The Lawyers

  W. David Watkins

Areas of Expertise:
Governmental Relations
Education Law
Public Finance
Employment Law

Urban and Economic Development

State Bar Admissions:
Mississippi
United States Supreme Court

Education:
J.D., University of Mississippi, 1974
B.A., Millsaps College

A practicing lawyer in Mississippi for over three decades, Mr. Watkins now divides his time and efforts between his law practice and his other business interests. Watkins is one of the founders and principals in Watkins and Young PLLC, a law firm with an emphasis on public finance and municipal bond law. He is also the President and CEO of Watkins Partners®, a governmental relations firm with client matters in Mississippi and in Washington, D.C. Mr. Watkins is also involved in various urban development projects, including the rehabilitation of the long-abandoned King Edward Hotel in Jackson.
After 30 years of law practice, Mr. Watkins retired in 2004 from the law firm of Adams and Reese LLP. He was formerly the Partner-in-Charge of the Jackson Office of the Firm, which is a major regional law firm with offices in Jackson, New Orleans, Birmingham, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Houston and Washington, D.C. He was the founder of the Education Law Team and practiced education law and governmental relations for over three decades.

He earned a B.A. degree in Economics from Millsaps College, attended Emory University School of Law and the University of Mississippi School of Law, receiving a Juris Doctorate in 1974. At law school, he was an Editorial Board member of the Mississippi Law Journal. He has also received further studies from the Harvard University School of Education.

Mr. Watkins' law practice spanned a wide range of areas related to education law, including public and legislative policy, intellectual property and technology issues, litigation, administrative law, public finance and planning, appellate advocacy, and employment law.
Mr. Watkins has had a distinguished career in the organized bar, having held numerous leadership positions in various bar associations. He has served two terms in the American Bar Association ABA House of Delegates; was a member of the ABA’s law school accreditation unite (Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar). He served as Chairman of the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi State Bar, and was a member of the Board of Bar Commissioners. He is a member of the Fellows of the Mississippi Bar.
Mr. Watkins has been active in education reform advocacy for over two decades, having worked on the SEPA legislation in 1977, the Education Reform Act of 1982, the Uniform Schools Law of 1986, the Equity Funding Law of 1989, BEST of 1990, the Sales Tax/Enhancement Funds Act of 1991, the MAEP in 1997 and the Teacher Pay bill of 2000. He served as chairman of a task force in 1988 that resulted in the formation of the Pubic Education Forum of Mississippi in 1989, serving as one of the founding directors and on the Executive Committee since its beginning.

In his legislative advocacy for education issues, Mr. Watkins has recently focused his efforts on developing entrepreneurial opportunities for local school boards, particularly with respect to real estate development and urban renewal issues. Last year Watkins was the architect and lobbying force behind the passage of the School Property Development Act of 2005. The purpose of the legislature was to allows local school boards to maximize returns on unused or under utilized property. The new authority allows school boards to enter into public-private partnerships, as joint owners of private development projects.

Mr. Watkins has also participated in numerous church, public and community interest capacities, including service as a member of the Executive Committee of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Association, Leadership Jackson, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, and the Choir of St. James Episcopal Church. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Systems (formerly CDPA) from 1988-1993.

James W. Young, Jr.

Areas of Experience

Public Finance

Education

Construction Contracting

16th Section Issues

State Bar Admissions

Mississippi

Education

J.D., Georgetown University Law Center

B.A., Mississippi State University

James W. Young, Jr. earned his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Mississippi State University, and his Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as associate editor of the Tax Lawyer.

Mr. Young practices in the area of commercial and corporate law, with a focus on public finance, purchasing, construction contracting and 16th Section issues in the education law area. He also has experience negotiating and structuring commercial and corporate transactions.

Mr. Young is a member of the American and Mississippi State Bar Associations, the Board of Directors of Boys and Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Jackson and the Mississippi Council of School Board Attorneys.