Name and title: Andrea Renee St. Julian, Attorney
Undergraduate and law school: Bradley University and University of Texas at Austin
Years in practice: 33 years
Why do you serve?
I serve because I have come to understand that meaningful change is possible if each of us makes the effort to do it.
What/Who inspires you to serve?
My mother, father, and sister‘s undying belief in my ability to help change the community sustains me every day. Knowing that there are people like Bryan Stevenson in the world is a great inspiration. The memory of enslaved Americans who fought and won their freedom despite the most improbable odds is also tremendous motivation.
What advice would you give others to inspire them to serve?
Service to the community is not as difficult or as time consuming as many might believe. And above all else, service is never a futile act. It leads to tangible and significantly positive change.
Please list three noteworthy people (living or dead) you’d want to have dinner with and why.
Dinner with Martin Luther King, Jr., Yanis Varoufakis, and Mariana Mazzucato would be a true dream come true! I’m a sucker for brilliant, strategic thinkers seeking to make the world more just, and they are three of the very best.
What is one item on your bucket list?
Near the top of my bucket list is my plan to spend three or four months in the south of France with my sister so we can brush up on our French.
What is your favorite quote?
“The most common way people give up power is by thinking that they don’t have any.” Alice Walker
Favorite place on earth?
Paris
Favorite place in San Diego?
It’s a tie between Balboa Park and Torrey Pines State Park.
Cherished advice that you have received from a loved-one, mentor or colleague?
“You can’t make a deal unless you’re willing to break a deal.” This piece of advice helped me understand that you have to always set your boundaries when making important decisions.
If you could magically change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I would restructure legal and economic systems to ensure all people are treated fairly, justly, and equitably.
How can others make giving back part of their daily lives?
First, understand that surprisingly simple actions can have a positive impact on the community. Then, find those simple actions that speak to you and do them. Organizations like San Diegans for Justice, Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance (MoGo) and the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties are great places to start.
In what ways does serving the wider community benefit the legal profession?
Many people have negative views of the legal profession. By reaching out and serving the wider community, we show the importance of a strong legal structure to the functioning of society.
The SDCBA Law Day theme this year is “Advancing the Rule of Law Now.” What does this theme mean to you in your work and in your daily life?
Laws must be created through an open, transparent, and inclusive process, not by the whim of the most powerful members of society, and those laws must apply equally to everyone, irrespective of status. As attorneys, we work to ensure these principles are realized.
As a recipient of a 2020 Service Award, who would you like to thank?
I thank my parents, Jeanne and Grant St. Julian; my sister Tanya St. Julian–Alexander; my brother-in-law, Michael Alexander; and best friends, Catherine Clark and Donna Kaiser. Their love and support are invaluable to me.
The San Diego Commission on Police Practices could not have been established without the dedication of Women Occupy San Diego, and Kate Yavenditti in particular, The Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, as well as Maresa Martin Talbert, Mary Latibashvili, and Eva Posner. I am deeply grateful for their partnership in that effort. I also want to thank the San Diego County Bar Association, including Renée N.G. Stackhouse, Johanna Schiavoni, and Jill Epstein, not just for this award, but for their strong support of Measure B which led to the creation of the Commission on Police Practices.