Julia Fleming

Associate

Practice Areas:

Legal Assistant:

Navigating clients through the litigation process and developing personalized guidance for employers to prevent disputes.

Julia is an Associate at Ryan Swanson, working primarily in the litigation and employment groups. Julia’s experience varies across practice areas, and she regularly assists clients with real estate, business, employment, and corporate matters. Drawing on her background in both advising clients and defending them in litigation, Julia helps businesses identify and address potential liabilities early, reducing the likelihood of disputes while being prepared to advocate for them when necessary. She routinely works with employers to draft and update employment policies, guides businesses through managing different forms of protected leave, and advises on termination issues and separation agreements. When conflict cannot be avoided, Julia effectively strategizes to achieve early dismissal of claims and engage in alternative methods of dispute resolution to save businesses time and money.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE – LITIGATION

Defending businesses against common law and statutory discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims
Class action defense related to wage and hours laws, equal pay protections, and non-competition provisions
Litigating breach of contract and contract interpretation disputes
Litigating commercial landlord-tenant disputes over lease defaults, breaches, and lease term renewals
Assisting clients with residential unlawful detainer actions
Asserting claims to enforce confidentiality agreements and protect proprietary information and trade secrets
Representing petitioning and interested parties in receivership actions
Defending businesses against Family Medical Leave Act interference and retaliation claims

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE – EMPLOYMENT ADVISING

Preparing and analyzing non-compete and non-solicitation agreements to ensure enforceability
Assisting businesses in designing compliant pay and commission plans and structuring positions to satisfy exemption requirements under Washington’s Minimum Wage Act and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act
Drafting and reviewing employee handbooks to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employee protections
Preparing independent contractor agreements to minimize the risk of misclassification
Advising employers on overlapping employee protections and forms of leave across states lines
Drafting employment and severance agreements and advising on hiring and firing best practices
Guiding employers through ADA and WLAD accommodation requests, including medical leaves, job-modification obligations, and assessing when positions must be held open

Before her current practice, Julia worked as a summer associate with Ryan Swanson in 2020, until returning to finish law school at the University of Washington. While in law school, Julia served as a Managing Editor on Washington Law Review and externed for Justice Gordon McCloud of the Washington State Supreme Court. In addition to working at Ryan Swanson during one of her summers during law school, Julia also interned at the Unemployment Law Project, representing individuals seeking unemployment benefits in front of the Employment Security Department. Julia was very involved in moot court activities, serving on the Executive Board of UW’s Moot Court Honor Board as well as participating in Jessup International Law Moot Court competitions. Julia was also the recipient of two CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Employment Law and Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

“Performance Evaluations, Disciplinary Action & Termination”, Association of Washington Business – HR & Employment Law Webinar Series (2026)
“From Discipline to Departure: A Roadmap for Employee Termination”, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Virtual Seminar (2025)
“Hiring and Firing Employees”, National Business Institute – Washington Employment Law Seminar (2025)

“Navigating Performance Management: Best Practices in Evaluation, Discipline, and Termination”, Association of Washington Business – HR & Employment Law Webinar Series (2024)
“Current Status of DEI in the Workplace: Affirmative Action and Beyond“, Ryan Swanson’s Annual Employment Law Virtual Seminar (2023)

ARTICLES

NLRB Issues New Decision Restricting Nondisparagement and Confidentiality Provisions in Severance Agreements (2023)
Washington’s One-Size-Fits-All Unemployment Compensation Eligibility in Cases of Voluntary Separation, Washington Law Review (2020)

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Member, King County Bar Association Labor & Employment Section
2023 Planning Committee Member, Pacific Coast Labor & Employment Conference

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

Born and raised in Seattle, Julia has a strong connection to the Pacific Northwest that helps her connect with clients and motivates her to work hard to protect the community she calls home. After spending four years in sunny San Diego for college, Julia was excited to return to her roots and family in Washington for law school and life beyond. As the daughter of a local business owner, Julia enjoys engaging with other local businesses to help set them up for long-term success, minimize risk of liability, and reach their goals. When she’s not working, you can catch Julia running half marathons, taking weekend trips to explore new cities and visit friends, or cheering on Seattle sports.

Credentials

Education

Admitted to Practice

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