Julie E. Ravis

Julie concentrates her practice in complex and commercial litigation with a particular focus on litigation involving financial products and services. She devotes a substantial portion of her practice to representing financial services companies, broker-dealers, life insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions in a wide range of matters. Her work in this industry includes defense of sales practice claims in courts across the country involving a variety of products, including premium financed life insurance policies, retirement plans, bank-owned and corporate-owned life insurance policies, alternative investments and variable annuities and life insurance policies. She also represents companies in connection with related state, federal and FINRA regulatory investigations. Additionally, Julie maintains an active FINRA and AAA arbitration practice, representing broker dealers in customer and industry disputes on both the claimant and respondent side, including in sales practice and employment disputes.

Julie’s practice also includes representing clients in a variety of commercial disputes at the trial and appellate level, including in contractual disputes, fraud, ERISA litigation, shareholder derivative claims and breach of fiduciary duty. In particular, Julie has experience litigating claims involving breaches of merger and asset purchase agreements across many industries, and also represents clients in connection with claims of unfair competition and trade secret violations.

Understanding that every case is unique, Julie is dedicated to achieving her client’s strategic goals across every phase of a lawsuit. Her pragmatic approach is focused on minimizing the burden and expense of litigation, and she actively works with her clients to ensure the cost of litigation is appropriately managed. Julie also provides counsel on litigation risk avoidance and mitigation, helping her clients address potential issues before they become full-fledged litigation.

Representative Matters

• Representation of insurance companies and financial institutions in state and federal court regarding the suitability of insurance and financial products and other allegations of sales practice misconduct
• Representation of insurance companies in claims involving the purchase of whole life insurance policies using bank loans, or “premium financed” policies
• Representation of an aerospace manufacturer in connection with claims for theft of trade secrets and unfair competition
• Representation of a health care organization in connection with claims involving breaches of an asset purchase agreement
• Representation of a restaurant and catering services company in claims involving breaches of a commercial lease
• Representation of a financial services company in claims asserted by beneficiaries of several trusts for churning and improper account management in state court and arbitration (after successfully compelling arbitration)
• Representation of an insurance company against claims involving bank owned life insurance and derivative financial instruments
• Representation of insurance companies and financial institutions against claims arising from the sale of insurance products to retirement plans
• Representation of large broker-dealers in customer-based FINRA arbitration claims
• Representation of financial services firms in SEC, FINRA and state agency investigative matters
• Representation of several public companies and their directors in putative class action securities litigation arising from the companies’ mergers

Affiliations

• Berks County Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Notre Dame Alumni Association
• Notre Dame Club of Philadelphia
• United Way of Berks County, Board Member
• Opportunity House, Board Member

Education

• Notre Dame Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • Notre Dame Law Review, Executive Issue Editor
• University of Notre Dame, BBA in Finance, magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania
• New Jersey

Court Admissions

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
• U.S. Supreme Court