Menu
Search Site
Go

Trey Watkins

Trey Watkins

Partner

Jackson

601-973-5904

601-960-8613


Education

  • University of Mississippi School of Law, J.D., cum laude
  • University of Mississippi, B.A.

Bar Admissions

  • Mississippi, 2001
  • Louisiana, 2008
  • New York, 2012

Trey Watkins is a trial lawyer and strategic counselor who defends companies and institutions when litigation threatens not just the bottom line, but operations, reputation, and long-term business viability. He is regularly retained by Fortune 500 companies, regional businesses, and public institutions facing complex, high-exposure disputes that demand both courtroom skill and sophisticated strategic leadership.

For more than two decades, Trey has led the defense of thousands of claims involving products liability, toxic tort, commercial, and catastrophic injury. He develops and implements national litigation strategies, coordinating seamlessly across multiple jurisdictions and managing the full lifecycle of complex litigation.

In addition to his defense practice, Trey serves as Co-Lead Counsel for the State Attorneys General Track in In re: Insulin Pricing Litigation, MDL No. 3080, one of the most consequential healthcare pricing cases in the country. In this role, he coordinates litigation strategy, discovery, and case management on behalf of more than twenty state attorneys general, navigating the intersection of complex litigation, public policy, and competing sovereign interests. This leadership role reflects the trust that sophisticated clients and co-counsel place in his ability to lead high-profile, high complexity matters at the national level.

Trey also brings his litigation and investigative skills to the collegiate athletics arena, representing coaches, universities, and athletic programs in high-profile NCAA investigations and infractions proceedings. These matters, often conducted under intense public and media scrutiny, require the same disciplined strategy, stakeholder management, and crisis judgment he brings to his most complex civil litigation.

Trey’s clients turn to him because he brings together trial-tested instincts, national litigation infrastructure, and a relentless focus on aligning legal strategy with business outcomes. Whether managing a nationwide mass tort defense, leading a complex MDL, or guiding an institution through a high-stakes investigation, Trey delivers the strategic leadership and decisive advocacy that difficult cases demand.

Professional Recognition

Important Litigation Involvement

  • Leads national defense strategies for Fortune 500 companies and major institutions facing high-exposure products liability, toxic tort, and other complex litigation
  • Co-Lead Counsel for the State Attorneys General Track in In re: Insulin Pricing Litigation, MDL No. 3080, coordinating strategy and discovery on behalf of more than twenty state attorneys general
  • Managed the coordinated defense of more than 1,500 claims involving alleged personal injury and environmental exposure to industrial chemicals, including dioxins, PAHs, and PCBs
  • Experienced trial and appellate advocate in state and federal courts nationwide, with substantial jury trial experience
  • Manages and coordinates complex, multi-jurisdictional litigation involving large teams of attorneys, experts, and consultants across extended, high stakes matters
  • Represents coaches, universities, and athletic programs in high-profile NCAA investigations and infractions matters, often involving significant reputational and institutional risk
  • Leads and mentors attorney teams at all levels, providing meaningful exposure to sophisticated, high stakes litigation

News & Knowledge

Professional Recognition

  • Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (2011-2026): Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Product Liability Litigation – Defendants
  • The Best Lawyers in America® 2017 Lawyer of the Year – Jackson, MS – Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions – Defendants
  • FormanWatkins Civic Star, 2021
  • Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers (2013-2025)
  • Selected to Mid-South Super Lawyers, Top 50 in Mississippi (2015 and 2023)
  • Selected to Mid-South Rising Stars (2008-2012)
  • Benchmark Litigation Future Star


Best Lawyers Award Badge


Speaking Engagements

  • “Settlement Negotiations: Alternatives to Traditional Approach,” Perrin Conferences, 2018, New York, New York
  • “Lung Cancer Cases – What’s Next? Litigating Asbestos Cases in Today’s Environment,” Perrin Conferences, 2015, New York, New York
  • “The Emerging Lung Cancer Case: An Analysis of Surging Filing Trends, Asbestos Trust Issues and the Modern Causation Case,” Cutting Edge Issues in Asbestos, Perrin Conferences, 2014, Beverly Hills, California
  • “Update on Asbestos Trusts,” Litigating Asbestos Cases in Today’s Environment, 2014, New York, New York
  • “Settlement: Have Strategies and Approaches Changed?”, 14th Annual National Asbestos Litigation Conference, 2011, Amelia Island, Florida
  • “Impact of Pretrial Settlements (Including Bankruptcies) and Proving Up Virile Shares”, HarrisMartin’s 2010 Louisiana Asbestos Litigation Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana

Publications

  • “Torts Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress-Fear of AIDS Claim Requires Showing of Actual Exposure Unless Defendant Destroys Evidence of Exposure Creating A Rebuttable Presumption Against Defendant,” 69 Miss. L.J. 1243

Law School Honors & Awards

  • Mississippi Law Journal
  • Moot Court Board
  • Phi Delta Phi

Other Office Location

Practice Areas