Always an entrepreneur, Julie Pettit began her real estate career when she bought and sold 50 investment properties to fund her law school education. Julie is the founder of The Pettit Law Firm, where she focuses her practice in real estate litigation, real estate transactions, business disputes, and consumer law.

 

Julie’s courtroom success, combined with her knowledge of real estate lending and servicing regulations, makes her uniquely qualified to litigate large, complex, real estate disputes.

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Julie graduated from Texas A&M University in the top 1% of her class with a Bachelor’s degree in communication and professional writing. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and graduated Cum Laude.

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REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
 

• Obtained the 5th largest bench verdict in Texas for 2021 as reported by TopVerdict.com.ained 

• Obtained a $3.6 Million judgement for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty against the CEO of national media company

• Obtained $4.2 Million fraud and breach of fiduciary duty judgment against LegacyTexas Bank​ 

• Obtained a jury verdict with $500,000 in punitive damages against a reverse mortgage lender​

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• Obtained arbitration award against oil and gas executives for $983,000  for negligent misrepresentation. Collection of the award was impeded by respondents filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

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• Obtained directed verdict on six-figure construction defect case

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• Represents homeowners against lenders, and mortgage servicers in residential mortgage disputes involving the Dodd Frank mortgage servicing regulations, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), unfair and deceptive acts and practices statutes, the home equity provisions of the Texas Constitution, and other lending and servicing errors

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• Handles a wide range of civil lawsuits, including construction defect, business contract disputes, partnership disputes, fraud, and negligence

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• Represents lenders and servicers in protecting assets during foreclosure, litigation, and bankruptcy

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SPEECHES/PRESENTATIONS

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• ​October 13, 2023 | Dallas Bar Association Trial Skills Section| Effective Use of the New Zoom-Friendly Courtroom AV Equipment
   

• ​June 9, 2023 | Dallas Bar Association Trial Skills Section| Voir Dire
   

• ​May 12, 2023 | Dallas Bar Association Trial Skills Section| Moderator of the State Court Judge's Panel: Improving Your Oral and Written Advocacy
   

• ​October 10, 2022 | Dallas Bar Association Trial Skills Section| Trial Lawyers Under 40 - Navigating Trial As a Young Litigator
   

• May 9, 2022 | Dallas Bar Association Real Property Law Section| How COVID-19 Has Impacted Real Estate Litigation
   

• May 2, 2022 | Dallas Bar Association Trial Skills Section | The Biggest Loser: What we Learned from Losing at Trial
   

• April 8, 2022 | Dallas Bar Association Law Day | Student Speech Rights: The Demise of Tinker?
   

• February 2, 2021 | Mac Taylor Inn of Court | Wear Pants! and Other Sage Tips for Effective Virtual Court Appearances  
   

• September 17, 2020 | Dallas Bar Association Trial Skills Section | Moderator, Collin County Trials – The Judges Speak  
   

• June 2, 2020 | Dallas Bar Association Litigation Section | Innovative Techniques in Digital Discovery
   

• October 8, 2019 | Dedman School of Law, Real Estate Law Association | Real Estate: A Diverse World of Law
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• September 24, 2019 | Dallas Association of Young Lawyers | SLAPP Update
   

• August 13, 2019 | Dallas Bar Association Business Litigation Section | The Legislature SLAPPs Back:  Anti-SLAPP Practice After the 2019 Amendments
   

• April 9, 2019 | Mac Taylor Inn of Court | Anti-SLAPP Litigation in Texas
   

• July 14, 2018 | State Bar of Texas | Advanced Real Estate CLE | Hot Topics in Real Estate
   

• April 15, 2018 | Business Development Panel | DAYL and DWLA Womens' Mentoring Circles
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• August 23, 2017 | Dallas Association of Young Lawyers | How to Effectively Network with the Judiciary
   

• August 11, 2017 | Keynote Presentation | Leadership | Dallas Bar Association Clerk Coordinator Seminar
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• January 17, 2017 | Texas Association of Mediators & Dallas Bar Association ADR Section | Settlement Strategies in Complex Cases
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• November 14, 2016 | Dallas Bar Association | Real Property Law Section | Botched Real Estate Transactions – Tips from the Bench and the Bar to Avoid the Courthouse
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• February 8, 2016 | DFW Real Estate Investors Club | Protecting Your Real Estate Assets
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• September 24, 2015 | State Bar of Texas | Advanced Consumer & Commercial Law CLE | Game of Homes: Litigating Under the CFPB Mortgage Origination and Servicing Rules
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• June 16, 2015 | Dallas Bar Association | Business Litigation Section | Injunctive Relief in State and Federal Court
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• February 7, 2015 | College of Complexes | When The Left One Doesn’t Know What The Right One Is Doing: Why Judges Should Have A “Hand” In Texas Foreclosure Proceedings
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• January 13, 2015 | Dallas Real Estate Investment Association | Valid Evictions: Streamlining the Eviction Process for Lenders and Investors in Texas
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• November 12, 2014 | Presentation to the Travis County Civil Judges | Expedited Rules of Foreclosure
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• September 12, 2014 | State Bar of Texas | Advanced Consumer & Commercial Law CLE | Expedited Rules of Foreclosure
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• September 4, 2014 | Roddy Real Estate Club | Protect Your Assets: CFPB, Foreclosures, and Evictions
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• May 9, 2014 | Texas College for Judicial Studies | Residential Foreclosures: From Notice to Enforcement
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• January 26, 2014 | Texas Real Estate Investor Expo | Foreclosures and Evictions Under CFPB

 

PUBLICATIONS

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• Headnotes, Dallas Bar Association | "I Don't Recall" :Cross Examination of the Forgetful Witness | Volume 47, No. 10, October 2022.
   

• The Advocate, The State Bar Litigation Section Report | Innovative Tort Claims in the Wake of COVID-19 | Volume 93, Winter 2020.
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• Headnotes, Dallas Bar Association | Counseling Real Estate Clients Looking to Invest in QOZs | Volume 44, No. 8, August 2019.

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• Headnotes, Dallas Bar Association | FRCP 26: How are the New Changes Working in Texas? | Volume 42, No. 10, October 2017.

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• Headnotes, Dallas Bar Association | Injunctive Relief in Federal and State Courts | Volume 41, No. 3, April 2016.

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• Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section (REPTL) Reporter, State Bar of Texas | Game of Homes: Litigating under the CFPB Mortgage Origination and Servicing Rules | Volume 54, No. 1, 2015.

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• State Bar of Texas / 11th Annual Advanced Consumer & Commercial Law CLE Course Book / Game of Homes: Litigating Under the CFPB Mortgage Origination and Servicing Rules / September 2015

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• Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section (REPTL) Reporter, State Bar of Texas | What Every Lawyer Should “Frankly” Know about Mortgages and the Dodd-Frank Act | Volume 53, No. 3, 2015.

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• Journal of Consumer and Commercial Law, Official Publication of the Consumer & Commercial Law Section of the State Bar of Texas | Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Homeowners: How the Muddled Area of Wrongful Foreclosure Law Leaves Texans High and Dry | Vol. 18, No. 3, Summer 2015

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COMMUNITY

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• Trial Skills Section, Dallas Bar Association, Director, 2019-current

• Mentoring Circles Committee, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, 2016-2020

• Dallas Women Lawyer’s Association, Director, 2015-2020

• Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Trial Skills Boot Camp Committee, 2014-present

• Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2013-present

• Dallas Bar Association, Ambassador, 2017-2019

• Dallas Bar Association, Bench Bar Conference Committee, 2018-2019

• Dallas Bar Association, Judiciary Committee, 2018-2019

• Texas Bar Foundation, 2017-present

• DAYL Foundation, Lifetime Fellow, 2016-present

• Barrister, William “Mac” Taylor Inn of Court, 2016-present

• Board of Directors, W Hotel and Residences, Dallas , 2015-2018

• Mentor, Mercy Street

• Founder, Project Mom, 2009-present

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AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

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• On the Rise winner, 2022 Texas Legal Awards

• Obtained the 5th largest bench verdict in Texas in 2021, as reported by TopVerdict.com (Hulme, et al. v. Delgado)

• Obtained the largest Consumer Fraud, FDCPA Violation, Debt Collection jury award in Texas in 2018, as reported by TopVerdict.com (Finance of America Reverse L.L.C., et al. v. Hopken)

• Obtained second largest fraud verdict in Texas for 2018, as reported by TexasLawyer (Imel v. LegacyTexas Bank, NA and Energy Reserves Group)

• Obtained 56th largest verdict in Texas for 2018, as reported by TopVerdict.com (Finance of America Reverse L.L.C., et al. v. Hopken)

• Outstanding Young Lawyer in America, First Runner Up, American Bar Association, 2018

• Texas' Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, Texas Young Lawyers Association, 2017

• Dallas' Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, 2017

• Best Lawyers Under 40, D Magazine (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)Top

• Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)

• “Rising Star” in the Texas Super Lawyer edition of Texas Monthly (2016-2023)

• Texas Monthly Up-and-Coming 100: Texas Rising Stars (2020-2022)

• Texas Monthly Up-and-Coming 50: Women Texas Rising Stars (2020-2022)

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