Julie Thorpe-Lopez Esq.

Partner Julie Thorpe-Lopez speaks with the San Diego County Bar Association on elder abuse issues.

Julie Thorpe-Lopez is a Partner with Tatro & Lopez, LLP, specializing in financial elder exploitation, nursing home abuse and neglect, and personal injury. She received the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego’s Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award in 2022 for her work in the firm’s trial victory on behalf of a victim of elder financial abuse. She is the current Chair for San Diego County Bar Association’s Elder Law Section. She is frequently asked to speak to other trial attorneys regarding her expertise in ESI discovery, and has been a vanguard in achieving far-reaching results in the field. As a former social worker, Julie is a fierce protector of her clients who are often in crisis when they seek her representation.

She serves on Consumer Attorneys of San Diego’s Community Outreach committee, is past Chair and Vice Chair of the SDCBA’s Wellness Subcommittee, and spearheaded a statewide effort to increase the California State Bar’s requirements regarding wellness and mental health education for attorneys. She formed the California State Chapter of Postpartum Support International, an international organization raising awareness for postpartum mood disorders, is a past co-chair of Lawyer’s Club’s Work-Life Balance Committee, and serves as the Character Counts Chair for her son’s PTA. She co-organizes San Diego’s Climb Out of the Darkness walk, an annual international event dedicated to raising awareness about perinatal mood disorders. She also organizes a yearly donation drive for the Kids in Court program, which provides toys for low-income children in the juvenile justice system in El Centro.

After earning a Masters degree in Social Work, Julie earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law, where she was on the Dean’s List and served as an editor of Law Review. Julie is licensed to practice law in both California and Arizona, where she earned the 3rd highest score in the state on the 2009 Arizona Bar exam. Julie has been selected as a Super Lawyer and Rising Star by Super Lawyers for many years, a distinction awarded to fewer than 3% of attorneys in the state.

Bar Admissions

• California, 2008
• Arizona, 2009

Education

• California Western School of Law, San Diego, California
  • J.D. cum laude – 2008
  • Law Review: Western Law Review, Editor
• Arizona State University, Phoenix
  • Masters of Social Work – 2003
  • Honors: With Honors
• University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona B.A. (Psychology and English)

Published Works

• America’s Melting Pot: Language Not Included. Workplace Language Discrimination and the European Union as a Model Framework, California Western Int’l Law Journal, Fall 2007

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Chair, San Diego County Bar Association Elder Law Section
• Vice Chair, San Diego County Bar Association Wellness Subcommittee
• Co-chair, Lawyers Club Work-Life Balance Committee (2018-2019)
• Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, Member, 2009 – Present
• Postpartum Support Int’l California State Chapter founding Board Member
• disABILITY Sports Foundation, Board Member, 2017 – 2020