Personal Background
Julian Cokic is a Senior Attorney in The Lanier Law Firm’s Business Litigation section, where he focuses on complex ERISA healthcare plan litigation, commercial disputes, and corporate investigations. He recently obtained a landmark settlement in one of the first ERISA fiduciary breach actions by a self-funded employer against its third-party administrator for mismanagement of healthcare plan assets. Julian brings a distinctive background to his practice: before law school, he served five years as a police officer in Connecticut, where he was honored as the Top Police Academy Student in the state. He holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School and spent approximately five years at international law firms in New York, where he represented financial services clients in SEC and DOJ investigations, regulatory enforcement actions, and complex securities litigation.
Prior to attending law school, Julian served for five years as a municipal police officer in Connecticut, conducting criminal and civil investigations in conjunction with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. He received commendations for exceptional on-the-job performance and academic excellence, including recognition by the Police Commissioners Association of Connecticut as the Top Police Academy Student for the state of Connecticut in 2007. His investigative background provides a distinctive advantage in complex litigation, where the ability to analyze large volumes of data, identify patterns of misconduct, and build evidentiary narratives is essential.
While not working, Julian enjoys spending time with his family, caring for his saltwater aquarium, and watching college basketball.
Current Litigation
Owens & Minor, Inc. v. Anthem Health Plans of Virginia, Inc. (E.D. Va.) — Primary attorney in a landmark ERISA fiduciary breach action in which a self-funded employer plan sponsor sued its third-party administrator for mismanaging healthcare plan assets, refusing to provide claims data, and enriching itself at the plan’s expense. The case required two sequential litigations: the first to compel disclosure of the plan’s claims data, and the second to prove the fiduciary breaches revealed by that data. Recently resolved through settlement.
Julian is currently developing the firm’s practice representing employers, government entities, and plan sponsors in claims against third-party administrators and pharmacy benefit managers for healthcare plan mismanagement, working alongside industry experts.
Representative Cases
Prior to joining The Lanier Law Firm, Julian’s practice included:
- Successfully represented a client facing price gouging and a breach of its fixed-price contract for essential protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Successfully defended a client facing several enforcement actions targeting firm-wide business and compliance practices for which no legal precedent existed, ultimately resulting in a no-action letter.
- Conducted an overseas investigation, spanning multiple African countries for a sub-Saharan African bank involving corrupt practices including bribery and foreign exchange manipulation.
- Successfully represented a major financial institution in disclosing vulnerabilities and remediation to its secure electronic system, ultimately resulting in a no-action letter.
- Conducted internal investigation for a major financial institution relating to a whistleblower’s claims of retaliation for identifying compliance violations.
- Successfully represented registered representatives testifying before FINRA regarding their supervision and failure to detect financial advisor’s fraudulent activities.
Publications
- Eleventh Circuit rules that arbitrators’ ‘Professional Familiarity’ does not support vacatur
- USA – Arizona District Court finds ‘Lucid’ arguments compel arbitration
- SCOTUS upholds foreign plaintiff’s RICO lawsuit alleging evasion of judgment
- Eleventh Circuit rules that domestic law governs arbitral award vacatur
- Fifth Circuit may consider the full arbitral record in determining a challenge on arbitrability
Prior Experience
- Greenberg Traurig, LLP, New York City (financial services litigation, regulatory investigations, SEC/DOJ enforcement defense)
- McGuireWoods LLP, New York City (financial services litigation, regulatory investigations, SEC/DOJ enforcement defense)
- Diamond McCarthy LLP, Houston (commercial litigation, international arbitration)