Attorneys

Keith W. Watters

Founder

Mr. Watters is the president and founder of the firm.  He was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Washington, DC to attend law school at Georgetown University.  Shortly after graduating from law school in 1980, Mr. Watters opened the firm, first practicing criminal law and then transitioning to personal injury law.

Mr. Watters has substantial trial experience as he has now been practicing for almost 40 years.  He has served as lead counsel in over 100 jury trials.  Mr. Watters was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the DC Trial Lawyers Association and Lawyer of the Year by the Washington Bar Association.

His service and contribution to the community is unmatched by many.  He served as president of the Washington Bar Association, National Bar Association, and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.  He is currently the president of the Foundation of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.  During his time as president of the National Bar Association, which is the nation’s oldest and largest group of predominantly African-American lawyers and judges, he accompanied famed attorney Johnnie Cochran on an international lecture tour.

Mr. Watters also previously served on a number of American Bar Association committees throughout the years, including Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Professional Discipline, and Medical Professional Liability.  He is a former chairman of the Advisory Committee on the selection of magistrate judges for the DC Superior Court. In addition, he served as a trustee of Ithaca College for 10 years.

Mr. Watters has always been a voice for the underdog and is a long-time advocate for the socially and economically disadvantaged.  He grew up in a children’s home as a multiracial child in the 1950s and ‘60s and was able to see firsthand how race and poverty play a part in society.  He opened his firm in the hopes of helping those with no money, those out of work, or those who have been injured due to the fault of another.

His lifelong dedication to achieving justice has earned him countless accolades.  Mr. Watters was named among the 100 most influential African American leaders by Ebony magazine.  He was awarded the C. Francis Stafford Award by the National Bar Association, which is the highest honor the association can award. The National Bar Association also awarded Mr. Watters the Gertrude E. Rush Award, which honors lawyers and judges for their leadership, concern for human and civil rights, and perseverance for social activism.  Mr. Watters was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Washington Bar Association. He has been awarded numerous Presidential Awards and Certificates of Appreciation from the Washington Bar Association, National Bar Association, and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. He is also a Life Sustaining Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, in which membership is limited to 1% of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction who demonstrate outstanding dedication to their community and the legal profession.

Mr. Watters has been interviewed or quoted by numerous national and local news outlets, including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC.

In addition to being a trailblazer in the courtroom and in the community, Mr. Watters is a loving father and husband.  He is married to Patricia Watters, who serves as counsel to the firm. They are proud parents of three children. Mr. Watters was chosen as a Father of the Year semifinalist by the National Center for Fathering.

Awards & Recognition

  • Hall of Fame, Washington Bar Association, 2019
  • C. Francis Stafford Award, National Bar Association, 2017
  • Gertrude E. Rush Award, National Bar Association, 2014
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, National Bar Association, 2014
  • Trial Lawyer of the Year, DC Trial Lawyers Association, 2010
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, National Bar Association, 2002
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Contribution, National Bar Association, 2000
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Contribution, Washington Bar Association, 1999
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, National Bar Association, 1998
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, National Bar Association, 1995
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Contribution, National Bar Association, 1994
  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Contribution, National Bar Association, 1993

Bar & Professional Activity

  • President, Foundation of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • Past President, National Bar Association
  • Past President, Washington Bar Association
  • Past President, Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • Former Trustee, Ithaca College
  • Board Member, Trial Lawyers Association
  • Member, Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • Member, Washington Bar Association
  • Member, National Bar Association
  • Member, J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • New York

Education

  • J.D., Georgetown University
  • B.S., Ithaca College, with honors

Patricia A. Watters

Counsel

Mrs. Watters is counsel to the firm.  She was born and raised in Louisiana and moved to Washington, DC after graduating from law school at Tulane University. Mrs. Watters mainly focuses her work on litigation and appellate cases, and her exceptional writing skills have earned her much success. She has obtained reversals in a number of important appellate cases, including but not limited to: Speights v. 800 Water Street (2010), Folks v. District of Columbia (2014), and Toomer v. William C. Smith & Co. (2015).

Prior to joining the firm as counsel, Mrs. Watters was a law clerk for the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.  She was also an associate attorney for Davenport, Seay, Wilkerson, and Ferrouillet, as well as counsel and legislative assistant to John Breaux, former U.S. Senator for Louisiana.

Mrs. Watters is married to Keith Watters and they are proud parents of three children.

Awards & Recognition

  • Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, National Bar Association, 2017

Bar & Professional Activity

  • Board Member, Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • Member, Washington Bar Association
  • Member, National Bar Association

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Louisiana

Education

  • J.D., Tulane University
  • B.A., University of New Orleans

Janelle R. Kuehnert

Associate Attorney

Ms. Kuehnert is an associate attorney at the firm.  She was born and raised in Florida and now lives in beautiful Washington, DC. She began her career at Keith Watters & Associates as a summer intern during her undergraduate years at the University of Central Florida.  She later returned to the firm as a law clerk during law school at the Pennsylvania State University. Ms. Kuehnert also has previous experience as a demand writer for a large personal injury law firm in Orlando, FL and as an intern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. In her spare time, Ms. Kuehnert volunteers for a local animal rescue organization and is an avid volleyball player and hiker.

Bar & Professional Activity

  • Member, Bar Association of the District of Columbia

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland

Education

  • J.D., Pennsylvania State University
  • B.A., University of Central Florida, magna cum laude

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