He was born in Los Angeles, graduated from Loyola High School, attended Stanford University and Loyola University and graduated from Southwestern Law School in 1964. In 2002 he received, from the University of Santa Monica, a Masters in Spiritual Psychology with an Emphasis on Consciousness, Health and Healing. In 2006 he received his Master in Arts for Counseling Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. In 1964 Bill joined the Los Angeles law firm of Murchison and Cumming (then called Murchison, Cumming, Baker & Velpmen). For 24 years he tried over 75 Superior Court civil jury trials, lectured and taught for CEB, was president of the Wilshire Bar Association and an Associate and a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chapter ofthe American Board of Trial Advocates. He was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor George Deukmajian in 1988. His assignment in the Downtown Los Angeles Courthouse was in Department 81 handling Short-cause trials and Mandatory Settlement Conferences. Bill opened his courtroom at 8:00am and frequently closed after 8pm in the evening. During his tenure on the Superior Court Bench Judge Schoettler heard over 8,000 Settlement Conferences (Mediations) along with more than 200 Bench Trials. The subject matters of civil litigation handled by him covered virtually every field except Criminal Law. In 1992 Judge Schoettler joined JAMS (Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services), working in their Los Angeles and Santa Monica offices. In 1997 he left JAMS and joined ADR International and in 2001 he joined with ADR Services, where he currently works out of their West Los Angeles office in Century City. Since leaving the Bench, Judge Schoettler has heard over 250 cases per year, with a current professional experience of over 12,000 cases. Judge Bill has lived a varied and full life. He holds a commercial pilots license (inactive) with instrument and multi-engine ratings.He has worked as a construction worker, a welder, carpenter, mason, electrician, truck driver, tractor operator, machinist, gunsmith and roofer. He has hunted big game and wild birds in Alaska, Africa, England, Poland and most of the western United States. He has been a firearms instructor, collector, gunsmith and competitive target shooter. He has played most major sports (except ice hockey), been a playwright, film editor, actor, journal writer and editor, ski instructor and swimming coach. Currently Judge Bill works as a counseling therapist, mediator and arbitrator. Bill is a family man with a son and daughter, each of whom is the proud parent of two children, giving Judge Bill four grandchildren. Bill and his wife Selene spend most of their time in their West Los Angeles home and many weekends in their mountain ranch. Bill enjoys woodworking, carpentry and masonry at their ranch. Bill�s wife Selene is an accomplished jewelry designer.