Julie Xanders

Julie Xanders is the General Counsel at Southwestern Law School. Prior to their current position, they were the Executive Vice President | General Counsel & Secretary at Tribune Publishing Company from March 2014 to May 2020. In this role, they oversaw all legal activities associated with Tribune Publishing while directly managing a team of 9 legal professionals and 3 support staff. Julie was effective in mitigating enterprise risk and offering proactive business solutions.

Some key accomplishments during their time at Tribune Publishing include: during the Tribune Company spinoff, they identified potential risks to Tribune Publishing Company and negotiated certain terms of the transaction; they established the legal department from the ground up, including hiring expert legal professionals in securities, IP, and employment law; they partnered with business teams on corporate transactional work, such as M&A deal structures, leading deal agreement drafting and negotiation, and managing due diligence; they identified and mitigated potential financial and legal risk involved with a multi-employer pension plan in “critical and declining status”; they assisted in the development of a transition services agreement that facilitated the separation of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego-Union Tribune from Tribune Publishing; and they increased efficiency and improved reporting and tracking in the legal department by selecting electronic billing and litigation hold system solutions, negotiating service contracts, and managing all activities related to the system implementations.

Julie Xanders has a JD from the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law and a BA in Economics and Political Science from Yale University. Julie is certified by the State Bar of California and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.

Julie Xanders works with Natalie Rodriguez - Associate Dean for Academic Innovation & Administration, Associate Professor of Law for Academic Success & Bar Preparation, Harriet M. Rolnick - Associate Dean, SCALE & Associate Professor of Law, and Lisa M. Gear - Associate Dean, Admissions. Julie Xanders reports to Darby Dickerson, President & Dean.