Charles Watkins, Shareholder and Chief DEI Officer, is also the firm’s First Party Practice Group’s Co-Chair. He 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, boating accidents, 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 commercial and residential first party property issues and fraud, negligence in tort law, bad faith avoidance, UM/UIM law, and the art of negotiation and early case resolution.
In addition to being a strong advocate for his clients, Charles is a passionate supporter of mentoring and diversity and inclusion initiatives. He is extremely engaged in promoting and participating in activities that champion these initiatives in and out of Kubicki Draper. Not only does Charles direct the firm’s D E & I committee, but he is also the Treasurer for the National African American Insurance Association’s (NAAIA) Florida Chapter and was one of the National Chairs of the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance’s Diversity Committee (CLM). As co-chair for the CLM, Charles helped host two national annual diversity forums in New York City. As the firm’s director, he has initiated many activities to promote awareness and involved the firm in the John Kozyak Minority Mentoring Picnic as a sponsor where he and other attorneys from the team served as mentors for law students and aspiring lawyers for several years.
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 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 the California Bar, and their son Dean, graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C. with a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and has a career in digital marketing.
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. Charles is currently involved as a leader at Pioneer Community Church in the Pembroke Pines/Miramar areas, and established a scholarship fund there as well that has assisted many qualified students in obtaining a college degree.
Education
Honors: Dean’s List
Honors: Most Outstanding Student Award
Pioneer Community Church, Current Chairman, Scholarship Fund
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