Partner
One of the few attorneys in Texas who is Board Certified in both Civil Trial Law and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Julie has developed extensive expertise in litigation relating to Title IX, the federal law governing the responsibility of educational institutions regarding sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault as it relates to faculty, staff, and students. In close to 30 years of practice, Julie is also known for her experience in employment matters and a broad range of business-related disputes in federal and state courts and regulatory agencies throughout Texas and the United States, including lawsuits involving 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 under both federal and state law; and business disputes involving claims of breach of contract, breach of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and misappropriation of trade secret claims. Formerly a partner with the Austin firm of Scott, Douglass & McConnico, Julie has tried numerous jury and non-jury trials to verdict.
- Successfully tried to defense jury verdict 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.
- Represented and advised universities in Texas 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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, 2022
- Lawdragon Top 200 Leading Corporate Employment Lawyer, 2023
- BTI Client Service All Star, 2008
- Baylor University Young Lawyer of the Year, 2003 Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
All Texas State Courts U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits U.S. Supreme Court
Board Member, Texas Board of Legal Specialization American Bar Association, Member Austin Bar Association, Member Austin Bar Foundation, Founding Member State Bar of Texas, Member Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
J.D. Baylor Law School, with honors, 1987 Executive Editor, Baylor Law Review B.A. Baylor University, summa cum laude, 1985 Briefing Attorney, Judge Sam D. Johnson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
