Miller Canfield Attorney Jerome Watson Elected as a Fellow in College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
The law firm of Miller Canfield proudly announces that Jerome R. Watson, a principal in the Detroit office and a managing director of the firm, was recently elected as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, a non-profit, professional association. Election as a Fellow is a coveted honor and the highest recognition by one’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence.
In addition, Watson was recognized this year in three of the country’s most prestigious legal referral guides for his work as a labor and employment attorney: Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America, and Michigan Super Lawyers, in which he was honored in the Top 100 Michigan Super Lawyers.
Watson has worked as a litigator for over 20 years. His practice consists primarily of employment defense cases and complex litigation matters. He has served as lead counsel on various class action cases, has successfully defended entities such as Detroit Public Schools and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) from constitutional challenges to their governance structure. In 2002 and 2003, he served as Interim General Counsel for Detroit Public Schools.
He is a member of various legal organizations including the American Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, National Bar Association, National Employment Law Conference, Detroit Bar Association and Wolverine Bar Association. He serves on the State Bar Association’s Character and Fitness Committee and the Detroit Bar Association’s Judicial Candidates Evaluation Committee, was the Spokesperson for the American Bar Association’s Minority Partners in Majority Corporate Law Firms program and is a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation.
His community activities range from serving as the General Counsel of the NAACP Michigan State Conference, Board Member and past Chairman of Services to Enhance Potential (STEP), to tutoring inner-city middle school students through Miller Canfield's program with Barbour Middle School.
A resident of Detroit, he received his law degree in 1976 from the University of Michigan Law School and was awarded his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan in 1972.
The law firm of Miller Canfield was established in Detroit in 1852 and employs 800 in offices in Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, New York, Canada and Poland.