Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (“ECBAWM”) is pleased to announce that Julia P. Kuan has become a partner of the firm.

Ms. Kuan is one of New York City’s leading trial and appellate attorneys with over 30 years of experience trying and arguing criminal, civil rights, and damages cases in federal and state courts. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Kuan founded and ran a highly regarded and diverse litigation practice at Romano & Kuan, PLLC, where she obtained high value settlements and verdicts on behalf of her clients in civil rights and damages actions and obtained acquittals, appellate reversals, and post-conviction relief for clients charged with and convicted of homicide and other serious criminal charges. Many of Ms. Kuan’s civil and criminal cases have been high-profile matters that have garnered considerable media attention, including wrongful conviction and police and prison guard abuse cases.

Ms. Kuan began her career as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Division and the Office of the Appellate Defender where she tried numerous jury and bench trials and argued appellate cases before the Appellate Division and Court of Appeals in the State of New York. Prior to entering private practice, she was a supervising attorney at the Bronx Defenders where she trained and supervised a team of criminal attorneys, investigators, and social workers while continuing to try cases and carry a significant felony caseload.

Ms. Kuan is a former adjunct clinical professor of criminal law at CUNY School of Law. She received her law degree from NYU School of Law in 1991. She regularly teaches civil rights law for the criminal practitioner to students and criminal defense organizations. Ms. Kuan also speaks Mandarin.

ECBAWM, U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 Civil Rights “Law Firm of the Year,” is one of the leading boutique litigation firms in the country. Founded in 1996, ECBAWM has litigated many of the most important cases of the last two decades, helping to save the High Line, end Rikers Island, put Senator John McCain on the presidential ballot, lead the sex abuse lawsuit against The Ohio State University, wipe out over $1 billion in fraudulent consumer debt, get some justice for the family of Tamir Rice, and pursue nationwide fraud claims against Donald J. Trump and members of his family. ECBAWM is a leader in the fight against employment and housing discrimination, police and prison brutality, disability abuse, school bullying, voter suppression, consumer fraud, wrongful convictions, and sexual harassment and abuse.

ECBAWM also has a substantial criminal defense and attorney ethics practice, and is a leading commercial litigation firm, successfully conducting mediations, arbitrations, trials, and appeals in federal and state courts, involving a wide array of substantial disputes ranging from breach of contract to defamation, fraud to copyright infringement, and business torts to restrictive covenants.