Aaron Watson
Aaron Watson is a native of Pensacola. He attended Wedgewood Middle School and Pine Forest High School. He is the son of Larry Watson, pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Pensacola.
Before graduating lawschool, Attorney Aaron Watson was named a national champion in trial advocacy after he defeated 248 teams from 148 law schools in the American Association for Justice student trial competition. The competing teams were judged by other lawyers and judges on their trial advocacy skills, opening statements, examination of witnesses, use of facts, and closing arguments. During this time, Mr. Watson was also named Who's Who Among American Universities & Colleges.
Mr. Watson has served as president for the Black Law Students Association, interned with the United States Department of Justice, and volunteered with the Florida Attorney General's office. He was selected for the Stallworth Trial Team Award by faculty at Stetson College of Law for his achievement of excellence in trial advocacy, and he was inducted into The National Order of Barristers for attaining high honor in the art of courtroom advocacy. Mr. Watson currently serves on the Board of Governors for the American Association for Justice and the Florida Justice Association, and has recently been named one of the National Black Lawyers Top 100.
In 2008, Mr. Watson participated in multi-billion dollar litigation alongside famed civil litigator and mentor, attorney Willie Gary. In 2009, the Pensacola News Journal recognized his achievement by naming him a "Panhandle Personality.” In 2010, Mr. Watson served as lead counsel in a high profile civil rights case against the City of Pensacola. The Steen case received national attention through news agencies such as CNN and the St. Petersburg Times, and resulted in one of the largest civil rights settlements to date against the city of Pensacola.
In 2013, Mr. Watson recovered one of the largest verdicts to date in the national Yamaha Rhino litigation on behalf of a Pensacola resident who was seriously injured while operating a defective Yamaha Rhino vehicle. After nearly three weeks of trial, a Montgomery County jury returned a verdict of $3.3 million dollars as compensation for his clients.
In 2014, Mr. Watson obtained a jury verdict of $12.6 million dollars for his client for injuries sustained in a truck accident in Pensacola, Florida. The verdict was named in the National Law Journal as one the Top 50 Trial Verdicts in the nation in 2014. Additionally, in recognition of his achievements both inside and outside the courtroom, the National Trial Lawyers Association recognized Mr. Watson as one of the top trial lawyers in the nation under the age of 40 in 2014. Membership into “Top 40 Under 40” organization is by invitation only and is extended to individuals who exemplify superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership. Mr. Watson was also invited to become a Life Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a prestigious organization for those who have obtained million and multi-million dollar verdicts. Less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.
Mr. Watson credits his award-winning style of advocacy to his church background and his experience listening to his father's impassioned sermons. Locally, he has served on the board of directors for the YMCA of Northwest Florida, and as choir director for the Englewood Missionary Baptist Church. He is an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and enjoys mentoring and public speaking at local colleges, high schools, and churches.
In June 2016 attorney Watson opened his own law firm in Pensacola, The Watson Firm, PLLC. The Watson firm handles personal injury cases, car accidents and criminal defense cases.
