Robert A. Julian

Julian thought he was ready to retire this year, and then the most important case of his career presented itself. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. filed for bankruptcy protection following massive wildfires that devastated northern California.

“I knew this was it,” said Julian. “My biggest legal case in my career fell on the eve of my retirement. I delayed retirement to work on this case.”

The problem was leaving his old firm, Winston & Strawn, where he spent decades.

Julian convinced his colleague, Cecily A. Dumas, who was working at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, to find another law firm and pitch for the case with him. Both were hired immediately by Baker & Hostetler LLP and beat out several other law firms to represent the committee of tort claimants in the PG&E bankruptcy.

“This case is so worthwhile to me because of the fires that wiped out communities off the face of this earth and struck people’s homes,” said Julian. “It’s a real tragedy. People lost everything, from pictures of their families, mementos, antiques. They have no memories of their childhood or their family lives. Everything is gone.”

It is estimated the utility’s liability to wildfire victims exceeds $30 billion.

The case was personal for Julian, whose home in Sonoma County came dangerously close to the Tubbs fire that struck in October 2017. The fire came within a quarter mile of his home. His efforts to help his community heal actually began long before PG&E filed for bankruptcy.

The Tubbs fire, he said, brought him closer to his fellow community members, and he began helping families find counsel a year later.

After being appointed to represent the tort claimants in the bankruptcy case, this has become Julian’s full time job.

“It’s so rewarding,” he said. “It doesn’t even matter to me that I’m not retired anymore. It was never going to be full retirement anyway.

— Gina Kim