JULIA L. BIRKEL brings over 35 years of litigation experience to her practice as a partner of Hill, Farrer & Burrill. She focuses on trust and estate litigation and trials (including elder financial abuse, undue influence, will and trust disputes, and conservatorships).  Ms. Birkel is Chair of Hill, Farrer & Burrill’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  Ms. Birkel served as Trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association for its 2019 – 2021 term.  She also served on the LACBA Counsel for Justice Task Force, and its Cy Pres sub-committee.  She is currently a Trustee of the Counsel for Justice,  the 501(c)(3) arm of LACBA, and is on its Finance Committee.  Ms. Birkel was appointed as Member of the President’s Advisory Committee on Women in the Legal Profession for LACBA’s 2021-2022 year.  LACBA’s President also appointed her to LACBA’s Special Programs Committee.  Ms. Birkel’ s highly attended program was presented April 7, 2022, captioned Critical Race Theory:  What It Is, What It Isn’t, and What Attorneys Need to Know.  She is Co-Chair of the LACBA Homeless Service Initiative. Ms. Birkel is past Chair of the Trusts and Estates Section of LACBA. She has served on its Executive Committee since 2012, and is also its past Vice Chair and Secretary/ Treasurer. She chaired the Court Liaison Committee from 2018 – 2021.  She was a member of the Advisory Recommendation Committee related to the Public Guardian and LPS conservatorships.  Ms. Birkel currently serves on the Membership Development and Diversity and Inclusion Committees of the LACBA Trusts & Estates section, which on May 11, 2023 presented Excellence in Diversity – How to Break Into and Build Trusts and Estates Practices.  Ms. Birkel is also a member of the South Bay Bar Association.  Ms. Birkel has served as a Volunteer Settlement Officer for the Los Angeles Superior Court, Probate Department. Ms. Birkel was a finalist in the Los Angeles Times Most Inspiring Women award of December 2021. She is active in her community on issues of diversity and inclusion.  Ms. Birkel is named to the 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list.

 

JULIA L. BIRKEL brings over 35 years of litigation experience to her practice as a partner of Hill, Farrer & Burrill. She focuses on trust and estate litigation and trials (including elder financial abuse, undue influence, will and trust disputes, and conservatorships).  Ms. Birkel is Chair of Hill, Farrer & Burrill’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.  Ms. Birkel served as Trustee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association for its 2019 – 2021 term.  She also served on the LACBA Counsel for Justice Task Force, and its Cy Pres sub-committee.  She is currently a Trustee of the Counsel for Justice,  the 501(c)(3) arm of LACBA, and is on its Finance Committee.  Ms. Birkel was appointed as Member of the President’s Advisory Committee on Women in the Legal Profession for LACBA’s 2021-2022 year.  LACBA’s President also appointed her to LACBA’s Special Programs Committee.  Ms. Birkel’ s highly attended program was presented April 7, 2022, captioned Critical Race Theory:  What It Is, What It Isn’t, and What Attorneys Need to Know.  She is Co-Chair of the LACBA Homeless Service Initiative. Ms. Birkel is past Chair of the Trusts and Estates Section of LACBA. She has served on its Executive Committee since 2012, and is also its past Vice Chair and Secretary/ Treasurer. She chaired the Court Liaison Committee from 2018 – 2021.  She was a member of the Advisory Recommendation Committee related to the Public Guardian and LPS conservatorships.  Ms. Birkel currently serves on the Membership Development and Diversity and Inclusion Committees of the LACBA Trusts & Estates section, which on May 11, 2023 presented Excellence in Diversity – How to Break Into and Build Trusts and Estates Practices.  Ms. Birkel is also a member of the South Bay Bar Association.  Ms. Birkel has served as a Volunteer Settlement Officer for the Los Angeles Superior Court, Probate Department. Ms. Birkel was a finalist in the Los Angeles Times Most Inspiring Women award of December 2021. She is active in her community on issues of diversity and inclusion.  Ms. Birkel is named to the 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list.

Ms. Birkel has successfully represented conservators, trustees, executors, beneficiaries and other parties and individuals in trust, estate, and probate disputes, including will and trust contests, undue influence, and financial elder abuse litigation. She co-authored an article published in the Los Angeles Lawyer magazine captioned “Litigating Elder Financial Abuse Claims”.

Ms. Birkel received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University in 1979. She entered UCLA School of Law in 1981, receiving her J.D. degree in 1984. She attended the Mass Media Institute, Broadcast News, at Stanford University in 1990, and went from there to a brief stint as a news reporter. She was active in team sports throughout college and law school, including Rugby, Track and Intra-mural sports.  Currently, Ms. Birkel serves on the leadership of MB United, a Manhattan Beach grass roots organization committed to fostering and advocating for community leadership and actions that promote inclusion, diversity and integrity.