What People are Saying

I recently had the experience of mediating with Phil Watkins.  We had never had the chance to work together previously.  The case was a high exposure matter with enough factual wrinkles to make it a difficult one to settle:  large damages, tough liability facts on both sides and two settling parties.

Phil worked tirelessly and diligently throughout the day to get the deal done.  Unlike some mediators who shuffle between rooms swapping numbers for the sake of swapping numbers, Phil dug down into the meat of the case and took a trial lawyer’s view of the situation, challenging both sides on merits issues.  His efforts yielded a palatable settlement for all concerned and, while the case did not settle on The Day of mediation, it got wrapped up the following afternoon.

I wholeheartedly recommend Phil as a mediator.  It was refreshing to work with a mediator who understands how the facts of the case affect its settlement value, which is a concept that is lost on far to many mediators in this day and age.  His skill likely stems from his years of actually trying cases and taking verdicts.

In addition to being an effective mediator, he’s a good guy and great to work with.  I wish I had run across Phil years ago and am a little surprised I had not since I am now in my 43^rd year of practicing law.  He would have been on my short list for every case and certainly will be from now on.

Just a short note to express my thanks and a loud shout out to Phil Watkins who acted as our second mediator in a hotly contested case handled by my firm and the Dilley firm.

In fact, the police report placed 100% of the fault on our client who was operating a motorcycle when a CMV operator   made what we contended was an unsafe and improper right-hand turn.

The first mediation less than 60 day ago ended in impasse with no offers despite the efforts of a prior skilled mediator who was handpicked by the defendants lead counsel.  I was asked by that same defense lawyers shortly after the impasse,  to suggest a second mediator and given them another chance, and they asked me to suggest someone who would not be bashful in pushing both parties toward resolution. They wanted someone who had real prior trial experience and someone that could talk straight to all the parties.  They said they didn’t need a water carrier.  I suggested Phil, he was vetted by the defense, and quickly accepted. Phil came in fully prepared to make the parties work toward resolution. We were dealing with multiple layers of coverage – multiple parties – and one of the carriers was insured by Lloyds of London on both the primary and excess levels with the complexities of different “names” for each level. The Lloyds coverage included a British representative in London who fully participated in the mediation and was skilled in the art of negotiation.  Phil kept him late (past 1:00 a.m. London time).  According to the lead defense lawyer and lead appellate lawyer Phil was extremely effective in analyzing the facts and legal issues and creating risk. When both sides separately expressed there was little chance the case was headed to resolution late in the day, despite great progress,  he regrouped. He concluded giving the decision makers in London some additional information, and the night to think about it, would get us to resolution and asked us to keep the mediation open through the following day. . He was spot on as usual.  The case resolved. We are blessed to have many highly qualified local mediators in San Antonio.  To add to what Paula Wyatt has recently expressed Phil is Top Notch and should NOT be overlooked. He never let the prior impasse deter him, and turned what was probable impasse in the second mediation into an  agreed resolution as a highly skilled mediator.

Thank you Phil for sticking with a difficult case to the end.  You went above and beyond.  Your efforts made a difference.

For those of you looking for an excellent mediator in San Antonio, I strongly recommend you try Phil Watkins. I have had several successful mediations with him over the past couple of months.

Just wanted to let the group know that, not surprisingly, Phil Watkins did an EXCELLENT job today in a very difficult mediation that I had with him. It was clear that the adjuster on the other side had not been educated correctly by counsel about the risks on their end but by the end of the session, it was clear that they understood thanks to Phil. Do not hesitate to use Phil especially in the tough cases where the adjuster may need to be set straight.

Phil:  Thank you for serving as mediator in our products case.  You read and studied the briefing and were well informed on the critical issues.  You were candid, even-handed and when needed, persuasive.  Most importantly, you were effective in getting the case resolved.

I want to throw a huge shout out to Phil Watkins. Once again, Phil was able to assist in getting one of our clients a fair settlement. The 41-year-old Plaintiff was injured while operating his own tractor-trailer here in Bexar County. The defendant driver cut across three lanes of traffic to enter a gas station while operating a tractor hauling an empty haz-mat (bleach) trailer. Our client swerved to avoid the impact and rolled his own tractor-trailer. The client had $131k in past meds (ER, chiro, and ESIs). Bruggeman recommended a lumbar disc replacement. We had a life care plan that amounted to $1.13M in present day value. Defense argued that our client’s morbid obesity in addition to chronic findings in the ER CT scan (which showed old spinal compression fractures with osteophytes) were the cause of the client’s issues. We were set for trial next month. Phil issued a $2.76M mediator’s proposal that both sides accepted. This was a great result, and Phil was awesome!

I cannot say enough good things about Phil, as both a mediator and just a decent human being. He is skillful at getting the parties to a middle ground, whether in the way of making helpful suggestions, being open to suggestions, being a good listener, you name it, and always in an efficiently timely manner. Although I don’t have many cases in the San Antonio area, when I do, Phil is at the top of my list for mediators.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful job you did in mediating Mr. Hernandez’ case. It was a very difficult case and you did not stop after our initial session did not result in a settlement. Your hard work, knowledge and expertise paid off in a successful settlement. I will gladly use your services again.

Thanks again for you diligence in pursuing a settlement of this case. Your input and ideas resulted in getting this very difficult claim resolved.   I’m always impressed with mediators who continue to work just as hard after the mediation as they do during the mediation.  You are one of those mediators and a rare breed.

Andy