?
I argued a case in the Missouri Supreme Court in 2012 when I was just five years out of law school. I’ve since argued several more cases in the Missouri state courts of appeal, and I remember every one of those experiences.
Prior to doing collections, I did some real estate work which I’ve kept up over the years. During COVID I finally wrote the book “Missouri Real Property Tax Sales,” which is available on Amazon.
When or how are you most productive?
The day has to start with a 5K and a lot of water, no coffee. Then I get to my office where it’s quiet, I put my red flag up, phone on do-not-disturb, and I can really produce. I have red, yellow and green flags on my door frame like a doctor’s office. Originally I did it for me, but my employees like knowing when it’s a good time to pop in (and when it’s not).
Which industry professional do you admire most?
I know the question contemplates one person, but my list is long. Matt Bessine for his radical candor. Aaron Reiter for his innumerable talents. Kelly Knepper-Stephens for her intelligence and practicality. Rick and Stacy Koester for their work-life balance and positive attitude. Roger Weiss for his sense of humor and leadership. David Weimer for his vast knowledge, experience and camaraderie. Tim Collins for his genuineness and wide expertise. And Mike Gibb for his unrelenting honesty, courage in creating new things, and connecting people.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Work-life balance. If you know me, you know I’m always camping, traveling, hiking or skiing with my wife and family. Some of my relatives question whether I actually ever work, but in reality I work very hard to make sure I have that balance.
What do you like most about this industry?
Getting to know everyone in it. It never ceases to amaze me. I’m a debt collector, sure. But really I’m a collector of people. I love listening to their stories, catching up at conferences, talking shop about what works and what doesn’t, and admiring their accomplishments, even if from afar.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
I would wave a magic wand and eliminate frivolous claims and defenses by consumers and consumer attorneys. Not the plausible ones; the entirely manufactured ones at the fringes that cannot be foreseen or comprehended as having any basis in fact or law.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I would have started a small business to have the schedule flexibility to raise a family. It might have been starting a play-based preschool with my wife Katie, who is an elementary and preschool teacher with a master’s degree in early childhood literacy. Or maybe a barbershop. I’m a self-taught barber with a shop in our new basement. Or maybe both. Regardless, I would be doing some writing, and I would be involved in leadership in the applicable trade group where I could meet more people.
Describe a typical work day.
Up early for a 5K. Get my middle schooler on the bus at 6:30am. Walk the other three kids to elementary school at 7:30am. Shower and get to the office by 8:30am or to local court hearings at 9am. From there I relentlessly triage emails and deadlines related to answer dockets, discovery, trial preparation, settlement negotiations, client management, and trade group involvement. I eat lunch early (10:30 or 11am) & then meetings, drafting documents, problem-solving and more emails in the afternoons. It gets quiet here about 4pm so I am perhaps most productive from 4-5:30pm. Then a short suburban commute where I reset mentally for family time – youth sports, church stuff, school events, or just dinner at home. Play outside with the kids and connect with neighbors, then books and bedtime for the kids. I’ll read or watch Netflix to unwind, talk about life and the day’s perplexities and nuances with Katie, then check the calendar so I know what’s happening tomorrow.
What is your guilty pleasure?
“Reality” TV like “Alone” or “Love is Blind.” And word games like crosswords, Wordle, Blossom, Strands, Connections, or Contexto … give me all of them and I will slay, as the kids say.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
In regards to finding a spouse, my mom told me long ago “choose well, because people don’t change.” I searched for a long time and finally found the one for me and got married when I was 30. Probably no decision impacts your life more than the choice of one’s spouse. Mine has made my life immeasurably better.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished two really good ones I’ve been telling people about. “Co-Intelligence” by Ethan Mollick (recommended to me by John McNamara) which is a great, practical primer on AI, and “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer, which is a pastor’s advice on how to live a little more like Jesus did, but I think it applies to non-believers in a tech-fast world just the same.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
Family is first. I’m fourth of eight kids, and we all again live in Kansas City. My wife is third of five kids. So our family of four kids seems small and manageable. The noise and chaos don’t bother me much and I know how to get along with just about anybody.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
I’ll go with three Marks: Mark Namba, Mark Neeb, and Mark Ravanesi.
