JULIE L. TAYLOR

Julie Taylor is a shareholder with Keesal, Young & Logan in its San Francisco office and is admitted to practice in California and Washington.  Julie has served on the firm’s Executive Committee and currently serves on its Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  Julie focuses on employment litigation, and regularly defends employers in judicial, arbitration, and administrative proceedings involving claims for discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation (including Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower claims), defamation, invasion of privacy, violation of federal and state leave laws, and breach of contract.  Her practice includes the defense of wage and hour proceedings, including class and mass actions alleging violations of overtime and other wage and hour laws in both state and federal court.  Julie regularly advises clients regarding compliance with employment laws, rules and regulations, harassment and discrimination investigations, hiring and termination issues, privacy issues, strategies for dealing with “problem” employees, and the preparation of employment manuals and various agreements.  Julie regularly speaks on a variety of employment law topics.

Julie practices across a broad range of industries, including financial services, technology, healthcare, retail, maritime, oil and gas, and hospitality.  Julie serves on the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee and is significantly involved in the firm’s nationally-recognized eDiscovery, technology and cybersecurity initiatives.  In addition, Julie works closely with the firm’s Compliance, Operations and Data Control Advisory (CODA) Team.

Julie served on the Board of Directors of the California Bar Foundation from 2012 to 2018 and, on January 1, 2015, began serving a two-year term as President of the Board.  The California Bar Foundation is the center of philanthropy for California’s lawyers, a major force in diversity efforts for the bar, and a leader in ensuring access to justice for all Californians.  Under Julie’s leadership, the California Bar Foundation became California’s largest independent source of statewide law school diversity scholarships and pipeline program grants, and instituted a first of its kind postgraduate legal fellowship placing diverse lawyers in some of the most underserved parts of the state.

Julie is the Chairman of the Board of The Sam Taylor Foundation, which provides mental wellness education and free mental health counseling to teens and young adults.

Examples of recent employment cases for which Julie was lead counsel include:

• Defense award in Illinois on claims alleging age discrimination and retaliation; affirmative recovery of over $900,000 on counterclaim.
• Defense award on claims of wrongful constructive termination and retaliation;
• Defense award in case alleging breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, wrongful termination in violation of public policy and defamation seeking damages of over $15 million.
• Defense award in case alleging wrongful termination in violation of public policy and defamation.
• Defense award in compensation dispute.