Leila Watson

Leila H. Watson, co-founder and principal at Cory Watson Attorneys, has dedicated her life to helping people through the law. It began when she was a social work student on a clinical team that evaluated children with developmental, physical, and mental disabilities. The mother of a little boy who was a patient at the clinic gave Leila a legal brief about her son. After reading the brief, she knew that the lawyer who wrote it was doing much more to help that little boy than she could ever do in her career as a social worker. At that moment, Leila decided to go to law school.

Leila Watson has practiced with Ernest Cory, co-founder of Cory Watson Attorneys, for over 36 years. As a young lawyer, Cory convinced her to handle cases on subjects she knew nothing about, saying, “It’s not what you don’t know, it’s all about what you can learn.” So, Leila learned things like how to drive a tractor-trailer truck, set up a fuse box, maintain a hospital record, sell life insurance, and a host of other skills to better present her cases at trial.

Leila’s legal skills and passion for studying the law are well-recognized by her colleagues. In 2016, Leila was elected President of the Birmingham Bar Association. She served as the chair of the Alabama Association for Justice Amicus Curiae Brief Committee for years, steering the committee that selects and writes appellate briefs on issues of importance to ALAJ members. She was also elected to serve as an At-Large Member of the Alabama State Bar’s Board of Bar Commissioners.

While Leila is a passionate and dedicated lawyer, she is also a family-oriented woman who loves to volunteer. She and her family are highly involved in the Birmingham community, supporting local charities that focus on children’s education and health and making Birmingham a great place to raise a family.