Personal Injury

• Auto Accidents
• Wrongful Death Claims
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Bus Accidents
• Premises Liability
• Drowning
• Slip and Fall
• Boat Accidents
• Construction Accidents
• Dog Bite Injuries
• Injury to Minors
• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Brain Injuries
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Commercial Litigation

• Dangerous Property
• Wrongful Death
• Personal Injury Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Truck Accidents

• Construction Site Injuries
• Slip & Fall
• Sports Injuries
• Petrochemical Accidents

• Assault & Battery
• Dog Bites & Animal Attacks
• Sexual Assault

• Amputation
• Burn Injury
• Head/Brain Injury
• Paralysis

AZ, Oct 1977
Bar Number: 005046

All State, County and Municipal Courts of the State of Arizona; United States District Court, District of Arizona; United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit; United States Supreme Court.

Arizona Bar Association; Maricopa County Bar Association; Scottsdale Bar Association (Director).

I am constantly attending continuing legal education seminars or taking online courses. The topics of the courses vary. Some focus on the many aspects of trials and advocacy and include: pretrial matters, depositions and discovery, expert witnesses, opening/closing statements, persuasive arguments to Judges and Juries, and appeals. Other courses focus more closely on the serious personal injury and wrongful death practice that The Watkin Law Office emphasizes. Such courses have included: vehicular accidents (including auto, truck, semi, van, SUV, bus, motorcycle, boat and other motor vehicle accident injury and fatality claims); the medical aspects of personal injury and fatality claims; proof of damages in serious personal injury and wrongful death cases; animal law as it pertains to dog and other animal bites, mauling and attack claims; premises liability claims (including swimming pool accidents and fatalities, dram shop claims, slip and fall, improper security, etc.); and various other courses pertaining to commercial & construction litigation all types; insurance defense; risk analysis/management; mediation; arbitration and neutral evaluations.

Every month, the Scottsdale Bar Association of which I am a Director, puts on continuing legal education seminars. And while not all of these seminars are directly pertinent to my major practice areas, they are highly informative and useful in keeping me current on the more general aspects of the practice of law in today's complex society.

Example Case #1: As referenced on my website: www.watkinlaw.com, I recently represented a young woman whose eye was scratched by a dog owned by her boyfriend, who had been playing with the dog when its paw struck my client's eye. The Jury was initially quite prejudiced against this claim; but after all of the evidence was presented, they realized that it was the boyfriend's negligence (intentionally hiding the dog's toy behind my client's head as she rested on the couch) that caused permanent loss of vision in my client's eye. Despite "only" $9,000 in medical expenses, the Jury returned a verdict for $275,000 in my client's favor.

Example Case #2: Also as referenced on my website: www.watkinlaw.com, I recently represented, as co-counsel, a young man and his girlfriend who were exposed to lethal levels of carbon monoxide gas while staying at a Kingman, Arizona hotel. The girlfriend died as a result of the poisoning, and the young man suffered permanent brain injuries and partial paralysis. Over the course of the next two years, and with the assistance of numerous experts, my colleagues and I engaged in extensive discovery and settlement conferences and ultimately obtained substantial monetary damages on behalf of our clients (amounts confidential).

Typical Case: Most cases do not proceed all the way through trial; most settle out of court, either directly with the liability insurance adjuster for the party at fault, and/or with an attorney hired by the liability insurance carrier for the party at fault. Some cases settle rather quickly, in a matter of only a few months after commencement of the claim; while others may take longer than a year, particularly when a lawsuit must be filed to pursue the claim. No two cases are identical; and despite what your neighbor tells you about his/her experience, your own situation will be different, even with the same attorney.

1

Arizona

I established The Watkin Law Office in 2001 in order to provide clients a direct one-on-one conduit to legal counsel, rather than the "production line" approach of most other law firms. Clients now have direct access to a lawyer, rather than being "filtered" through the typical receptionist-to-secretary-to-paralegal-to-lawyer process that so many of my clients at my previous firm had complained of. Indeed, I had been instrumental at my previous firm in promoting the use of technological advances to speed lawyer output, reduce excess staff and promote more direct attorney-client contact; but I found that old habits were hard to change, even those that ended up costing the clients more. So when I launched my new practice, I made sure I practiced what I had preached by implementing and perfecting those ideas.

If you needed heart surgery, you wouldn't hire a general surgeon. So if you, a friend or a loved one have a death or serious injury case, you need an attorney who specializes in personal injury trial law.

Arizona has thousands of attorneys; but only a fraction of them focus their practice on helping people with serious personal injuries -- or even wrongful death claims. That's where The Watkin Law Office comes in. I practice personal injury and wrongful death law all day, every day. I know the ins and outs of the legal system as it applies to these types of cases; and more importantly, I care about clients and their families and know how to take the pressure off them while they are going through grief and difficult times dealing with the aftermath of sometimes horrific injury and death.

With over 32 years of experience as a top trial attorney licensed to practice in all Arizona Courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court, you owe it to yourself and to your family to make an appointment with The Watkin Law Office.

I grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. When I moved to Arizona in 1970, I brought with me a strong Midwestern ethic, common sense and the willingness to work hard. I earned my undergraduate and law school degrees in seven straight years at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I tried my first three jury trials while still a law student, working as an intern with the Pima County Attorney's Office. After graduation in 1977, I moved to Phoenix where I worked as a felony prosecutor for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. I entered private practice in 1980 and stayed with the same firm for 20 years before opening my own law office: www.watkinlaw.com.

Personal Injury, Wrongful Death and Commercial Litigation:

• 30+ years as a trial attorney (jury trials, bench trials, administrative hearings, etc.)
• Serious personal injury and wrongful death claims
• Auto, truck, semi, van, SUV, bus and other motor vehicle accident injury and fatality claims
• Motorcycle and motor scooter accident injury and fatality claims
• Pedestrian, crosswalk, sidewalk and parking lot accident injury and fatality claims
• Bicycle accident injury and fatality claims
• Boating and personal watercraft accident injury and fatality claims
• Construction accident injury and fatality claims
• Dog and other animal bites, mauling and attack claims
• Premises liability claims, including swimming pool accidents and fatalities, dram shop claims, slip and fall, improper security, etc.
• Commercial & Construction litigation all types
• Insurance defense; risk analysis/management
• Mediation; arbitration; neutral evaluations
• Keen sense for inherent "value" and likely outcome of claims
• Mastery in resolving disputes in pre-litigation stage
• Reputation as a premier trial attorney
• Skilled in all aspects of civil trial practice

Career Experience:

• 2001 - Present: The Watkin Law Office, P.C., Scottsdale, AZ. Plaintiffs' personal injury and wrongful death; commercial litigation. Overall emphasis on plaintiff's tort claims.
• 1980 - 2000: Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek (f/k/a Warner Angle Roper & Hallam) Phoenix, AZ. Shareholder, Director. Lead trial attorney in personal injury, commercial tort, contract, corporate, eminent domain, real estate & construction cases throughout Arizona.
• 1977 - 1980: Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Phoenix, AZ. Deputy County Attorney. Multiple felony jury and court trials.

Volunteer mediator in Maricopa County Justice Courts; Director, Scottsdale Bar Association; Volunteer legal services for Paiute Legal Aid Center.

(480) 452-0366

Monday through Friday
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

No

Practicing primarily in the area of personal injury and wrongful death, I take all such cases on a contingency fee basis, as opposed to charging the client an hourly rate for my services. However, I also handle commercial litigation matters, which I have done since I began private practice in 1980. Most of the commercial litigation cases are charged at an hourly rate.

My hourly rate for commercial litigation matters, effective January 1, 2009, is $300 per hour. This rate, while not the lowest hourly rate in the Metropolitan Phoenix area, is also not the highest. I feel it both reflects the skill and reputation I have attained during my many years in practice, as well as my desire to pass on to my clients some of the overhead reduction and cost savings I have implemented into my practice.

I offer free initial consultations on all of the cases I consider handling. This is an essential first step not only for me, but for the potential client. During that initial consultation, I try to get a feeling not only for the legal case and its strengths and weaknesses, but also for the individual potential client.

In personal injury or wrongful death cases, since I do not charge a fee unless there is a recovery, every initial consultation is provided at no extra charge. These consultations can vary from a few minutes to several hours; I never check the clock.

In contrast, when considering commercial litigation matters, I will offer a half-hour consultation at no charge.

Because of the nature of personal injury and wrongful death cases (i.e., no fees unless/until there is a monetary recovery), I do not require a "retainer" (technically, the proper term is "deposit").

With regard to commercial litigation matters, it is customary to request a deposit from a new client. The amount will vary and depend on many factors, including the nature and complexity of the litigation, the approximate amount of time that will be expended in the first month or two of litigation, the client's financial health, and other variables.

Generally, a minimum of $5,000 will be requested as an initial deposit, refundable to the extent not needed to pay time and expenses already incurred.