JULIE DEGENERES was born in Mason City, IA near the Minnesota border but found her way to South Louisiana in the early 1970’s and she considers herself to be from Baton Rouge.  She graduated with a B.S. degree from LSU in 1985, being the first to graduate from college on either side of her family, sometimes working three jobs simultaneously to make it happen.  She later graduated from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert School of Law in 1991 and began working as an associate for Thornhill and Thornhill in Slidell.  The following year, and for the next three years, she was an associate with the firm Bell, Cooper & Hyman in Baton Rouge where she represented both plaintiffs and defendants and gained both bench and jury trial experience.  From there, Julie began a long career as counsel for State Farm in 1995 with involvement in auto, homeowner, premises, and commercial liability claims including countless bench and jury trials until she retired in 2024 after nearly 30 years.  During that time, Julie raised two sons, one of whom is a personal injury attorney in Rochester, NY and the other an electrical engineer in the Grand Rapids, MI area, both of whom she is very proud.   She was a board member of the Junior League of Baton Rouge, a Sunday school teacher at St Aloysius Catholic Church, and she served many times as a judge for LSU’s trial advocacy and appellate advocacy programs.  Julie remains a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, and she looks forward to serving as your mediator.