Jerry Watson

Jerry Watson is the Senior Legal Counsel for the American Bail Coalition. He is also Chief Legal Officer to Allegheny Casualty International Fidelity Associated Bond, Senior Vice-President and Legal Counsel, Bail, at IFIC and as National Legal Counsel for ACC. He has also served as General Counsel of the American Bail Coalition since its founding and is a member of the Bail Advisory Council of the Surety and Fidelity Association of America (SFAA).

The American Bail Coalition (ABC) is a group of "premier underwriters of criminal court appearance bonds. We have formed a national organization, primarily to perform a two-pronged task to educate local government on the benefits of commercial bail bonding and to advance the interests of the member companies' many retail agents."

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
Watson is the immediate past Chairman of the corporate ("Private Enterprise" board of directors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and is the Chairman Emeritus on the Private Enterprise Board as of 2011.

Watson spoke on pretrial release at the 2002 ALEC Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL on August 9, 2002.

Watson spoke on the use of bail bonds for "safe early release of prisoners" at the Annual Meeting of the American Legislative Exchange Council in Philadelphia, PA, July 25 - 27, 2007.

Watson also received the ALEC Leadership Award at ALEC's 37th Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA on August 2010. "Watson has chaired numerous board committees and served as ALEC’s Private Enterprise Board Chairman 2006-2008. His participation in this organization began through his position as Senior Legal Counsel for The American Bail Coalition. ABC is comprised of the nation’s bail surety insurance companies. Watson serves as the Chief Legal Officer of AIA, the nation’s largest and oldest underwriters of bail insurance."

Here is a video of Watson speaking at the 2008 ALEC Annual Meeting: