Alumni Spotlight: Frank G. Julian ‘82
Frank G. Julian J.D. ‘82 spent four years as regional director of the Notre Dame Law Association (NDLA) before he was nominated by the Board last year to serve as president. “I was honored that my peers elected me,” Julian said. “It has given me the opportunity to spend time with Dean O’Hara and interact with many law alums. Overall, the best part of the job has been the interaction I get with current students.”
After answering an ad in the Wall Street Journal for a legal counsel position at Federated Department Stores, Inc. (now Macy’s, Inc.), Julian left his position at a Cincinnati law firm and climbed his way up the corporate ladder to become Operating Vice President and Tax Counsel. He has been with the company for 20 years. “In law school you never know what you will end up doing, but Notre Dame has more required courses than other law schools and that prepares you for whatever may come your way,” Julian said. “I never thought I’d be doing what I’m doing now, but I’m glad and happy I’m doing it.”
Julian makes frequent trips back to campus both for his position on the Board and for personal enjoyment. “There is a Notre Dame mystique that attracts people and keeps them coming back again and again,” he said. “The law school is truly a family, and some of the people I met my first year in law school are still my closest friends. There is also a close friendship between the students and the faculty and administration, and it is that sort of relationship you don’t see at other schools.” He and his wife were married in the Notre Dame Basilica and Frank has only missed six home football games in the last 29 years.
For Julian, a lawyer with a keen interest in the legal issues surrounding government affairs, state taxes and unclaimed property, Notre Dame’s strong emphasis on ethics has made him a different kind of lawyer. “I am very fortunate that my company has a mutually strong commitment to ethics. Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always the best thing from a fiscal standpoint, but in the end it is the better choice to make.”
Julian is a C.P.A and a member of the Ohio Bar. He has testified on e-commerce taxation issues before the Federal Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce, the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. He also is the 1982 Class Secretary for Notre Dame Magazine.
