Ryan C. Watkins is a litigation associate with Foley & Lardner LLP, and a member of the firm’s Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. Ryan assists corporate clients throughout all phases of complex commercial litigation, mediation, arbitration, and all forms of alternative dispute resolution. Ryan has successfully litigated cases in both state and federal courts as well as in multiple states including Michigan, Missouri and New York. Ryan has also successfully tried both bench and jury cases in Michigan state courts.
Ryan has substantial experience in defending clients in general contract, supply chain, recall, trade secret, insurance, securities and products liability litigation as well as False Claims Act litigation. In particular, Ryan has successfully defended automotive and manufacturing clients, among others, in high-stakes, bet-the-company, recall and trade secret litigation.
Ryan is also very active in the firm’s pro bono practice. Ryan regularly participates in the Detroit Bar Association’s free legal services clinic advising indigent clients in various civil matters including housing, bankruptcy, expungement, insurance and family law matters. Ryan regularly contributes to the University of Michigan Law School’s Innocence Clinic and the national Innocence Network through the writing of amicus briefs on various relevant legal issues for federal and state appellate courts.
Prior to joining Foley as a summer associate in 2013, Ryan previously worked as a policy intern for the Clinton Global Initiative and Clinton Foundation, a legal intern for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and a public policy professional at the Center for American Progress and American Federation of Teachers. Prior to starting his legal career, Ryan was a high school teacher for Chicago Public Schools.
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