Julie is an Associate Principal with the firm. Her healthcare experience is long and varied. She began her legal career working at a premier Michigan law firm with a focus on hospital and medical malpractice and licensing defense. Throughout the years, Julie’s experience has also included consulting on risk management, compliance, patient education, and training for hospitals, physician practices, and ancillary healthcare businesses throughout the U.S. In addition, she has represented organizations and individuals in employment, real estate, and business/commercial matters, as well as nonprofit law, and civil rights matters and litigation.
Julie is a nationally recognized expert in healthcare compliance programs and on the topic of informed consent. She brings passionate, committed, experienced representation to the defense of her clients, advocating for them at every turn. She is an experienced business law attorney having worked extensively in business creation, dissolution, governance issues, compliance programs, contracts and vendor issues, leases, mergers/acquisitions, policy and procedure creation, and business reformation.
During law school, Julie was an Honors Merit Scholar, an Associate Editor of the Touro International Law Review, Captain of the “National Trial Competition” Trial Advocacy Team and was named Outstanding Trial Advocate in the ATLA Competition. She was also an invitee and Member of the American Inns of Court, and graduated magna cum laude, receiving a law school honoree designation for outstanding pro bono service.
In addition to traditional legal services, Julie also provides education, training, and consulting services to hospitals, physician practices and other healthcare entities with the goal of improving patient safety, reducing risk and increasing the provision of quality and equitable care.
As a talented and very experienced trainer and educator, Julie has a unique way of cutting through to the heart of a matter, making complex concepts simple to understand and to put into practice. These skills serve her clients well with juries and administrative hearing officers. They also serve her third-year law students well at WMU Cooley Law School where she teaches Health Law, Medicine, Forensic Science and the Law, and the law of Business Organizations courses as an Adjunct Professor.
Julie serves as the General Counsel and President Elect for the Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality and is active in the Healthcare Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), and other state and national health law professional organizations. She is a content contributor for the Michigan Public Health Code – General Rules for License Renewals – Mandatory Implicit Bias Training Programs – Format and Content Requirements (2020). She is a frequent presenter on current and emerging legal compliance, risk, and business issues for several state and national healthcare industry professional associations, explaining and synthesizing many areas of intersecting law for clients and industry professionals alike. Julie is a distinguished author, writing several books, book chapters, white papers and articles on legal and medical topics.
“Improved Patient Safety Through Innovative Programs for Physician Health Inequities/Disparities Identification and Effect”
Co-Keynote presenter, Greater Houston Society for Healthcare Risk Management Annual Conference, March 2021
“Wow! I Didn’t Realize…. Awareness, Care Disparities, and Legal Consequences”
Presentation to Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality (MAHQ) Multi-State Quality Association Consortium, December 2020
“Law, Evidence, and Court Procedure Related to Death Investigation Testimony in Criminal and Civil Trials”
Medicolegal Forensic Death Investigation Training Course Western Michigan University – Stryker School of Medicine, November 2020
“Legal Aspects of Health Inequities: Assisting Clients in Improving Access to, and Provision of Quality Healthcare for the Disenfranchised”
Lead Presenter - State Bar of Michigan – Healthcare Law Section, September 2020
“The ADA and State-wide Mask Mandates”
Presenter at the Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality (MAHQ) Covid-19 Town Hall, September 2020
“Negligence for Nurses, and Medical Malpractice for Nurses”
Presenter - Oakland University – School of Nursing, September 2020
“Healthcare and Quality Improvement Trends for 2021”
Podcast participant/guest - REVELEER (Risk Adjustment and Quality Improvement Company), September 2020
“The Role of Agency Law in Healthcare”
Legal Continuing Education Presenter - Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality (MAHQ) Annual Conference, October 2019
“Playing Monopoly, or How to Cure Your Fear of Contracts”
Legal Continuing Education Presenter - Southeast Michigan Health Information Management Association (SEMMHIMA) Annual Conference, September 2019
“Student Legal Track Series (Agency Law, Employment Law, HIPAA/HITECH, Billing/Coding Fraud, Morality, Ethics, and Law)”
Legal Continuing Education Presenter - Michigan Health Information Management Association (MHIMA) Annual Conference, May 2019
“The Legal Implications of AI and Future Tech on HIT and Healthcare Administration”
Presenter - Macomb County Community College, Medical Sciences & Business Tech Divisions, February 2019
“Artificial Intelligence, Healthcare, and the Law”
Legal Continuing Education Presenter - Michigan Health Information Management Association (MHIMA) Spring Lunch & Learn Series, January 2019
“Poison Pill: Fake Pharma in America”
Presentation to Southeast Michigan Health Information Management Association (SEMMHIMA) Annual Conference, September 2018
Book Co-author: The REAL Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery: An Indispensable Guide to What You Can REALLY Expect! – 2nd Edition
Little Victories Press, 2007
Book Author: Little Victories Support University - Support Group Leader Training and Group Development Guide and Reference Manual and related 14 module training course (30 CEUs)
Little Victories Press, 2006
Book Co-Author: The REAL Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery: An Indispensable Guide to What You Can REALLY Expect! – 1st Edition
Little Victories Press, 2005
Book Review Author: Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, Michelle May
Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2009. (Book jacket cover review; review for publication web site and marketing.)
Contributing Author: “Troubleshooting the ACA (2016)”
State Bar of Michigan, Health Care Law Section, 2016
Contributing Author: Weight Loss Surgery: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Matrix Medical Communications Publishing, 2007
“Informed Consent and Covid-19” (white paper)
State Bar of Michigan, Health Care Law Section, August 2020
“Obesity Knows No Borders: Notes from an International Bariatric Practice “
Bariatric Times, January 2008
“Deposition Preparation: What Your Lawyer May Have Forgotten to Tell You!”
Bariatric Times, May 2007
“Medical Malpractice Prevention: Record Protocols and Happy Lawyers”
Bariatric Times, May 2007
“Issues and Resolutions in Bariatric Surgical Patient Compliance”
Obesity Care Journal, November 2007
Julie is a transplanted Canadian (from Sarnia) and lives with her husband Matt and their two cats Puffy and Snoodle. The saying, “Love what you do and do what you love,” is her mantra. When Julie’s not at the workplace or teaching law or presenting on any number of legal topics, Julie is volunteering at the Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality or writing an article on recent developments in the law or developing a training course! Occasionally she takes a short break from all things legal to allow her artistic side to shine. Although rare, when this happens Julie can be found at a sewing machine or curled up with a cat and a sewing basket enjoying a Dr. Who rerun (yes, she’s a Whovian!). Julie is also given to the occasional fit of midnight online shopping, often to her husband’s dismay.
Julie’s dyed-in-the-wool, law-geek personality can be attributed (she claims) to her early exposure to the legal world in the Crown Attorney’s office. Her mother worked there as a legal assistant and court reporter, often letting Julie complete her homework in the Crown’s evidence vault among all the murder weapons and such! She helped her mother with the office filing too – this was exciting because it included gruesome photos of various crime scenes and autopsy reports, fascinating to her young, inquiring self! Her mother started taking her to court when she was around five, and even to Coroner’s Inquests when she turned eleven. Her father (a chef), and his culinary talents (and well-stocked bar) often drew many police officer and attorney friends to their home where Julie would enjoy a variety of war stories, which always got better as the night went on! All this explains why she first became a paralegal, then went on to law school, then practiced health law and decided to teach Medicine, Forensic Science, and the Law!
Julie has developed a love for the history and tradition of the law (she is a member of the Supreme Court Historical Society), and if you visit her office you will note a distinct legal theme to the décor. She not so secretly wishes that American courts had a little more of the formality and tradition of the British system in which she grew up – minus the wigs, but she loves the vitality of American law practice. So, it’s a draw.
If you are wondering how her husband fares in an argument with her, well . . . he holds his own and doesn’t take much guff, but she says her record of wins isn’t in too much jeopardy!
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EDUCATION
Central Michigan University, MSA - Healthcare Administration, 1999
Touro College – Fuchsberg School of Law, J.D., 1997
Davenport University, BBA, 1994
PRACTICE AREAS
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A Great Read
Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 – Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age – Kevin Boyle Ireland – Frank Delaney
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Must Go-To Vacation Spot(s)
Morocco, France, Ireland, Italy, Greece
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All-Time Favorite Movie
I just can’t choose!
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Best Phone App Ever
Amazon Shopping
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Culinary Favorite(s)
Italian, Indian, Moroccan, Irish, Canadian – anything my Dad makes (he’s a Chef)
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Cats or Dogs?
two cats Puffy and Snoodle
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Heroes
Healthcare workers and first responders Ruth Bader Ginsberg
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Pepsi or Coke?
Tea!