Daniel P. Watkins specializes in high-stakes defamation matters and reputation counseling.

Daniel P. Watkins

Partner & Co-Founder

Daniel P. Watkins is a trial lawyer and reputation counselor specializing in high-stakes crisis and defamation matters. Extensive preparation and dynamic problem-solving are the touchstones of Daniel’s practice. Over the past several years, Daniel’s efforts have contributed to some of the largest defamation settlements and verdicts in American history.

Through these victories Daniel has built a reputation as a formidable trial lawyer, and he has litigated complex defamation and unfair competition matters against the most powerful companies in the world. After a hotly contested dispositive motions hearing, a nationally ranked defense lawyer recently described Daniel as a “force of nature” in the courtroom. 

Daniel’s practice outside of court is comprised of counseling clients facing extortion and false or unfair attacks to their reputations. Governors, general counsels, high-profile whistleblowers, sports franchises and ownership groups, politicians, entrepreneurs, and some of the largest non-profits in the country rely on Daniel’s strategic advice and dogged advocacy. 

In addition to successfully removing false and disparaging online business reviews and social media posts from Twitter and Instagram, Daniel has killed stories and obtained retractions, corrections, and public apologies from most major news publications, including ESPN, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Consumer Reports, and The New Yorker.

Representative Matters

  • Dominion v. Fox News: Served as counsel in historic defamation litigation against Fox News over the network’s dangerous disinformation about the 2020 election, which resulted in a summary judgment finding that Fox’s accusations about Dominion were false and a $787.5 million settlement. 

  • Kytch, Inc. v. McDonald’s: Represents a start-up tech company in $900 million litigation against McDonald’s and McFlurry Machine maker Taylor Company.  Working alongside Jason Sheasby of Irell Manella LLP, he successfully obtained a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the head of McDonald’s equipment team and overcame several dispositive motions filed against his client. 

  • Chandler v. Berlin: Lead counsel in in a defamation case against the author of a defamatory dossier. Daniel, co-founder Megan L. Meier , and counsel Mark Thomson secured summary judgment on behalf of their client on the issue of falsity. 

  • Eshelman v. Puma Biotechnology: In 2019 Daniel played an integral role in a defamation trial that resulted in a $23.35 million jury verdict—which is the highest defamation award ever recorded in the state of North Carolina.  Two years later, Daniel and Megan Meier led a trial team that obtained a $16 million award for Dr. Eshelman. 

  • PetSmart v. DiNapoli: Led the prosecution of claims against a smear campaign against the national retailer that resulted in total victory for PetSmart. 

  • Represented the owner of sports franchises accused of creating a toxic work environment.  Delivered an on-air apology and retraction from ESPN and Stephen A. Smith.

  • Represented members from both major parties running for public office accused of wrongdoing and misconduct in the lead up to election day.

Pro Bono & Public Service

Daniel prioritizes pro bono service, and he has advocated on behalf of marginalized persons in coordination with the Innocence Project, the Legal Aid and Justice Center, Virginia Poverty Law Center, and Housing Opportunities Made Equal. In 2021, Governor Ralph Northam appointed Daniel to serve as a statewide commissioner in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Daniel’s first courtroom experience came working for the public defender with the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission, and he has since argued before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals as an attorney appointed pursuant to the federal Criminal Justice Act.

Media

Academia

Daniel has served as an adjunct professor at William & Mary Law School, teaching a class titled Disinformation & Defamation. He has also guest lectured at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Education

  • University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 2012

Experience

  • Clare Locke LLP, 2016-2023

  • Williams Mullen, 2012-2016

Admissions*

  • Commonwealth of Virginia

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

  • United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia

*Admitted to Practice Only in the Commonwealth of Virginia