Julie L. Taylor

Taylor defends finance industry clients against claims by stockbroker employees in arbitration proceedings before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. For client Edward D. Jones & Co. LP, she acted as lead trial counsel when former employee Cliff Shum asserted claims for wrongful termination, defamation, business interference and unfair business practices. Shum requested damages in the range of $900,000 to $2 million, punitive damages of 1 to 4 times compensatory damages and attorney fees.

"In this highly regulated industry, the regulations are intended to protect investors," Taylor said. "You are appearing before three arbitrators, and you walk them through the ways in which this former financial advisor operated outside the regulations, demonstrating how this particular termination decision was made." In September 2015, most of Shum's claims were denied in their entirety, and he was awarded a nominal sum on his defamation claim. Shum v. Edward Jones & Co. LP, FINRA Case No. 13-01889

Taylor also guides clients through tricky employment situations. "For a technology client, we discussed at length a situation where they felt a very young employee was suicidal," she said. "It's a minefield, because the Americans with Disabilities Act protects such individuals, and there are risks involved in telling someone to take a leave of absence and see a therapist. But the client really wanted to help, and we managed it. The young employee has now returned to work and is doing well. This is the kind of story that never makes the front pages, but it is important work."

Balancing work with service to the legal community, Taylor is currently serving a two-year term as president of the board of the California Bar Foundation. The group is the center of philanthropy for the state's legal profession, a major force in diversity efforts for the State Bar and a leader in ensuring access to justice for all Californians. "Everyone lucky enough to have a job as a lawyer has an obligation to make this profession better," she said. "We are helping immigrant farmworkers, the incarcerated and those recently released from incarceration and other communities that won't trust the legal system until they can see results from us."

Taylor said she loves what she does. "I love litigation. I'm an e-discovery geek," she said. "In the courtroom, there is nothing more fun than answering 'ready' to the judge."

— John Roemer