As a defense lawyer I have seen the good, bad and ugly in mediators. I recently had a multiparty wrongful death lawsuit mediation with Phil Watkins. I had never mediated with him so I checked him out with fellow defense counsel from Texas. All gave Phil high marks. I am so glad that we used him. After a full day of back and forth the case settled. From my perspective the case settled because Phil brought some serious reality to the plaintiffs side of the case and he moved my side to give more consideration to certain aspects of the case that we had not focused on. He’s not a numbers carrier and insists that each new offer be accompanied by a bullet point about the case. He was firm but cordial, persistent but not pushy. I recommend him highly.