Attorney Matt Watkins
Trial Attorney & Former Prosecutor in Texas
Matt Watkins is an experienced trial lawyer and former prosecutor that gives his all to get the best results for his clients. He is an aggressive advocate and fights for a dismissal or a not guilty on each case. Matt has tried more than 40 jury trials to verdict.
Matt earned his B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Texas at Arlington. He went on to complete his M.A. in Political Science with a focus on Constitutional Law at the University of Texas at Dallas, and he graduated his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Matt knew early that he wanted to be a trial attorney, and he dedicated himself to trial advocacy studies in law school. Matt competed in mock trials to sharpen his advocacy throughout his time in law school, ultimately achieving victory in the championship round of the Gardere Novice Mock Trial competition.
Matt began his legal career as a prosecutor in Williamson County, working for the Williamson County Attorney’s office. Matt rose quickly during his time as a prosecutor and handled a wide variety of case assignments, including being a court chief of two different county courts at law, the Veteran’s Treatment Court prosecutor, supervisor of all specialty assignments such as mental health, animal cruelty, DWI/Drug Court, and ultimately becoming the Criminal Trial Director. Matt was responsible for training both prosecutors and police officers in matters of trial presentation and strategy. He was also chosen frequently to directly train new officers and prosecutors about many aspects of their respective roles, including plea negotiation, courtroom presentation, and trial.
Matt is also a veteran. He spent 6 years in the US Air Force Reserves
Through Matt’s time as a prosecutor, he came to see that often there was more to a story than was in a police report. Matt’s goal is to help people truly tell their story and get the right outcome in every case.
Matt’s extensive experience in a wide variety of criminal assignments and trials makes him uniquely prepared to have an edge in aggressively defending your case. Matt knows the system from the inside and will use his knowledge to get you the best possible result.
Practice Areas
Education
- University of Texas School of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence
- University of Texas at Dallas, Master of Arts in Political Science
- University of Texas at Arlington, Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Bar Admissions
- Texas
Professional Associations
- Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- National College for DUI Defense
- DUI Defense Lawyers Association
- Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
- Williamson County Bar Association
- College of the State Bar of Texas
Professional Experience
- Williamson County Attorney’s Office, Prosecutor & Criminal Trial Director
- Williamson County District Attorney’s Office, Legal Intern
- Travis County Attorney’s Office, Legal Intern
- Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Legal Intern
