Dinsmore & Shohl LLP’s J. Tanner Watkins has been named to Louisville Business First’s 2020 Forty Under 40 class. This is the 25^th year LBF has organized such a class.

The 40 young professionals who comprise the 2020 class share the goal of making a difference in Louisville through their community service efforts and in their hard work. There were more than 500 nominations for this year’s class.

“It is such an honor to be named a Forty under 40,” Watkins said. “I am proud to be included among this distinguished list of honorees and look forward to working with them to help Louisville continue to thrive. I am also grateful to my family, friends, and Dinsmore for supporting me in my efforts to give back to our community.”

Watkins is a partner in Dinsmore’s Louisville office. He focuses his practice on business and fiduciary litigation, banking litigation, personal injury litigation, product liability litigation, and insurance coverage litigation. He has spent much of his career representing a wide range of companies, from smaller local businesses to well-known brands in the logistics, agricultural manufacturing, pharmaceutical, banking, trust, insurance, and investment banking industries.

A leader in his community, Watkins serves on the Kentucky Bar Association Board of Governors.  In addition to his work with the Kentucky Bar Association, he is also very active in the American Bar Association, serving as the Kentucky Bar Association’s representative to the House of Delegates as well as the Kentucky State Membership Chair.

Watkins recently participated in the Bingham Fellows Program where he spearheaded Enrich Louisville, an initiative focused on improving access to education and enrichment opportunities for Louisville’s youth. Watkins proudly serve as a member of the Speed Art Museum Board of Governors, where he chairs its governance committee. He also serve on the Board of Trustees for the Kentucky College of Art and Design, where he sits on its executive committee.

Based on his service to the legal profession, Watkins was named Kentucky's 2017 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, and in 2018, he was awarded the Outstanding Young Professional of the Year from the University of Kentucky College of Law.