Newly appointed LSU Law Advocacy Fellow Charles Watkins is excited to return to the Paul M. Hebert Law Center to help direct the Advocacy Programs that shaped him as a law student and litigator.
“My goal in this role is to teach student advocates so that when they leave LSU Law, they can try a case from start to finish as if they’ve been doing it for 10 years,” said Watkins, a 2012 LSU Law School graduate.
In his new role, Watkins will work closely with Professor Jeff Brooks, who also serves as Director of Field Placements & Moot Court/Trial Advocacy Program, to coach and prepare students for moot court, mock trial, and alternative dispute resolution competitions.
As a student at LSU Law, Watkins competed in multiple national trial competitions, including a second-place finish at the National Pretrial Competition, and earning a national berth at the National Black Law Students Association Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition. In the Fall 2010 semester, he won the prestigious Ira S. Flory Mock Trial Competition. He was also a member of the Board of Advocates and the Black Law Student Association, and he served as an LSU Law Student Ambassador.
“My favorite part about participating in the Advocacy Pograms as a student was the comradery between my fellow student advocates,” he said. “The travelling and competitions were fun, but the relationship building was my favorite.”
Watkins most recently served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Narcotics and Organized Crime division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. He also previously served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, and as an Assistant District Attorney for the Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office in Waycross, Georgia.
In his time outside of the office, the New Orleans native enjoys practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where he has achieved a purple belt, and enjoying time with his newborn son. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Columbus State University, and is an active member of the bar in Georgia and Louisiana.
