Roberta Watson joined the firm in 1985 and is a Senior Member.

Additional Practice Areas:
•   Pension and Profit Sharing Plans
•   Health Benefit Plans, including COBRA and HIPAA
•   ERISA Fiduciary Decision-Making
•   Employee Stock Ownership Plan
•   Benefits Litigation Backup
•   Benefits Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions
•   Employee Benefits Aspects of Family Law
•   Labor Laws Affecting Employee Benefits, including ADA, ADEA, FMLA
•   Other Employee Benefits and Deferred Compensation

Education:
•   Harvard Law School (J.D.), 1974
•   University of Idaho (B.A. in Political Science, cum laude), 1971
    – Phi Beta Kappa

Bar and Court Admissions:
•   Florida
•   U.S. Supreme Court
•   U.S. Tax Court
•   1st Circuit Court of Appeals
•   The Florida Supreme Court
•   U.S. District Court, Southern (non-trial member) and Middle Districts of Florida
•   Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
•   U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

Honors & Distinctions:
•   AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell
•   The Best Lawyers in America (Employee Benefits/ERISA Law) 1995-2013
•   The Best Lawyers in America  Tampa Bay Lawyer of the Year 
    (Employee Benefits Law) 2012
•   Florida Super Lawyers 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
•   Florida Super Lawyers Corporate Counsel Edition, 2008, 2010
•   Florida Council for Community Mental Health, Inc. Board Member of the Year, 
    1994
•   Recognized in several “Who’s Who” publications

Professional Involvement:
•   American Bar Association 
    – Tax Section, Employee Benefits Committee
        – Chair, 1995-1996
    – Health Law Section, Employee Benefits Interest Group
        – Chair, 1998-2001
        – Section Delegate to Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, 1998-2009
    – Labor and Employment Section      
       – Employee Benefits Committee
    – Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, Chair, 2002-2003
•   American College of Employee Benefits Counsel, Charter Fellow
•   The Florida Bar, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section
    – Employee Benefits Committee, Chair
•   Hillsborough County Bar Association
•   American Law Institute
•   The ESOP Association
•   Gulf Coast TE/GE Council, President

Community Involvement:
•   Member of CHIPRA Task Force, 2010
    Task Force was created by U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and 
    Human Services to assist with creating model form for States to use in 
    implementing options under new CHIPRA statute and to assist with 
    preparation of Report to Congress
•   Harvard Club of the West Coast of Florida, Board of Directors
    – Secretary, 2007-present
•   Florida West Coast Employee Benefits Council, Board of Directors, 1996-2003
    – President, 2001-2002
•   Northside Mental Health Center, Board of Directors
    – President, 1999-2001
•   Community Health Purchasing Alliance, District Six (CHPA)
    – Gubernatorial Appointed Member, 1998-2000
•   American Law Institute
•   Tampa Bay Pension Council