Julie Braman Kane, B.A. ’90, J.D. '93, partner at Colson Hicks Eidson, is a trial lawyer with three decades of experience representing plaintiffs in high-stakes personal injury, commercial, and class action litigation. She serves in leadership roles in complex class and multidistrict cases, including the Monat Hair Products, Allergan Biocell Breast Implants, and Lakeview and Mednax Data Breaches. Recognized as a "Best Lawyer in America" and lauded by Chambers & Partners USA Guide, Kane is also a passionate advocate for voter protection who founded the Voter Protection Action Committee to provide counsel to polling places nationwide. She previously served as president of the American Association for Justice, the Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers, and UM's Law Alumni Association. She lectures nationwide about trial skills.
What aspects or opportunities at the law school significantly influenced your legal education and career trajectory?
A generous scholarship attracted me to UM Law, but it was the faculty, students, and education that grabbed my heart and made me forever a Cane. Since the day I started at the law school, the UM Law family embraced me, welcomed me, and inspired me to contribute to this community. The faculty guided me to think critically and act effectively, and independent research with professor [emeritus Michael] Graham opened my eyes to the power a single case can have on litigation across the state. But my classmates had the "most significant influence" on me (shoutout to Section B, '93!). They became my best friends, my second family, and my guideposts. I have worked with classmates over the past 30 years on pro-bono projects, for charitable passions, and on complex cases, always with gratitude to the U for creating those connections.
What is one lesson you learned in law school that you still apply today?
Research before you write, and think before you act. As an incoming law student, I anticipated leaving law school all-knowing. Instead, I left UM Law with a strong understanding of what I didn't know and was critically trained in the skills to figure it out. Through the years of practice, lawyers develop a sense of how cases "should" be resolved and how problems "should" be solved. But every case and client is different, and the law is constantly evolving. In my litigation practice, my urge to react to situations is tempered daily by the training I had in law school to stop, think, and analyze before taking action.
What draws you to stay connected to the law school?
I pride myself on my loyalty—to my friends, to my family, to my community, to my law firm, and to my school. UM gave me the scholarship that convinced me to stay here in Miami, and because of that, I have built a wonderful life. Meeting and marrying my husband of 30 years, then having children, buying a home, building friendships, and developing my career and practice all stemmed from that scholarship and my decision to take it. My loyalty to the law school is deeply rooted, and I consider it a privilege to help UM Law whenever I can. I hope by supporting the school, I can open the same kind of doors to current and future generations of Canes who will feel the same loyalty as I do.
