Julie focuses her practice on education law and nonprofit representation, with particular depth in K-12 matters. With a deep commitment to “people first,” she guides clients through the intricacies of institutional operations with calm expertise. She is direct with clients, thorough in her work, and takes the time to understand the institution behind the issue.
Julie Petersen joined the firm in 2020 after a decade of insurance defense work in the St. Louis area. Her practice now focuses on education law and nonprofit representation, with particular depth in K-12 matters. The skills she developed as a defense litigator — case development, attention to procedural detail, and a practical eye for risk — translate directly to the education clients she serves, across matters ranging from day-to-day counsel to litigation. Her practice covers the full range of issues education and nonprofit clients face: formation, governance, operations, employment, and student matters, among others.
Julie earned her B.A. in International Relations from Pepperdine University and her J.D. from the University of Missouri. Before entering private practice, she clerked for the Illinois Appellate Court.
Her children are regularly embarrassed by her advocacy of the Oxford comma, her insistence that White Christmas is the best Christmas movie ever made, and her belief that Halloween costumes should be homemade.
