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Retired Fla. Judge Joins Conrad & Scherer As Senior Partner

A former Florida state court judge has returned to private practice at Fort Lauderdale-based Conrad & Scherer Trial Lawyers, telling Law360 Pulse on Monday that he wasn’t quite ready to call an end to his lengthy legal career.

Jack B. Tuter, who retired as chief judge of Florida’s 17th Judicial Circuit Court in May, joined Conrad & Scherer as a senior partner just after leaving the bench and is focusing his practice on advising clients about commercial litigation, class action, personal injury and other matters.

Tuter said Monday that “the challenge of going back to being a lawyer was just something” he wanted to do, as he feels like he still has “something to offer.”

“I had a very enjoyable career [on the bench], and I just thought it was time to leave,” and “turn it over to the younger people,” Tuter said.

Tuter served as chief judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit for eight years, according to a court announcement from February when he notified Gov. Ron Desantis of his plans to retire from the bench and return to private practice. In his letter to the governor, he said it “has been my honor to serve the people of the State of Florida and Citizens of Broward County for the past 20 years,” the announcement said.

Tuter was appointed to the bench in 2005 and was then elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2014 and 2020, according to the announcement.

During his tenure as chief judge, he steered Florida’s second-largest judicial circuit through the COVID-19 pandemic, managed protocols for the Parkland shooting trial, and navigated other challenges, his profile on Conrad & Scherer’s website says.

He also presided over the 17th Judicial Circuit’s Complex tort division for four years, the profile says, and during his time on the Circuit Court he also served in its complex business division, as administrative judge of the unified family division and administrative judge of the civil division.

His experience on the bench included presiding over high-profile business disputes, election matters and tobacco litigation, his profile says.

Of his time on the bench, Tuter told Law360 Pulse that interacting with lawyers, litigants and colleagues is what he’ll most miss. But he said he is excited to be back in private practice and able to utilize the knowledge he gained as a judge for however much time is left in his career.

“As a judge, you do learn where the pitfalls are,” and that perspective can be of benefit to clients, he said.

Tuter acknowledged his return to private practice won’t come without a “learning curve,” and other lawyers at the firm are helping him get up to speed on technology and other changes since he last was a practicing lawyer.

Before his time on the bench, Tuter spent a brief stint at Conrad & Scherer. He also previously worked at Stephens Lynn Klein & McNicholas handling tort litigation and managing its Broward office, his profile on Conrad & Scherer’s website says.

He was also briefly director of Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, overseeing licensing, auditing and law enforcement matters, the profile says. He earned a law degree from the University of Memphis School of Law.

William R. Scherer Jr., the firm’s founder and managing partner, told Law360 Pulse on Monday that he is thrilled to welcome Tuter back to Conrad & Scherer.

“Jack is a singular talent, and I’m just delighted to have him at the firm,” Scherer said.

“He sees the whole playing field, and that’s just hard to do in complex commercial cases,” he added.

It is “a comfort” having someone with Tuter’s experience and expertise at the firm, and the firm intends to utilize his talents on many matters, Scherer said.

“I’m excited Jack has decided to come home,” he said.

Scherer launched the firm in 1974 along with Rex Conrad, and the firm now has 14 attorneys that handle class actions, commercial litigation, appellate matters, bank fraud litigation, commercial fraud cases, and other matters, according to its website.