William Rankin

William Rankin is a prominent attorney and partner in the firm of Kerrigan, Estess, Rankin, McLeod and Thompson, LLP.

Bill Rankin was born in 1940 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Bill enlisted in the Marines after High School and did well enough to be awarded an NROTC scholarship. He received his undergraduate degree in physics from Holy Cross College in Worchester, Massachusetts, in 1964. He then re-joined the Marine Corps as an officer, attending flight school in Pensacola in 1965-66. He was sent to Vietnam where he was a helicopter pilot in 1966-67. Upon finishing his tour of duty as a Captain with two Distinguished Flying Crosses, he entered the University of San Diego School of Law, graduating in 1974. Returning to Pensacola that year, he spent a short time with a local law firm then joined the State Attorney's Office, where he gained his initial trial experience as a prosecutor in both the misdemeanor and felony divisions.

Bill entered private practice, and joined KERM in 1978. He is a member of the Association of Florida Trial Lawyers. He is a Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and in addition, is certified in Civil Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Bill's background in science and his interest in engineering made it natural for him to focus on dangerous product litigation. Bill was the lead attorney in a case against a leading crane manufacturer which resulted in a substantial jury verdict and encouraged a worldwide change in crane design. Bill recently took a year off to volunteer at Pensacola High School, teaching Legal Studies and World History. He then taught Torts for a semester at UWF. In 2006 Bill devoted a substantial amount of time and effort to bicycling, logging well over 7,000 miles including a 1450 mile tour of the west coast of the US. He has returned to the full time practice of law with renewed enthusiasm. Bill carefully selects his cases to ensure a low case-load so that he can indulge his appetite for intense preparation of each case