Hon. Denise M. Watson

Denise Watson has served as a judge on the Dutchess County Family Court in New York since her election in 2011. A graduate of Boston College (B.A., 1979) and St. Louis University School of Law (J.D., 1982), Watson began her legal career as a judicial clerk for the 21st Judicial Circuit in Missouri in 1983, followed by a role as senior staff attorney in the court’s Probate Division in 1984. She practiced privately from 1989 to 1999 before returning to the court as principal court attorney for Hon. Peter M. Forman in Dutchess County from 1999 until her election. In addition to her family court duties, she serves on the Dutchess County Youth Treatment Court.