Related Information
Education
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University of Kentucky College of Law
J.D. 2003
Kentucky Law Journal, Managing Editor 2002-03; Stoll, Keenon & Park Scholarship for Outstanding Service to the Kentucky Law Journal, 2002; J. Richard Oexmann Criminal Law Award, 2002; Best Oral Argument, Gilliam Writing Club, 2001; UK Legal Clinic, Spring 2003; Trial Advocacy Board Member, 2001-03
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Davidson College
B.A. 2000
English
Davidson College Class of 1983 Scholarship; Robert C. Byrd Scholarship; Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Studies; Student Government Association, Student Senator, Chair of Leadership Training and Publicity Committees, 1996-2000; Oxford University, Lincoln College, Classics, Fall 1998, European Studies Program through Rhodes College and University of the South
Admissions
Kentucky
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Service Areas
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Appellate Advocacy
- Business Litigation
- Civil Litigation
- Class Action, Mass Action & Multi-District Litigation
- Commercial Disputes - Contracts and Business Torts
- Complex / Large Transaction Litigation / E-Discovery Management
- E-Discovery and Document Management
- Insurance Coverage, Bad Faith and Regulatory Litigation
- Medical Liability Defense
- Multi-State, Multi-District and Serial Litigation
- Product Liability
- Professional Liability (Non-Medical Professionals)
- Real Estate and Land Use Litigation
- Securities Litigation
- Trial Practice
Industry Experience
- Arbitration / Mediation / Dispute Resolution
- Chemical & Allied Products / Plastics
- Construction
- Consumer Products / Food / Beverage
- Industrial / Manufacturing
- Not For Profit
- Pharmaceutical / Medical Devices
- Real Estate / Real Estate Development
- Restaurants / Food Services
- Transportation / Trucking
Memberships
- American Bar Association, Co-chair of the Young Lawyers Subcommittee; Products Liability Committee
- Kentucky Bar Association
- Louisville Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Kentucky Defense Counsel
Community Involvement
- Louisville Visual Arts Association, Board of Directors
- Dress for Success Louisville, Advisory Council (former Board of Directors)
- Davidson College Young Alumni Leadership Team, Class Chair
- Louisville Legal Aid Society, volunteer
- Center for Women and Families, volunteer
- YWC of Louisville, Charities Group Co-Chair
Whitney Frazier Watt has a wide-ranging practice that includes contract disputes, product liability cases, professional malpractice cases and class actions. She also works on personal injury and premises liability cases.
Recent Assignments
- Currently assists the firm in coordinating litigation against a major manufacturer of respiratory protection products, managing over 100 cases involving the claims of over two thousand plaintiffs
- Assisted the firm in defending litigation against a prominent medical device manufacturer involving claims in multiple states
- Served as second chair during two trials, a product liability case and a medical malpractice case, which both resulted in favorable verdicts for our clients
- Secured several voluntary dismissals for a major manufacturer of water valves in product liability cases filed in Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia and Indiana
- Primary drafter of briefs in a contract dispute appealed to the Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
- Moderator, "Avoiding Discovery Pitfalls - How to Manage Your Document Productions and Reviews in a Way that Will Satisfy Your Client and Win Your Case," ABA Joint Products Liability, Mass Torts & Environmental CLE, Beaver Creek, Colo., January 2010
- "Chapter 2: Preparation for Trial & Organization of Trial Materials," Kentucky Civil Practice at Trial, Third Edition, UK/CLE, 2008
- "Litigating in the Face of E-Discovery Rules: Post-Implementation Perspectives and Practice Tips," Moderator, ABA Women in Products Liability CLE, New Orleans, La., October 2007
- "Removing to Federal Court?," Litigation Leader, v. 1, no. 1, March 2005
- "The Constitutionality of Detainment in the Wake of September 11th," 90 Kentucky Law Journal 1089 (2002)
Before Stites & Harbison
Ms. Watt was Managing Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal at the University of Kentucky College of Law. While in law school she served as an intern for the Honorable Joseph M. Hood, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
More than Stites & Harbison
Whitney serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Visual Arts Association, the Advisory Council for Dress for Success Louisville, an organization helping low-income women transition back into the workforce, on the firm's Recruiting Committee, and as a Class Chair for the Davidson College Young Alumni Leadership Team. She also is a volunteer attorney for the Louisville Legal Aid Society and the Center for Women and Families. Whitney was honored as Dress for Success Louisville's Board Member of the Year (2008) and as a 2009 Superwoman for Supergirls, Inc., a mentoring program for high school girls.
Besides Stites & Harbison
Whitney enjoys traveling, volunteering with various community organizations, and spending time with family and friends.