Maurice Watkins (solicitor)

Edward Maurice Watkins (born November 1941)LLB, LLM is the current chairman of football club Barnsley. He has represented high-profile clients in criminal trials including Eric Cantona and Stuart Hall.

He was a Director of Manchester United's football board. He was also the club's solicitor. He is Joint Senior Partner of Brabners Chaffe Street LLP Solicitors in Manchester.

Watkins was educated at Manchester Grammar School and University College London.

At a January 1995 match with Crystal Palace Eric Cantona performed a 'kung fu' kick into the crowd following racist abuse from Matthew Simmons. Watkins represented Cantona at the ensuing assault trial. Watkins represented former BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall at Hall's trial for indecent assault, at which Hall admitted to indecently assaulting 13 girls. Watkins' effective representation lead to Hall receiving a jail sentence of 15 months for the charges.

Martin Edwards asked Watkins to become a director of Manchester United Football Club in May 1984 on the same day as Bobby Charlton. In 1991, when Martin Edwards floated Manchester United on the stock exchange, Watkins joined the PLC Board as a non-executive director. Edwards and Watkins were the only two directors who served both on the Football Board and the PLC Board. At the AGM in 2005 Malcolm Glazer opposed Watkins' re-election to the PLC board along with two other directors Philip Yea a fellow non-executive director and Andy Anson. After Malcolm Glazer had completed his takeover of Manchester United he de-listed it from the stock exchanged and made it a private company once again. Watkins remains on the club's football board and is the club's lawyer.

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