Michael G. Watters

PRO

Michael G. Watters

4.9
39 reviews
This is an aggregated review score of Avvo and Lawyers.com reviews.
Rating: 10.0

Licensed for 51 years

Litigation Lawyer at Santa Rosa, CA
Practice Areas: Litigation, Family, Insurance ... +2 more

1550 Airport Blvd, Suite 201, Santa Rosa, CA

About Michael

Biography

Highly Experienced & Successful Trial Lawyer

Experience. Service. Results.

Experience. Service. Results.

Experience. Service. Results.

Experience. Service. Results.

Highly Experienced & Successful Trial Lawyer

Practice Areas

5

Practice Areas

Litigation 40%

Heavy civil jury trial experience (250 days of trial between 2009 and 2014) including appeals and writs.

50 years | 250 cases

40%
Family 25%

High-end divorces (i.e. victory in a $60 million dollar marital estate dispute over a 72-day trial; and victory in a 43-day divorce trial).

50 years | 200 cases

25%
Insurance 15%

Major insurance defense practice for decades (numerous jury trials with many defense verdicts or verdicts less than the pre-trial settlement offer).

50 years | 1,000 cases

15%
Business 10%

All areas (i.e. fraud in the sale of a business, fraud in the sale of commercial property); assisted former partner in trial resulting in multi-million dollar jury verdict (Top 40 verdicts in U.S. in 2014).

38 years | 51 cases

10%
Employment and Labor 10%

Wrongful termination to sexual harassment to ADA to wages and hours to discrimination cases (successfully defended a high state official in a disparate treatment case in an 80-day trial).

29 years | 50 cases

10%

Fees and Rates

Cost

Hourly Rates

$ 450-500 per hour


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Licenses

Licensed in California for 51 years

State: California

Acquired: 1974

Active

No misconduct found

Location

O'Brien Watters & Davis LLP

1550 Airport Blvd, Suite 201, Santa Rosa, CA, 95403

obrienlaw.com/our-team/michael-g-watters/

Online Presence

Other places you can find Michael online.

Michael G. Watters's Reviews

Showing 1 - 5 of 11 reviews | Practice Area Knowledge

Posted by anonymous | January 23, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Michael is a family advocate

Michael Watters and his team are highly skilled and experienced in navigating the complexities of divorce. Not only did he skillfully navigate the legal system and advocate for my financial needs, he understood the importance of equalizing finances between households so that I can really show up for ...my children. He clearly has seen it all before, understands dysfunctional family dynamics and anticipated what my family needed when I was not able to advocate for myself. Michael got a court order to begin paying child support and alimony when my ex had stopped; he called for a financial deposition to reveal the money that my ex had been trying to hide and could not be revealed in a simple tax return, he got my ex to pay money to me for the house that we had acquired while we were married and then had pressurized me into getting my name off of the title as I was leaving the house before we were legally separated, and he was able to get most all of my legal fees to be paid by my ex as he had the ability to do so. I am so grateful for Michael and his team's work on my behalf. Without Michael's help I still would have been an unsupported single mom stressed and not being able to fully show up for my kids who are really the ones who suffer most in these dynamics.

Posted by anonymous | September 30, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

A Fantastic Attorney

I hired Mr. Watters to help me navigate through a sticky, contentious divorce. He was able to research many "grey area" topics and provide solid legal assistance in multiple court appearances. He has a vast knowledge and high degree of competence, thanks to his many years of high-level litigation. ... His support staff are all very sharp and respectful of the client. They work hard and have a well-earned top-tier reputation in the North Bay Area.

Posted by anonymous | May 20, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Complex child custody case

We hired Mr. Watters to help with an extremely complex child custody case. Mr. Watters helped us succeed in what was characterized as a virtually impossible case to win in the family courts. After that was completed, he went to great lengths to help us settle a secondary part of our situation out of ...court. Mr. Watters is the ultimate professional. Words cannot describe the level of respect and trust he earned from our family throughout our legal situation. Others have mentioned his wisdom in reviews and to be very blunt, it is spot on. Decades of experience, an abundance of resources, and a hard-working and dedicated group of professionals that support Mr. Watters were the ingredients for a successful outcome. When it comes to family law, whether in a trial setting, mediation, or communication with another party, Mr. Watters was quite frankly the best any potential client of his could ask for. And at the end of the day, Mr. Watters is a genuinely nice person outside of the field of law. Would highly recommend the services of Mr. Watters’ and his team.

Posted by William | June 12, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Trusts

Trust Case * Nobles

Mike Watters and his entire staff are amazing. I can only express my utmost gratitude. Mike and his firm worked so hard and diligent to resolve a very complex trust/ real estate case for me and my family. First class all the way. I highly recommend Mike Watters, Diane Singleton, and Carol Novaro.... If you want the best, go with this group!

Posted by John | June 10, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Debt Collection

Contractor invoice lawsuit

Hired Mr. Watters to recover an outstanding invoice from contractor I could not collect. After he had successfully collected it ,the contractor said how relentless he was.My response was, that's why I hired him. Our family has since used him several times. All successfully.

See All Client Reviews

Michael G. Watters's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Michael
Michael Charles Doland headshot
Michael Doland

Litigation lawyer | Mar 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"The answers of Mr. Watters are consistently accurate, analytic, and customized to the needs of the Avvo askers. These are exactly the qualities that every client would look for when hiring an attorney."

Thomas P Kelly III headshot
Thomas Kelly

Litigation lawyer | Feb 18

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Mr. Watters is a highly experienced and effective litigator who has a proven track record. I strongly endorse him."

Michael S. Waddington headshot
Michael Waddington

Family lawyer | Jun 05

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Michael. He is a highly skilled attorney that is well respected in the legal community."

Andrew G. Watters headshot
Andrew Watters

Unknown lawyer | Oct 03

Relationship: Worked for lawyer

"I highly endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements

No Endorsement Data Available Yet
This attorney hasn't created any attorney endorsements recently on Avvo.

Experience

Rating:  10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2023

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2022

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2021

AV Preeminent (1989 - 2021), Martindale-Hubbell®

2021

Gold Client Champion, Martindale-Hubbell®

2021

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2020

Super Lawyer (2007 - 2020), Super Lawyers

2020

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2019

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2019

Top Contributor, Avvo

2018

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2018

Client's Choice, Avvo

2017

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2016

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2015

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2014

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2014

Pro Bono Service Award, Sonoma County Bar Association

2013

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2012

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2011

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2010

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2009

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2008

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

2007

Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

Work Experience

1998 - Present

Managing Partner, O'Brien Watters & Davis, LLP

1990 - 2000

Law & Mediation Center Mediator, American Arbitration Association

1990 - 1992

Professor, Empire College Of Law

1982 - 2005

Founding Partner, O'Brien Watters & Davis, LLP

1980 - 1982

Partner, Spridgen, Barrett, Achor, Luckhardt, Anderson & James

1978 - 2000

Commercial Arbitration Panelist, American Arbitration Association

1975 - 1979

Associate, Spridgen, Barrett, Achor, Luckhardt, Anderson & James

1969 - 1971

1st Lieutenant, USMC

Associations

State Bar of California

Member

Sonoma County Bar Association

Member

Marin County Bar Association

Member

Napa County Bar Association

Member

American Bar Association

Member

Defense Research Institute

Member

United Way of Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake

Board of Directors

1993 - 1993

United Way of Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake

Chairman

1990 - 1990

United Way of Sonoma-Mendocino-Lake

Campaign Chairman

Sample of Legal Cases

Bonfigli v. Strachan and Smith

Initial jury trial loss followed by successful appeal followed by successful jury retrial

IRMO Whitney

Win, upheld on appeal

See More Legal Cases

Education

1974

University of California, Hastings College of the Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1968

Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley

MBA - Master of Business Administration

1967

University of California - Berkeley

BS - Bachelor of Science

Speaking Engagements

2020

When Legal Documents are Destroyed

Documents

2016

How to Prepare to Take a Key Deposition

Depositions

2015

Deposition Objections

Deposition Objections

2014

The Top 20 Deposition Mistakes

Depositions

2011

Expert Witness Depositions: How to Take the Deposition of an Expert, Any Expert

Expert Witness Depositions

2011

Deposition Basics

Depositions

2006

Litigation Skills for Legal Staff in California

Litigation Skills fro Legal Staff

2001

Evidence? In Family Law?

Evidence

1997

Highlights Regarding Depositions

Depositions

1995

Master Deposition Demonstration

Depositions

1992

Experts

Expert Witnesses

Publications

2018

Sonoma County Bar Association Defending Depositions (Deposition Objections)

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution