Julian Nunally likes the structure of the law and how it can used to help people and order society. It is for these reasons that he was drawn to become a lawyer. And for similar reasons of how the tenets of faith can be used to help people and guide society, he also is heavily involved in the Christian community.
Nunally, who graduated from Bright in 2006, works now as a labor and employment lawyer for the Jones Day firm based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Given all the changes to the work environment from the pandemic, this sector of law has been very busy these last two years. “There has been a myriad of problems that clients face due to ever-changing Covid policies,” he said. “Those problems have allowed my work to be both interesting and dynamic.”
Nunally went to McCallie School after Bright and earned his bachelor’s degree in the comparative study of religion at Harvard University, where he was captain of the track and field team. His thesis titled “Theology of Mass Incarceration” explored how Christianity can help ameliorate the over-incarceration of our nation’s most vulnerable. His thesis received cum laude honors. Julian went immediately from his undergraduate studies at Harvard to pursuing his law degree at Harvard Law School.
During his law school summer, he worked at Miller & Martin in Chattanooga under the mentorship of Chuck Lee, co-chair of the firm’s labor and employment practice. “The structure of law in the arena of employment affects everyone. It is vital that our employment laws and regulations are fair and facilitate productivity,” Nunally said. Another thing Nunally enjoys about his work is the crazy stories that arise from workplace altercations: “Disputes in the workplace are dramatic. I love talking to people and hearing their stories.”
He graduated from Harvard Law School in May 2020 in the midst of the worldwide shutdown due to COVID-19. He finished law school virtually and had a virtual graduation. Nunally’s first job out of law school involved serving as a judicial clerk for U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright in St. Paul, Minnesota, for one year. Judge Wright was on President Biden’s shortlist to be considered as a Supreme Court nominee.
Nunally met his wife, Kianna, at Harvard. She is studying to be a radiologist at the University of Minnesota and grew up in the area. “I didn’t think I’d like it,” Nunally said about living in Minnesota. “But it is more diverse than I expected, it has great food, and the traffic is not too bad.” That’s unlike Boston, where he enjoyed living “with people from all over the world” and going to school for seven years, but “the cost of living is astronomical, and traffic is a disaster.” They are expecting their first child in April. Her name is Aletheia, which is the Greek word for truth.
While at McCallie, Nunally said his goal was to become a minister, and he plans to attend seminary later in life. He is a self-professed “rule follower,” and that’s what he likes about the law. “If there are two lines, I’ll try to stay between them,” he said. “I don’t like arguing. I like knowing how to settle and resolve disputes. Finding solutions that work for both parties is more attractive to me than merely arguing.”
Bright School is where his educational journey took off. He appreciated “the amount of care teachers showed toward their students,” Nunally said. “Having people who care about your growth is invaluable.” He keeps up with classmates through social media mostly and reported they all went to college and seem to be happy. “Being surrounded by peers who want to succeed is helpful.”
Some of his favorite events at Bright were the picnic, Santa’s visit, the rocket launch, plays and el mercado in Spanish class. One misstep he does remember is misspelling the word “grape” during the spelling bee, but it didn’t seem to slow him down any. “It turned out OK,” he said. “Bright School set me up for the many things I’ve been able to do.”
