A Fall River lawyer immigrated to the US as a kid. Now she's a 'Top Woman of Law'
FALL RIVER — A local lawyer has spent decades advocating for youth and other high-risk groups. Now, she’s been honored for her efforts.
“I am a community lawyer,” said Julianne Feliz. “If we don’t achieve equality for all, the system fails. I really believe in that.”
Feliz was honored in November as one of the 2022 Top Women of Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, one of 60 people to receive the recognition this year. A panel of judges selected her and other female lawyers who “have made significant contributions to the legal profession while also serving as role models for young women entering the law.”
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Feliz, who has lived in Westport for 25 years and previously lived in Fall River, came to the U.S. the from the Azores as a child. She still remembers how disorienting it felt to be thrown into a classroom without speaking English, and the prejudice she faced even from some adults around her. It influenced her choice to build a career seeking justice for those who have been marginalized.
“That never left me,” she said.
She started her career as a legal secretary, working in the probation department in Fall River District Court.
Feliz did not forget her Azorean roots
“I looked around at the lawyers and thought ‘I can do that,’” she said. “I just vowed to never forget where I came from and to help my community.”
Feliz, who has an office in Fall River, said she’s somewhat unusual from other lawyers because she doesn’t have a narrow focus on any one type of law. She works on cases, some of them pro bono, that include criminal defense, probate and family law, and state intervention cases where the Department of Children and Families have removed children from their home.
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She has also done work around the opioid epidemic, working alongside former mayor and local lawyer Sam Sutter to file nearly 100 claims as part of a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma.
“If you have a problem, I’d like to listen and I’d like to come up with a solution,” she said.
Promoting justice for all
Much of her work is with cases involving juveniles, often defending teenagers who are charged as adults. She also works with Bristol County Bar Advocates as a mentor for new attorneys in the Fall River Juvenile Court.
Feliz said she wants to help make the legal system a place where people of all backgrounds can find justice. In her nearly 30 years as a lawyer, she’s seen some positive changes. Judges are more willing to take things like statistics about the racial makeup of people stopped by police into account during trials, and court employees even seem more eager to help people who seem confused navigating the courthouse, she said.
“I think that the courts have come a long way, they’ve become more people-friendly,” she said. “But, I believe we have even further to go.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River lawyer honored as a top woman in the law
