What People are Saying

What a great mediator! Phil just got us 5X policy limits on a pre-suit blown Stowers case that was set for trial in 6 weeks. If you have not yet mediated with Phil, you should definitely add him to your list.

Phil successfully handled a complicated multi-party mediation with some very unique facts and legal issues and some very big egos in the room. I was impressed with his demeanor, his creativity and his ability to handle the diverse parties and counsel. I have already recommended Phil to others in my firm and will continue to do so.

Phil was recently proposed as a mediator for a multi-party case involving catastrophic injuries to multiple plaintiffs, a bankrupt defendant, and coverage disputes. In the span of two weeks, Phil managed to herd all of the necessary folks (20+) to a meaningful mediation. Just getting everyone to the mediation table was a huge feat. On mediation day, Phil was effective and efficient—making meaningful use of every minute. Phil’s persistence resulted in all sides coming to a reasonable resolution. Phil’s handling of this difficult multi-party mediation was outstanding.

Thanks for all your hard work in getting my cases worked out loast week.  It was a very long but productive day and we really needed to settle considering the insurance coverage and bankruptcy issues.  I will certainly use you in the future on other cases.

Phil, tremendous job as usual. There is no doubt you were the right person for this job. Getting all of the parties and their lawyers wrangled up in such a  short period of time and then making productive use of the time we spent together are not easy things to do, but you certainly made it look that way. It was an impressive feat. Got a bottle of Red Breast with your name on it.

I have known and litigated personal injury cases with Phil for over 40 years.  As a litigator he was reasonable, fair but tenacious for his clients welfare.  Now that he is mediating I have called on him to use that same experience to resolve many cases.  He never fails and never gives up as long as there is a chance to resolve the case.  He works hard and makes the parties do the same.  My insurance clients listen to him.  He refuses to be a numbers carrier but makes both sides support their positions with evidence and sound legal arguments.

Phil is amazing.  He got one of my cases settled for limits in 30 minutes.  Carrier went from zero offer before I got the file to limits.  It was my first mediation with him and I thought he was joking.

Phil mediated a CPS electric shock case for me yesterday with fantastic results.

While the little boy was not physically disfigured from the burns (minimal scarring remained), he was emotionally traumatized. Meds were small and counseling was sporadic. CPS sought to capitalize on these facts and discount the nature of the harm, and his corresponding recovery.

Phil advocated for that little boy with what I can only describe as the fervor of a father who sees their child suffering. He was able to dismantle their defenses with logical and irrefutable arguments of what a Bexar County jury would think about their position and how foolish they were evaluating the subject damages. CPS got it and did a 180 during the mediation.

Even Allstate’s counsel, who was subrogation counsel on the home owner’s policy for the property damage, was blown away by Phil’s efforts in getting the case resolved for everyone. When I spoke to Allstate’s counsel last night after the mediation, he couldn’t wait to get more cases back to Phil.

A+ work by Mr. Watkins – a real credit to the Bexar County bar.

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.

I’ve had the honor to represent injury victims and their families for over 31 years.  Many of my battles have been against product manufacturers.  These cases present unique hurdles to resolution.  Every single case Phil Watkins has mediated for my clients and me has resolved through his dogged determination and fierce discussions about the upsides and downsides of the case.  Don’t go to Phil if you don’t want to settle the case