Sturgill Turner Summer Associates: Solving Problems, Serving People
UK Law 3L students Julia Giordano and Emily Puckett joined Sturgill Turner in May 2023 as summer associates.
Summer is underway, and we’re proud of the work that our summer associates have been doing. Julia Giordano and Emily Puckett are both rising 3L students at the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law and joined the firm in May 2023. “We’re excited to have such talented, hard-working colleagues working with us this summer,” said member Josh Salsburey, chair of the Sturgill Turner hiring committee. “We appreciate their work and look forward to the great things they’ll contribute to the legal profession.”
“Much of my Air Force training involved confronting a problem and directing a team in a way that most efficiently solved the problem. I approach many of the legal issues I encounter in the same manner.” – Julia Giordano
While beginning her undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, Julia Giordano knew she wanted to pursue a career that involved service. But two years in, she developed a medical issue that prevented her from continuing in the military. So she used the problem-solving skills she developed during her Air Force training to figure out what to do next.
Julia took an internship with an immigration law firm during her junior year to see if she would like the law. The granddaughter of Argentinian immigrants, she enjoyed working with clients from all over the world. “I got to see the real impact the law has on regular people,” she said. “I realized that the law could provide me with the opportunity to serve others and use the skills I had gained in ROTC, so I decided to pursue a legal career.”
Now in her final year of law school, Julia earned a three-year UK Provost Fellowship, and is staff editor for the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law. She finds that her Air Force training is key to her ability to interpret the law in ways that best serve clients. “I am good at addressing problems head on and coming up with practical solutions, which I attribute to my time spent in Air Force training,” she said. “Much of my training involved confronting a problem and directing a team in a way that most efficiently solved the problem. I approach many of the legal issues I encounter in the same manner.”
As a multi-sport varsity athlete in high school, Julia also learned the importance of both collaboration and individual effort. “I know how important it is to be individually motivated and disciplined, but because of my sports experience, I approach the law as a collaborative endeavor,” she said. “Working as a team is what generates success.”
And some of that competitive spirit has found its way into her legal approach. Julia is excited to pursue litigation and has participated in several mock trials as a member of the UK’s Trial Advocacy Board. “It is so interesting to develop the theory of a case and see what arguments we can construct,” she said. “I really enjoy finding ways to interpret the ambiguities in the law to generate a winning argument.”
“As an attorney, you willingly enter difficult situations. To be entrusted to walk with clients through what may be one of their most difficult experiences is an honor.” – Emily Puckett
Emily Puckett has always loved the law. After working for five years for the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) as a trainer in foster care, she has seen firsthand the impact that the law has, for better or worse, on the day-to-day lives of children and families. “As an attorney, you willingly enter difficult situations,” she said. “To be entrusted to walk with clients through what may be one of their most difficult experiences is an honor.”
Emily’s background gives her a unique insight and skill set to apply to her legal career. One of ten children of two teachers, she is grateful they instilled in her a curiosity and love for learning. She was a creative writing major at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) at Lexington’s Lafayette High School and studied speech communication and rhetoric at the tuition-free Berea College. As a UK Law Rosenberg Scholar, she earned a three-year full-tuition merit scholarship to complete her legal education, and serves as Managing Articles Editor for the Kentucky Law Journal.
Before she decided to pursue law school, she worked in property and project management, maintaining rental properties and assisting landlords in tenant selection and communication. She oversaw construction projects, working with subcontractors to coordinate renovations, and considered getting her general contracting license.
But Emily realized she truly wanted to pursue a law career. “The law is vast, and I love that I will never be able to master all there is to know during my career,” she explained. “The law undergirds everything we do. In a real way, it promotes commerce, democracy, relationships, and peace.”
Emily’s work experience and creative background have prepared her with not only the communication and organizational skills she needs as a lawyer but have helped her to direct her empathy for clients to help achieve the best possible outcome for their situation. In her view, that means not only knowing the facts of the case but ensuring she knows her client as well.
“My role is not to judge past choices but to advocate. By the time legal action is taken, we have the benefit of hindsight,” she said. “Seemingly sound choices can turn out to be catastrophic in the end. Some are avoidable, but some are not. Most people are doing the best they can with what they know in the moment. But we all have experienced lapses in judgment, and we all are more than our mistakes.”