James S. Watson - Owensboro, KY

Growing up in a small southwestern Indiana town afforded me a myriad of opportunities that I did not fully comprehend until I got older. One of the benefits of being raised in a place that had one stop light that automatically blinked at 7:00 pm and allowed me to attend school from kindergarten to the twelfth grade in one building, is that one came into contact with a variety of individuals, those who were young, old, middle-aged, sick, and handicapped. Growing up there, I counted my friends as not only my other classmates, but the older retired men and women who lived there as well as the local workers and business owners in town.

After finishing the sixth grade, I told my dad I was ready to start working in the summer to earn money. From that first summer helping build foundations to picking up hay, working in the watermelon and cantaloupe fields to factory work, I have worked every summer thereafter. I enjoyed each job and the experiences that came with it. Through all of those different experiences, I came to realize there are all kinds of people who get into all kinds of trouble that need help. The uneducated and educated and, the rich or poor all have issues and problems that seem overwhelming to them sometimes, but I have discovered there are always solutions. It is the ability to listen to a set of facts and analyze the situation, and then form a plan of action to help the client is what led me to the practice of law. The knowledge we possess as attorneys help our clients achieve their dreams and goals, and the seasoned attorney enjoys the ride and recognizes it for what it is and not for what he is.