Christopher J. Watkins
Biography
Christopher J. Watkins is a Partner in our Alpharetta office, and he has extensive experience as a litigator for construction, insurance coverage, transportation, and general liability matters.
Chris has represented contractors, subcontractors, and insurers in a wide range of disputes including construction defect, architectural and engineering errors and omissions, and insurance coverage claims. He has also handled many liability evaluations, damage estimates, and coverage assessments for claims.
Chris’s transportation and general liability experience includes the representation of commercial drivers, homeowners, and small business owners in suits brought against them. On behalf of his clients he has successfully litigated car wreck, premises liability, dog bite, and many other types of cases.
Prior to joining Hall Booth Smith, Chris was an attorney at a boutique litigation firm in the Atlanta area, where he litigated wrongful death and catastrophic injury claims and served as lead counsel in multiple cases. His experience gives Chris a thorough understanding and appreciation for the many facets of personal injury litigation.
Chris has received the AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated™ from Martindale-Hubbell. This is the highest peer rating standard from Martindale-Hubbell and is given to attorneys who are ranked at the highest level of professional excellence for their legal expertise, communication skills, and ethical standards by their peers.
Chris earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as an Editor of the Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology. He also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Georgia.
He also serves as a Major in the Georgia Army National Guard, where he is the Judge Advocate for the 78th Troop Command. Chris deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he served as senior legal counsel for a 1,500-person combat support brigade and as a Foreign Claims Commission Officer who settled property and personal injury claims with the local population in Southern Afghanistan. Chris’s military education includes the Basic and Advance Courses from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center & School at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Experience
Chris has represented clients in a wide range of wrongful death, personal injury, and other high-exposure general liability matters in construction, transportation, and other industries. He also assists clients with liability and damage estimates, insurance coverage evaluations, and other pre-litigation matters.
Chris represents contractors, subcontractors, and insurers in a wide range of disputes including construction defect, architectural and engineering errors and omissions, and insurance coverage claims.
Chris represents individuals, companies, and their insurers on insurance coverage matters of all sizes and types, including complex and high-risk injury and wrongful death cases.
Chris protects the rights of trucking companies, drivers, and their insurers in personal injury, wrongful death, vehicular accident, and other related claims.
Credentials
Admitted
State Courts:
- Georgia
U.S. District Courts:
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia
U.S. Courts of Appeals:
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Education
- J.D., University of Oklahoma
- M.P.A., University of North Georgia
- B.A., University of North Georgia
Memberships
- Forsyth County Bar Association
- National Guard Association of Georgia
- National Guard Association of the United States
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
Recognition
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Insurance Law, Best Lawyers®, 2024