Dealing with serious injuries, from catastrophic to surgical, paraplegic, and amputees, Julie M. Poirier, JD, originally planned on attending medical school. After realizing how difficult the field of law truly was, it only inspired her to try harder and succeed beyond the expectations of both herself and others, considering herself an “underdog.” Ms. Poirier is currently the principal of her own firm, the Poirier Law Firm, LLC, since 2015. Prior to this role, she was a senior workers’ compensation and personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Perry Dean Ellis from 1999 to 2015.
Before starting her career, Ms. Poirier pursued a formal education at the University of Georgia, where she was a member of the UGA American Society for Microbiology student chapter and earned a Bachelor of Science in microbiology in 1996. She then matriculated at the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law of the University of Memphis, where she obtained a JD in 1999. During her education, Ms. Poirier accepted the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in Comparative Law. Additionally, she was accepted to study abroad at the Eötvös Loránd University Law School in Budapest, Hungary, and Oxford College of Emory University.
Active in her local community, Ms. Poirier served on the board of directors for the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group, and was a board member of Holiday Helping Hands. Furthermore, she has been a committee member of the research committee of the Workers’ Compensation Claimants’ Lawyers and Friends of Children Healthcare of Atlanta, and served as committee chair of Morningside Elementary School in Atlanta. A member of numerous organizations related to her field, Ms. Poirier has maintained involvement as a member of the workers’ compensation sections of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia, and the Atlanta Bar Association. She has also been active as a member of the Georgia Association of Women’s Lawyers, the International Moot Court Team, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates.
A recipient of several honors and accolades throughout her career, Ms. Poirier has been named to the 10 Best Attorneys since 2015 and the Super Lawyers since 2016. Additionally, she was given the Top Injury Lawyers Award from the Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group in 2017. Ms. Poirier attributes her exponential success to her compassion and genuinely caring and fighting for her clients. She views them as a family member, and wants them to be treated by the insurance company the way you would want a close member in your family to be treated. When it is time to fight or time to pull back and surrender, she lets them know it is time; she gives them the information so they can make a knowledgeable choice.
Ms. Poirier and her firm makes sure to treat their clients like family, and try to offer a little more than just the legal service they provide. She would like others to know that being a personal injury lawyer is a very rewarding field and if they are compassionate and have a large heart, it would make for happy lifestyle. Over the last 20 years since Ms. Poirier started in her field, she knows that her judges do not necessarily come from the workers’ compensation background. However, she feels that after 20 years, she sees a difference in the knowledge and compassion they have regarding it. It is an honor to help those in need.
