From his roots in Terre Haute, Indiana, to the legacy he’s built in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, William R. “Bill” Scherer Jr. ’69 has shaped a legal career defined by grit, intellect and a passion for justice. As a first-generation college student from a blue-collar background, he forged a path beyond anything he once imagined and credits Franklin College for helping plant the seeds of his success.

“I wanted to be a linebacker, but I wasn’t big enough for IU or Notre Dame,” Scherer recalled with a chuckle. Fortunately, what he lacked in size, he made up for in drive. Recruited by Franklin’s legendary head football coach the late Stewart “Red” Faught, Scherer joined the Grizzlies’ roster and quickly found a home away from home at Franklin College, where Faught became a trusted mentor.

He credits the combined experience of academics and athletics for strengthening his self-discipline, teamwork and resilience. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history, Scherer married his grade-school sweetheart, Anne, and took a sales job with Xerox. “I was making money, but Anne signed me up for the LSAT. She even filled out the law school application to IU for me. I took the test cold and did OK, not great, but somehow, I got in. I thought they made a mistake,” he quipped. They didn’t. Scherer graduated magna cum laude from the Indiana University School of Law (now IU McKinney), even though his time was interrupted by six months of basic training and six months of active duty as an artillery specialist with the Indiana National Guard, which he joined amid the Vietnam War.

Back on campus, the dean of the law school helped him find a job working for a justice on the Indiana Supreme Court. Scherer did that during the day and went to law school at night. When he finished law school, the dean recommended him for a clerkship with the Chief U.S. District Court Judge in Miami, Florida. Once there, Scherer concurrently clerked for the U.S. Army Reserve. After his time with the Reserve was completed, networking led to an opportunity in Fort Lauderdale, where he began his law career handling bankruptcy cases. Within a couple years, he was made a partner at one of the city’s growing firms. “When we started, I was the fifth partner,” Scherer recalled. Eventually, Scherer brought on attorney Rex Conrad as a partner. Although Conrad is now deceased, his name remains on the firm’s shingle — a tribute to his enduring reputation and influence in the Fort Lauderdale legal community.

Today, Conrad & Scherer is an international powerhouse, renowned for handling high-stakes litigation. In addition to its Florida headquarters, the firm has offices in North Carolina and Ecuador. Scherer’s legal career now spans more than five decades and includes high-profile cases that attracted national attention, including representing then-candidate George W. Bush during the 2000 U.S. presidential election recount over Florida’s infamous hanging chads. Scherer also led the legal fight for victims of the multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Scott Rothstein.

Yet, Scherer said the most fulfilling work of his career came recently. Earlier this year, he secured a more than $1.1 billion jury verdict, the largest in Florida history against a solvent bank or public company. The case, Gopher v. Wells Fargo, represented approximately 2,000 children of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and exposed gross mishandling of their trust fund. “They (Wells Fargo) didn’t have the tools to manage such a specialized trust, and they covered it up for years,” Scherer said. “When the jury came back with our exact number, not a penny more, not a penny less, it felt like justice.” The case, which involved years of research, expert witnesses from Harvard and Northwestern and round-the-clock work by Scherer’s legal team, was more than a professional victory, he said, noting how the payout will change lives. “This sets up generations of kids who were historically impoverished,” he said. “The trust will be accessible to them after they’re 30. We’re encouraging them to treat it like a pension.”

Scherer has long been a champion for the underdog. Whether representing victims of a Colombian terrorist-backed banana operation, securing legal protections for a retired chef feeding the homeless or challenging Big Pharma, Scherer’s North Star remains unwavering: help people.

For Scherer, success is a team effort. His three children, William III, Elizabeth and John, work at the firm, and he’s proud that each built successful careers on their own before joining his practice. William III founded a private law firm; Elizabeth served as a circuit court judge and presided over the widely publicized Parkland school shooting case; and John earned a degree in construction management in addition to his law degree. John also operates one of South Florida’s most successful construction companies, Gulf Building. Now, the six grandchildren also are starting to take notice of career opportunities in law, with one of them working as a receptionist at the firm this past summer. Anchoring the operation is Scherer’s wife, Anne, who “really runs the whole place,” he quipped. “It’s a family business in every sense,” he emphasized.

Despite The Best Lawyers in America accolades and numerous other honors garnered throughout his career, Scherer remains deeply grounded. Years ago, at a Franklin College Homecoming event, the late political science professor Jim McKnight, Ph.D., known for his sharp critiques of student-athletes, told Scherer he was “the first football player” he witnessed “who could think.” McKnight followed the comment by alluding that Scherer’s law school admission came with some behind-the-scenes help from Coach Faught and the late Ind. Gov. Roger D. Branigin 1923, J.D.

“I asked Coach Faught about it once,” Scherer said. “He just smiled and said, ‘We don’t talk about those things.’” But Faught did talk about his players and continued championing their successes long after they graduated. Faught kept in touch, and he continued to recruit for Franklin College. During a visit to Florida, he convinced Scherer to serve on the board of trustees. Scherer spent a decade giving back to his alma mater in that role, sharing, “Coach never stopped believing in his players.” And Scherer never stopped giving back to Franklin College. He and Anne are Franklin Fund supporters, whose philanthropy also has benefited past projects such as Faught Stadium and a Campus Art Fund. More recently, they directed a gift to the John M. Chiarotti ’67 Dean’s Fellowship in Economics, Business and Accounting.

As Scherer reflects on a fulfilling legal career marked by courtroom drama, public service and headline-making verdicts, he says the real win is knowing he’s made a difference for others. And for him, Franklin College was the difference that made everything else possible. “The liberal arts teach you to think, to understand human nature and to communicate. I still quote poetry I learned at Franklin in my closing arguments,” he revealed.

Although much has changed since his college days, particularly with technology reshaping education, Scherer maintains that the formula for success is timeless: dedication and hard work lead to results. His advice to students? “Nose to the grindstone. And if you believe you can do it, you can . . . all the clichés,” he said.

He’s argued landmark cases, built an internationally respected firm and created a family legacy, and his core values haven’t changed. “I hope someday someone looks at me and says, ‘How did that kid from South 18th Street in Terre Haute do all this?’” It’s simple, really: grit, gratitude and a Franklin College education. And he’s far from finished. Just ask him.

By Amy (Kean) VerSteeg ’96

Editor, Franklin College Magazine