William R. Scherer
Mr. William “Bill” R. Scherer cofounded the Firm in 1974 with his late partner Rex Conrad. In that time, Mr. Scherer has grown Conrad & Scherer into one of Florida’s leading law firms and has expanded the firm’s presence with offices in New York, NY; Brevard, NC; Delray Beach, FL; and Quito, Ecuador.
AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® since 1987, Mr. Scherer is a seasoned trial attorney. He has litigated more than 100 trials in both jury and non-jury cases before state, appellate and federal courts. Mr. Scherer’s cases and legal accomplishments have received coverage by major television networks such as CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and FNN and local and national newspapers such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, South Florida Business Journal, the Daily Business Review, the Sun-Sentinel and the Miami Herald.
While his late partner’s mantra “contested matters, any forum” continues to inspire Mr. Scherer’s practice, he primarily handles legally sophisticated matters that involve commercial and corporate litigation, mega-financial frauds and civil rights litigation.
Most recently, Mr. Scherer was lead counsel for victims of the infamous multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Scott Rothstein. Notably, Mr. Scherer led his complex litigation team and achieved a historic settlement returning to investors what is said to be the highest percentages of recovery for victims of a Ponzi scheme. News outlets described the settlement as a “huge victory” and a “landmark” lawsuit.
In 2005, Mr. Scherer served as plaintiff’s counsel in a high-profile commercial lawsuit involving the sale of a health insurance company and obtained, by jury verdict, one of the largest damage awards in Broward County history.
During the historical 2000 presidential election litigation in Florida, Mr. Scherer led a team of attorneys representing President George W. Bush and personally represented the President in the Broward County recount.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Scherer has also served as counsel to various government entities. From 1988 to 2005, Mr. Scherer served as General Counsel to the North Broward Hospital District, one of the largest public health care providers in the nation, with four hospitals and nine specialized treatment centers. As General Counsel for the Hospital District, he supervised teams of legal experts in healthcare and malpractice law, and he was responsible for all trials and legal actions taken by or against the Hospital District. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Scherer, along with his partner Albert L. Frevola, served as City Attorney for the City of Miramar. Also, in 2000, Mr. Scherer served as Interim General Counsel/Special Counsel for Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Mr. Scherer was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to this position. Mr. Scherer began his legal career as a law clerk to the Indiana Supreme Court and the Honorable Charles Fulton, Former Chief of the United States District Court for the South District of Florida.
Outside his practice of law, Mr. Scherer, along with his wife and partner Anne, has been developing real estate since the late 1970s. Significantly, Mr. Scherer has developed large scale residential, mixed-use and office developments in Downtown Fort Lauderdale.
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, since 1987
- Listed in South Florida Legal Guide, “Top Lawyers”, 2006-2014
- Listed in Super Lawyers® “Top Lawyers”, 2006 to 2013
- Recognized as an “Ultimate CEO” by the South Florida Business Journal, 2013
- Listed in Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, “Florida Legal Elite”, 2004, 2010 and 2014
- Listed in VerdictSearch’s, “Top 100 Verdicts of 2005”, 2005
- Recognized as “Most Effective Lawyer” by the Daily Business Review, 2005 and 2012
- Profiled as a “Power Broker” by the Sun-Sentinel Newspaper, 2002
- Listed as one of “The 50 Most Powerful People in Broward County” by Gold Coast Magazine, May/June 2002
- Profiled as a “Political Power Broker” by Gold Coast Magazine, April 2002
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301