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William R. Scherer Jr. Named Florida Trend Legal Elite Notable Managing Partner

William R. Scherer Jr. Named Florida Trend Legal Elite Notable Managing Partner

Florida Trend has recognized William R. Scherer Jr. as a Legal Elite Notable Managing Partner, one of the most selective honors in Florida law. The designation is peer-reviewed and reserved for managing partners who have demonstrated sustained impact in their field, their firm, and their community. For Bill, it is recognition built over more than five decades.

Bill founded Conrad & Scherer in Fort Lauderdale in 1974 alongside Rex Conrad. What began as a civil litigation firm on South Federal Highway has grown into an international practice with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Brevard, North Carolina, and Quito, Ecuador. Throughout that growth, the firm’s identity has remained unchanged: high-stakes litigation, complex matters, and clients who need someone willing to fight.

A Historic Verdict

In 2025, Bill led the Conrad & Scherer trial team in Gopher v. Wells Fargo, representing the Seminole Tribe of Florida in a case involving the mismanagement of a trust established for Tribe children. A Broward County jury returned an $826 million verdict against Wells Fargo. The court later entered an amended judgment exceeding $1.25 billion with prejudgment interest, the largest of its kind in Broward County history and one of the largest fiduciary verdicts in the country.

The case required years of preparation, deep expertise in trust and fiduciary law, and the kind of sustained advocacy that defines Conrad & Scherer’s approach to complex litigation.

Active Litigation Against Lennar

That same trial team is now representing the Seminole Tribe in litigation against Lennar, one of the country’s largest homebuilders, over more than 500 homes constructed on tribal land across six reservations. The Tribe alleges the homes are riddled with defects including mold, water intrusion, and structural failures so severe that families have been forced out of their homes. A Broward County judge has already rejected Lennar’s attempt to compel arbitration for three-fourths of the claims, and the case is moving forward in state court.

As Bill put it: “What we have determined is that the issues are systemic.”

Pathways to Careers in Law

Beyond the courtroom, Bill established the Pathways to Careers in Law Program in partnership with Nova Southeastern University and Fort Lauderdale High School. The program gives high school students direct access to legal professionals through mentorship and hands-on engagement with the legal process, opening doors into a profession that can otherwise feel inaccessible.

It reflects something consistent about how Bill has led this firm: the work does not stop at the courthouse steps.

Fifty Years In

Conrad & Scherer has been recognized year after year by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s Best Law Firms, and individual attorneys carry honors from Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell. Bill himself has held an AV Preeminent rating since 1987.

But recognition like Florida Trend’s Notable Managing Partners list is different. It is not based on a single case or a single year. It reflects the kind of leadership that compounds over decades.

Congratulations, Bill.