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Franklin College Profile on William Scherer

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 LSATS. 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 of 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.