Steve Watrel is a Shareholder of Coker Law, a civil trial litigation firm located in Jacksonville, Florida. Steve is an A.V. rated civil trial lawyer in Jacksonville, Florida. Steve is rated in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Healthcare, Super Lawyers in the area of Plaintiff ‘s personal injury, and Florida Legal Elite in the area of civil trial.

Steve’s areas of expertise are nursing home and assisted living facility abuse and neglect cases. He is a long-time EAGLE member of the Florida Justice Association. He currently serves on the Florida Justice Association’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Florida Justice Association’s Nursing Home Task Force, and Co-Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee.

Steve attended college at Tulane University, A.B. Freeman School of Business, and graduated with a B.S.M. focusing in finance in 1989. At Tulane, Steve was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He attended law school at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York and graduated with his law degree in 1992.

After graduating law school in 1992, Steve became a member of the Florida Bar and U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. In 1993, after one year in practice with a large litigation firm, he founded his own law firm, Steve Watrel, P.A. where he practiced for 27 years until he merged with Coker Law in January of 2020.

In 2003, he applied and was selected to attend the Trial Lawyer’s College, a 3 ½ week intensive trial program held at Thunderhead Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. The Trial Lawyer’s College was founded by famed trial lawyer, Gerry Spence, whose vision was to train lawyers for the people using cutting edge methods. Steve has been back to the Trial Lawyer’s College to attend numerous graduate courses.

In 2015, he attended the first Trojan Horse Method seminar, founded by two of his colleagues from Trial Lawyers College. Trojan Horse Method is an advanced trial skills program focused on the principle of emotional congruence. Steve has attended numerous THM seminars and has utilized the techniques both in depositions and trial.

Steve is committed to his community and donates a significant amount of time and money to various charitable organizations including Seniors on a Mission.