Julia Gandara Simonet

Member

Julia's practice involves all aspects of complex litigation, including contractual disputes, real property, construction matters, fraud, personal injury and wrongful death, products liability, and premises liability. She has also represented financial services clients in both state and federal court.

She represents a diverse set of individuals and commercial entities, including contractors, railroads, trucking companies, hospitality establishments/hotels, restaurants, manufacturers, franchisees, landowners, and energy companies. She advises clients on litigation avoidance, arbitration, implementation of policies and remedial actions, as well as the development of compliance protocols. She is a member of several national teams of litigators representing clients in Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) litigation, liquor liability (DRAM shop) litigation, and trucking and fleet litigation. Additionally, Julia has represented project owners, contractors, and design professionals in all stages of litigation.

Julia spent her first two years at Cozen O’Connor in the Global Insurance Department, developing knowledge of coverage and indemnity issues related to construction contracts, including anti-indemnity statutes. She received her J.D. from South Texas College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in government from the University of Texas. In law school, Julia was a senior Langdell Scholar and received CALI awards in employment benefits law and insurance law. She was one of 12 graduate students selected for the Houston-Galveston Schweitzer Fellows Program, a one-year interdisciplinary fellowship program focused on health-related community service and leadership development.

Prior to attending law school, Julia worked for several years at NASA Johnson Space Center in the Crew and Thermal Systems Division, developing complex analytical skills by performing evaluations of crew equipment for spacecraft and the International Space Station. 

News

Julia Simonet, Brian Browne and Catherine Yun Selected as Firm Representatives for Leadership Council on Legal Diversity

December 15, 2022

Cozen O'Connor has selected Julia Simonet, Brian Browne and Catherine Yun as Firm Representatives for Leadership Council on Legal Diversity

Cozen O'Connor Promotes 28 Attorneys to Member

March 25, 2022

Cozen O'Connor promoted 28 attorneys to member in March.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

Publications

Texas PUC to Submit Proposed Rules for Adoption [Utility, Environmental & Energy Alert]

January 29, 2015

In September 2014, responsibility for regulation of water and wastewater utilities was transferred from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to the Public Utility Commission (PUC). The transfer allows TCEQ to focus on its core environmental mission while taking advantage of PUC’s historic ratemaking expertise. The PUC originally regulated water and sewer rates, and the agency historically has regulated rates and services of electric and telecommunications companies in areas where competition was weak or nonexistent. According to Darryl Tietjen, director of Rate Regulation for the PUC, one of the basic objectives of the move is to make water regulation more consistent with the way electric utilities are regulated.

Education

  • South Texas College of Law, J.D., 2014
  • University of Texas–Austin, B.A., 2011

Awards & Honors

Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" 2021, 2022

  • Texas
  • U.S. District Court -- Southern District of Texas

Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2023