Jay B. Watson
- The Florida Bar, 2000
- The Jacksonville Bar Association
- U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Florida Coastal School of Law, J.D.
Law Review - Paid Legal Writing Instructor
- Florida State University
College of Business, B.S. Marketing
Business Litigation
- Recovered over $450,000 on behalf of a 50% shareholder of a company in an action involving claims for breach of fiduciary duty and corporate dissolution
- Secured and successfully enforced multiple final judgments for money damages against purchasers of businesses who defaulted on promissory notes issued as partial payments for the businesses
- Obtained the dismissal, with prejudice, of a lawsuit against a church by successfully arguing in favor of the application of the Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine or Church Autonomy Doctrine
- Litigated and resolved claims against a corporate defendant and its employee for multiple egregious breaches of a non-compete agreement, thereby enabling the business to continue to operate and the employee to remain employed and working
- Negotiated settlement with homeowners’ property and casualty insurer through participation in the Florida Department of Financial Services statutory mediation process as outlined in §627.7015, Fla. Stat.
- Prevailed at trial on a defendant’s behalf in an action involving a landlord’s action for breach of a commercial lease
- Successfully obtained the dismissal, with prejudice, of a lawsuit filed by a credit card company against individual defendants, and recovered attorney’s fees on defendants’ behalf for credit card company’s failure to secure a proper assignment of the purported debt and failure to timely notify defendants of its status as a valid creditor/assignee as required under §559.715, Fla. Stat.
Construction Litigation
- Obtained final judgment for homeowner against flooring contractor and, through post judgment settlement negotiations, recovered the entire judgment amount awarded to homeowner plus attorney’s fees
- Secured a final judgment in homeowners’ favor against an unlicensed contractor for violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act
- Obtained final judgment in a lawsuit against a contracting company for committing financial mismanagement or misconduct on a construction project, and subsequently recovered, on homeowner’s behalf, the maximum amount of money payable through the Florida Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund by way of a final order issued in homeowner’s favor by the State of Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board
- Prosecuted and defended multiple cases involving the foreclosure of or efforts to foreclose a mechanic’s lien or liens
- Represented homeowners in securing a final judgment for damages against a contractor for civil theft and breach of a construction contract
Real Estate / Real Property Litigation
- Successfully negotiated a walkaway settlement for a minority shareholder of a land development company in hotly contested litigation where plaintiff sought to recover over $19,000,000 on allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy to defraud, and other claims involving the purchase and development of real property
- Secured an order imposing sanctions upon a vexatious litigant after successfully defending multiple actions filed against the same defendants over a five-year period, all of which concerned defendants’ title to real property
- Successfully appealed a final judgment of foreclosure entered in favor of a major, well-known lender on the grounds of lack of standing
- Served as counsel to multiple banks and other financial institutions in dozens, if not hundreds, of lawsuits involving monetary and non-monetary defaults on loans
- Represented the insureds of two different global providers of title insurance and successfully resolved and disposed of dozens of matters involving defects in the title to real property and related litigation
- Prosecuted and defended multiple separate actions involving allegations of undisclosed facts materially affecting the value of real property otherwise known as ‘Johnson non-disclosure’ claims or cases
PRIOR RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE A SIMILAR OUTCOME
Jay B. Watson
Partner
Jay Watson graduated from Florida State University in 1991 after attending FSU’s business school where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing. In August of 1999, Mr. Watson graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law with Honors where he earned a Juris Doctorate degree. After passing the Florida Bar Exam in February, 2000, Mr. Watson was admitted to the Florida Bar in May, 2000.
Since becoming a licensed Florida attorney in 2000, Mr. Watson has gained substantial experience in many areas of the law. In February, 2008, Mr. Watson established his own law firm of which he was the sole shareholder. While operating his firm between February, 2008 and November, 2022, Mr. Watson focused his practice primarily on civil litigation matters including, without limitation, real estate and real property litigation, i.e., partitions, quiet title actions, and mortgage foreclosures; construction litigation, i.e. the preparing and foreclosing mechanic’s liens, enforcing and defending construction contracts, and litigating cases involving construction defects; breach of contract litigation, i.e., enforcing and defending non-compete agreements, construction agreements, and operating agreements; and probate litigation, i.e., pursuing and defending undue influence claims, pursuing claims against a trustee for serious breach of trust, and litigating will contests on various grounds. During his 22-year career as a Florida attorney, Mr. Watson has also handled a number of transactional matters including drafting commercial leases, preparing purchase and sale agreements for both commercial and residential real property transactions, crafting shareholder agreements and operating agreements, and drafting stock and asset purchase agreements for corporate and individual clients looking to purchase an ongoing business or its assets. Ms. Watson has also prepared a number of contracts and agreements of various types, including complex settlement agreements and releases.
In July, 2019, Mr. Watson became a licensed, Florida Realtor®. As a licensed Realtor®, Mr. Watson has become quite familiar with many of the standard forms used in real estate purchase and sale transaction in Florida. As a result, he is better able to interpret and explain to clients much of the typical language and provisions found in many of the standard purchase and sale and related forms, which, in turn, serves to aid his clients’ understanding of the key terms and provisions that will affect their sale or purchase of real property. As a licensed Realtor®, Mr. Watson can also assist clients with buying and selling real estate in the State of Florida.
In February, 2020, Mr. Watson became a Florida Supreme Court Circuit Civil Mediator. As such, Mr. Watson can serve as mediator for Circuit Civil cases in an effort to assist the parties in resolving their cases before going to trial. By settling a case in mediation, the parties involved are able to avoid the cost and uncertainty of outcome associated with trying a case before a judge or jury. While working for Cobb & Gonzalez, Mr. Watson will work on building a mediation practice by, among other things, becoming involved in local and state Alternative Dispute Resolution organizations and agencies and by serving as mediator in circuit civil cases in the Northeast Florida area and other circuits around the State.
Mr. Watson joined Cobb and Gonzalez, P.A. in November, 2022 as a partner. Mr. Watson’s primary areas of practice at Cobb & Gonzalez will include construction disputes, business litigation, real estate litigation, and probate and trust litigation. Mr. Watson will also perform some transactional work for the firm such as drafting various contracts and agreements for clients of the firm. Mr. Watson will also serve as a mediator in Circuit Civil cases in Duval County and other counties around the State of Florida.
Mr. Watson moved to Jacksonville Beach in 1992 after obtaining his undergraduate degree in Marketing from Florida State University in 1991. In 1999, Mr. Watson graduated with Honors from Florida Coastal School of Law. While at Florida Coastal, Mr. Watson served as an associate staff editor for the law review.
Originally from Eustis, Florida, Mr. Watson resides in Jacksonville Beach with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Victoria and Madeline. In his free time, he enjoys the beach, camping, kayaking, and simply being outdoors with his wife and kids.
4655 Salisbury Rd., Suite 200 Jacksonville, FL 32256
Email: info@cobbgonzalez.com
Phone: (904) 822 8001