Julia founded Our Children’s Trust in 2010 and leads our programmatic work, including the development of a cutting-edge legal strategy and program-driven communications campaigns to further our mission. Julia leads our legal efforts against the U.S. federal government and oversees and supports our global and domestic programs.
Julia serves as lead counsel in two federal cases: Juliana v. United States and Genesis v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2016, for the first time ever, a court declared a constitutionally protected, climate-specific right in Juliana inspiring courts in other jurisdictions around the world to similarly recognize such a right.
In addition to her programmatic work, Julia regularly shares her story when speaking before influential groups working towards climate solutions, such as Tiger21 and Article3. She is the author of numerous publications including “Children’s Rights to a Life-Sustaining Climate: The Foundational Rule of Law to Achieve Sustainable Abundance for Humanity” in Northeastern University Law Review (2023). She has received recognition for her compelling body of work in the form of numerous awards, including her most recent acceptance of Berkeley Law’s Environmental Leadership Award (2024).