27 years of experience

jpearce@ggh-law.com

205.402.4831

205.980.1098

Education

B.A., cum laude, Lenoir-Rhyne College (1994)
J.D., Cumberland School of Law, Samford University (1997)

ABOUT

Julie is a native of Columbia, South Carolina and a lifelong Gamecocks fan. She is a member of the Greater Birmingham Humane Society Board of Directors and the Children’s Policy Council of Jefferson County Board of Directors, as well as a member of the Birmingham Track Club Executive Board (Editor, The Vulcan Runner newsletter) and the Junior League of Birmingham. Julie is a past president of the Lenoir-Rhyne University Alumni Association Board of Directors, and she also completed two terms on the University’s Board of Visitors. She was a long time national officer for Sigma Kappa Sorority and currently serves on its bylaws committee. Julie and her family attend St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Julie is an avid distance runner and a weekend soccer mom who enjoys renovation projects, stalking Pinterest, and spending time with her family.

Practice Areas

Appellate advocacy
Complex & commercial litigation
General civil litigation
Insurance coverage

Premises liability
Research & scientific misconduct
Construction litigation
Employment litigation

Reported Cases & Notable Trials

Notable Trials and Other Results

State Farm v. Sandefer, Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, CV 08-902529
Chappel v. Pleasant Valley Quick Stop, Circuit Court of St. Clair County, Alabama, CV 08-244
McCray v. State Farm, Circuit Court of Blount County, Alabama, CV 2002-027
Broadkorb v. Willis, Circuit Court of Fayette County, Alabama, CV 98-046
Vaughn v. Willis, Circuit Court of Fayette County, Alabama, CV 98-127 (consolidated)

Reported Cases

Miller v. Archstone Communities Trust, 797 So. 2d 1099 (Ala. Civ. App. 2001)
Holmes v. Freightliner, LLC, 237 F. Supp 2d 690 (M. D. Ala. 2002)
Ex parte T. O., 898 So. 2d 706 (Ala. 2004)
McCray v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Ins. Co., 892 So. 2d 363 (Ala. 2004)
Williams v. Town of White Hall, 450 F. Supp. 2d 1300 (M. D. Ala. 2006)
Coffey v. Moore, 948 So. 2d 544 (Ala. 2006)
Ex parte Ford Motor Co., et al., 73 So. 3d 597 (Ala. 2011)
Brewer v. Atkinson, 2018 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 39, 2018 WL 1222725 (March 9, 2018)
Suzanna F. Greer; The Estate of Lisa Eidson Greer v. The Cincinnati Insurance Company, GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company, et al., 2021 WL 2982101 (N.D. Ala. 2021) (motion for summary judgment granted on insurance coverage issues)
Scott v. Walmart Stores, Inc.; 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 205985 2022 WL 16927790 (M.D. Ala. 2022)

Honors & Awards

Professional

Named to B-Metro Magazine’s “Top Attorneys” List, 2017-2021
Listed in Birmingham BIZ Magazine’s “Top Women Lawyers” of 2016
Listed in B-Metro’s Top Women Lawyers of 2016
Named to B-Metro Magazine’s list of Top Women Attorneys, 2015
Named a “Rising Star” by Alabama Super Lawyers magazine, 2011
Distinguished Service Award, Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association, 2003
Member, Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM)

Cumberland School of Law

Research and Writing Editor, American Journal of Trial Advocacy
Member, Henry Upson Sims Moot Court Board
Semifinalist, Robert B. Donworth Freshman Moot Court Competition
Cordell Hull Legal Research and Writing Teaching Fellow
Senior Class Secretary, Student Bar Association

Lenoir-Rhyne College

Presidential Honors Scholar
Who’s Who
Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society
Omicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society
Senior Class President, Student Government Association
Judicial Review Board Member, 1990-1994
Best All Around Senior Woman, 1994
Greek Woman of the Year, 1994
Sigma Kappa Sorority (held offices of President, Vice-President and Recording Secretary)

Community

Recipient of the Dorothy Thames Schwartz Community Impact Award, Junior League of Birmingham, 2020
Recipient of the Excellence in Running Journalism Award, Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), 2016

Courts & Professional Associations

Professional Associations

American Bar Association
Alabama State Bar Association
Birmingham Bar Association
Shelby County Bar Association
Women Lawyers Section of the Birmingham Bar Association Board of Directors, 2002-2008, Treasurer (2005-2006), Chair, Projects Committee (2002-2003)

Courts

Admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Alabama; United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit

Bar Admissions

Alabama 1997

Speeches & Publications

Co-Author, Alabama State Claim Handling Guidelines, Claims & Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), 2013
Co-author, Issues in Personal Injury Practice in Alabama, Barristers Educational Services, 2012
Guest Lecturer, Ethics and Scientific Publications doctoral-level course, University of Alabama at Birmingham 2008, 2009, 2010
Litigation Skills: A Short Course for Paralegals, 2010
Document Production and Organization in Alabama, Lorman Education Services, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006
Alabama Discovery Skills, Lorman Education Services, 2005
Discovery Skills for Legal Staff, Lorman Education Services 2004
Effective Legal Writing for Paralegals in Alabama, Institute for Paralegal Education, 2000
Pro Ami Primer: A Practical Guide to Court-Approved Settlements and Conservatorships, Birmingham Bar Association Bulletin, Spring 36-37, 1999
Recent Development, Sexual Harassment: Should Schools Be Held Liable for Peer Sexual Harassment Under Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972? Am. J. Trial Advoc. 219, 1996