Julia B. Strickland

Ms. Strickland represents clients across a wide range of industries, and has experience with the full range of litigation issues confronting large companies, having defended hundreds of complex and class actions through all stages of the litigation process. She has argued twice to the California Supreme Court as lead counsel on issues of critical concern in connection with the defense of class actions – Washington Mutual Bank v. Superior Court (Briseno) and Discover Bank v. Superior Court (Boehr), and has obtained landmark rulings with respect to the standards for nationwide certification of class actions and holding that California’s Consumers Legal Remedies Act does not apply to credit transactions. She also has successfully handled matters before the Ninth Circuit, Second Circuit, Fifth Circuit, Eighth and Eleventh Circuit, prevailing on issues including preemption, choice of law and arbitration. Ms. Strickland recently won a case before the Third Circuit in G.R. Homa v. American Express involving consumer arbitration. Ms. Strickland also argued and prevailed before the Ninth Circuit in Chae v. SLM Corporation, an important decision affirming federal preemption of California contract and consumer-protection laws in the student-lending industry. She also recently argued and prevailed before the Fifth Circuit in Langley v. Chase Bank, a case involving credit card payment posting. In addition she has defeated claims brought under the federal securities laws against an underwriter, obtaining a ruling that the underwriter was not responsible for financial disclosures under existing law.

In addition to her experience defending other complex and class actions through dispositive motion practice, trial and/or appeal, Ms. Strickland has settled all types of complex and class actions. She is versatile and creative in addressing settlement considerations, both legal and business, and in developing settlement structure options unique to the particular case. She also routinely represents companies in compliance counseling, regulatory proceedings and responding to claims by Attorneys General and other enforcement authorities.

Ms. Strickland began her legal career at Stroock in 1977. In addition to being a member of the Firm’s National Executive Committee, she has played a central role in the development of the firm’s Los Angeles office.

Honors and Awards

• Listed as both as a top California litigator and one of the "Top 250 Women in Litigation" by Benchmark Litigation.
• Named by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of California's "Top Women Lawyers" nine times, including in 2013.
• Named by the Los Angeles Times as one of "Southern California's Best Lawyers" for 2012.
• Recognized by leading corporate counsel as a member of the BTI Consulting Group's "2011 Client Services All-Stars."
• Ranked by Super Lawyers since 2004, most recently as one of both "The Top LA Women Lawyers" for 2012 and for her outstanding work in Banking Law for 2013.
• Annually recognized by The Best Lawyers in America, since 2010.

• Speaker, "Ethics and Class Action Litigation," PLI's Class Action Litigation Strategies Conference, July 2011
• Speaker, "Implications of AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion: Has the Supreme Court Sounded the Death Knell for Some Class Action?" 2011 ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education, July 2011
• Co-Chair, PLI's 16th Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute, 2011
• Speaker, "Overdraft Fee Litigation and Credit Card Developments," PLI's 16th Annual Consumer Financial Services Institute, February 2011
• Speaker, "Cutting Edge Procedural Strategies in Defending Class Actions: CAFA, Class Certification and Beyond," American Conference Institutes 10th Annual Conference on Consumer Finance Class Actions & Litigation, January 2011
• Speaker, Consumer Credit Litigation Update, EFC/NCHELP Student Loan Finance and Legal Meeting, 2010
• Speaker, "Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) Update: Four Years Later." PLI's Class Action Litigation Prosecution and Defense Strategies, 2009
• Speaker, "Current Hot Issues: Automobile Lending, FDCPA and Deposit-side Litigation Developments" PLI's Consumer Financial Services Litigation Institute, 2008
• Speaker, "2007 Overview of the Class Action Fairness Act," PLI's Class Action Litigation: Prosecution & Defense Strategies, 2007
• Speaker, "You've Been Sued–Now What?" CLE International Class Action Conference
• Speaker, "Settling Complex Financial Services Actions," Practising Law Institute Annual Consumer Financial Services Litigation Institute
• Speaker, "Recent Developments in Class Action and State Deceptive Practices Litigation," Practising Law Institute Consumer Financial Services Litigation
• Speaker, "Reform at Last! Reform at Last! Thank God Almighty, Reform at Last! (Or, Same Old Story)," California State Bar Business Law Section

• "A Return to the 1980s? Lenders Beware"
• "Courts Act to Protect Borrowers on Option-ARM and Subprime Loans"
• "Overview of California's Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act"
• "Overview of the Class Action Fairness Act"
• "Limitations on the Scope of Plaintiffs' Discovery Prior to Class Certification in Financial Services Litigation"
• "Shock Waives"
• "Recent Developments in Consumer Class Action Litigation"
• "No More 'Private Attorney General' Cases in California: Voters Pass Initiative Restricting Certain Lawsuits Under Consumer Protection Statute"
• "Recent Developments in Litigation Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act"
• "Shifting the Loss: Claims and Defenses in Check Kite Litigation"
• "Recent Developments in Consumer Financial Services Arbitration"