Julia is an associate with Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley and resident in our Pasadena office. She is part of both the firm’s municipal advisory practice group as well as the firm’s litigation practice group representing public agency clients from around the state.
As part of the firm’s litigation practice group, Julia litigates a range of issues including eminent domain and inverse condemnation, constitutional issues, municipal liability, and CEQA. She also supports the firm’s municipal advisory team, representing clients from around the state. Julia advises cities and other municipal clients on best practices for compliance with public contracting requirements, the Brown Act, conflicts of interest laws, and the Public Records Act.
Prior to joining CHW, Julia served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Judge Josie Garton in the Superior Court of Alaska.
Julia earned her J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law with a Certificate in Environmental Law. She graduated magna cum laude from Colorado State University, with a B.S. in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.
At UC Davis, School of Law, Julia was a Senior Articles Editor and Executive Editor for the Environs Journal. She served on the Moot Court Honors Board as Judge Recruitment Chair. She competed in the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. She was also part of the Environmental Law Society, serving as the Environmental Justice Chair.
During law school, Julia externed for the State Water Resources Control Board, Office of Chief Counsel. She was also a teaching assistant for UC Davis’s Department of Environmental Science & Policy.