“An exceptional trial lawyer. She is passionate, driven and poised—a gifted communicator who quickly earns the trust and respect of jurors.”

- Co-Counsel

“A multi-skilled trusted adviser, bringing the skills and judgment appropriate to each individual case.”

- WSH Client

“Julie and her team provided strong, thoughtful representation with a strategy that maximized my recovery in the most efficient way possible. Powerful advocate.  Cannot recommend more highly.”

- WSH Client

Respected for her skill in the courtroom, Julie also knows that the courtroom is oftentimes the last place her clients want to be. For that reason, Julie works hard and creatively to achieve successful results for her clients in advance of trial, such as through negotiation and pre-trial motion practice. Julie’s reputation in the courtroom is a huge advantage in negotiations because opposing parties know Julie can and will try the case if she needs to.

Julie’s clients are diverse, ranging from individuals, including C-suite executives, to large corporations, on both sides of the docket, in high-stakes litigation. Her experience includes complex business litigation, including business divorces, contract disputes and partnership disputes; employment litigation, including claims of discrimination, harassment and other traditional employment claims, both on an individual and class-wide basis; defense of national wage and hour collective and class actions; complex marital estate litigation; fiduciary duty litigation; and lawsuits involving claims of breach of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements; and misappropriation of trade secret claims. Julie also has extensive experience in Title IX litigation. A trusted counselor and fierce litigator, many of Julie’s clients have trusted her with their litigation for many years.

Julie is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an invitation-only organization of experienced trial lawyers, and she has been repeatedly recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer and one of the Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment Litigation.

Outside the Office

Outside the office, Julie’s passions are running, traveling, spending time with her friends and most importantly, spending time with her family. She and her husband Steve Serfass have raised two fine young men, Jefferson and Bobby. Jefferson is a corporate litigator in Austin. Bobby is finishing his final year at Abilene Christian University where he plays baseball. During the spring, Julie can be found most weekends attending his games. People who know Julie well will tell you her special place is Poipu, Kauai. An avid hiker, she and her family have been traveling to Poipu every year for the last fifteen years (except during COVID). Julie and her son Jeff have conquered the most difficult hikes in Kauai, including the Blue Hole hike, which is a journey to the second wettest location on earth.

“I love being outdoors and spending time with my family. Doing both at the same time is perfection.”

Representative Cases
  • Successfully tried to defense jury verdict a premises liability and negligence claim against a large private university arising out of an alleged sexual assault by former student-athletes and which involved multiple Title IX issues.
  • Successfully tried to jury verdict a Title IX case involving a large private university and allegations of dating violence.
  • Represents, counsels, and advises universities on Title IX issues and litigation.
  • Represents, counsels, and advises universities regarding sexual misconduct matters involving faculty, including representation of university tenure committees.
  • Successfully represented private university in Title IX litigation arising from the addition of a women’s sport.
  • Successfully represented private university in claims of retaliation under Title IX by employees and claims of wrongful termination by professor arising out of Title IX proceeding involving allegations of sexual misconduct.
  • Successfully tried to jury verdict or obtained summary judgment on behalf of numerous clients, both large and small businesses, throughout Texas and the United States, in cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, FMLA violations, workers’ compensation retaliation, defamation, and other claims arising out of the employee/employer relationship.
  • Extensive experience successfully defending clients, including national telecommunications company, regional restaurant chain, and regional homebuilder, in a variety of collective and class actions throughout the United States involving allegations of federal and state wage and hour laws. Classes typically involved thousands of plaintiffs and allegations such as employee misclassification, independent contractor misclassification, tip pool violations, miscalculation of overtime, and off-the-clock violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and various state laws.
  • Successfully defended and pursued claims on behalf of companies and executives stemming from disputes over non-competition, non- solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements, as well as allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and misappropriation of trade secrets.
  • Counsels, represents and advises numerous clients, in a wide range of industries, on matters before various federal and state agencies, such as the Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board.
  • Routinely counsels executives and companies in negotiation of the various agreements that govern the employment relationship, including executive compensation packages, non-competition, non- solicitation and severance agreements.
  • Represented numerous parties in complex divorces and trials involving significant assets and issues related to breach of fiduciary duty claims between husband and wife and division of business assets, as well as Hague convention claims involving children in foreign countries.
  • Counsels, represents and advises numerous clients, in a wide range of industries, on employment matters of all type.
Honors & Distinctions
  • American Board of Trial Advocates, Member
  • Board Certified, Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Board Certified, Labor and Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Texas Super Lawyers, 2011-present, Thomson Reuters Legal
  • Best Lawyers in America, 2020-2023
  • Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2024
  • Lawdragon 500 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2023-2024
  • Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association, Litigation Attorney Award, 2010
  • BTI Client Service All Star, 2008
  • Baylor University Young Lawyer of the Year, 2003
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
Professional Memberships
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, Federal Bar Association
  • Member, State Bar of Texas
  • Member, Austin Bar Association
  • Founding Member, Austin Bar Foundation
  • Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
  • Board Member, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Education
  • Baylor Law School, with honors (graduated 1st in class)
    • Executive Editor, Baylor Law Review
  • Baylor University, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Arts
  • Briefing Attorney, Judge Sam D. Johnson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
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