Mikal Watts has represented thousands of clients and won hundreds of millions of dollars. But late last summer, he represented himself and scored perhaps the most important victory of his life. After a five-week trial before a federal jury, he represented himself won an acquittal—beating federal prosecutors’ charges that he intentionally submitted phony names to recover damages from the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
He was pro se but not underfinanced. He spent millions of the money he has made as a mass tort plaintiffs lawyer, installing 20 people each night of the proceedings in a war room to go through documents to prepare for the next day, and he had 20 others helping him in the courtroom during the day.
