In Memoriam: Retired Professor Douglas Scherer

We announce with profound sadness the passing of retired Professor Douglas Scherer, a cornerstone of Touro Law for nearly four decades.

From 1982—when he joined as an adjunct professor and Touro still called Manhattan home—until his retirement as a full professor in May 2020, Douglas Scherer shaped countless lives through his teaching of Constitutional Law, Employment Law, and Employment Discrimination Law. But his true legacy extends far beyond the classroom.

As founder and Director of the Legal Education Access Program (LEAP), Professor Scherer embodied an unwavering commitment to student success and mentorship. For generations of Touro graduates, he was not simply a professor but an advocate, a champion, and a trusted guide.

Former Dean Howard Glickstein once wrote of Professor Scherer, "We should all be indebted to Doug for the contribution he has made over the years to bettering the legal profession." That debt extends beyond the institution—it reaches into courtrooms, law offices, and communities across the country, carried forward by the students he inspired and the colleagues who learned from his example of integrity and dedication.

Professor Scherer will be remembered as a fierce advocate for his students and a treasured friend to all who knew him—a reminder that the greatest measure of a career in law is not what we achieve for ourselves, but what we enable others to become.

A memorial service for Professor Scherer was held on Sunday, November 9  at Touro Law Center.