Charles Watkins

About Charles Watkins

Charles Watkins, Equity Partner emeritus and former Chief Diversity Office of KD, is an experienced litigator and particularly enjoys trying cases to jury verdict. He has done so over seventy times. Charles has represented individuals, corporations and public and government entities in transportation litigation, premises liability, UM insurance defense, construction accidents and defects, first party property damage and fraud, coverage issues and products liability matters.Charles is certified by the State of Florida as a Continuing Education Instructor, and he conducts seminars on legal topics including Comparative Negligence in Tort Law, Bad Faith, interesting changes in UM/UIM Law, updates on Punitive Damage Law and the art of Negotiation.As one of the National Chairs of the Diversity Committee of the Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, Charles helped host two National Annual Diversity Forums in New York City. He is intimately involved in promoting Diversity education and has involved the firm as a sponsor of the John Kozyak Minority Mentoring Picnic where he and other attorneys serve annually as mentors for law students and aspiring lawyers. Charles comes from a family of lawyers including his father (a former Jurist and Caribbean Constitutional Law expert), brother, nephew and cousin. Charles and Audrey (wife of over 30 years) are very proud of their children. Daughter Camille has continued the family tradition graduating from the University of Miami Law School and is a member of the Florida Bar, and their son Dean, recently graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor\'s degree in Broadcast Journalism.Charles has served as a Guardian ad Litem, and took particular pleasure in protecting minors\' rights. He volunteered as a mentor for the law students at the Florida International University and founded the MGC Scholarship Fund - he served as its Chairman for seven years.

Experience

1. Equity Partner, Chief Diversity Officer

   Kubicki Draper

   Dec 1999 — Present

   As an Equity partner at Kubicki Draper I am responsible for a division of lawyers, paralegals and staff that pursue Wrongful death, Products liability, Transportation, Commercial and Personal liability as well as Insurance Fraud and First Party defense.I am also very much involved with overseeing and helping to implement the Firm\'s ongoing efforts at mentoring and providing opportunities for diverse lawyers in the firm and the South Florida community.

Education

• University of Miami School of Law

  Law Degree

  1989 — 1992

• Barry University

  Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Marketing/Marketing Management, General

  1977 — 1980

• Florida International University - College of Business

  Master's degree, International Business

  1981 — 1985

Skills

• Civil Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Trial Practice
• Product Liability
• Trials
• Torts
• Transportation, Trucking & Logistics
• Commercial Litigation
• Personal Injury Litigation
• Wrongful Death
• Insurance Law
• First Party Practice
• Litigation