Qian Julie Wang, Managing Partner

Lauded by clients as “exceptionally talented” and “exemplary,” Qian Julie Wang has represented Fortune 500 corporations, individuals, and governmental entities in complex civil suits for over a decade. She has a history of securing record-setting settlements and establishing new precedent, including on appeal.

Having practiced employment law throughout her legal career, she leads the employment practice at Gottlieb & Wang, which specializes in advocating for women and people of color who experience discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on race, gender, and pregnancy and other disability in the high-powered workplaces.

Formerly a commercial litigator, Qian Julie advocates for education, employment, disability, and civil rights for individuals and families under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disability Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Because she also has experience defending against education, employment, and discrimination suits, she has unique insight into the defense arguments and strategically builds cases from the ground up in ways that lead to swift and successful resolution.

Qian Julie also leads Gottlieb & Wang’s appellate practice: she has clerked on two appellate courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and has litigated nearly 50 civil appeals, including amicus briefs filed before the U.S. Supreme Court. Qian Julie is known for her unique gift of storytelling, which, coupled with her aggressive approach to litigation, has led to record-setting results, in many cases prior to formal litigation.

A sought-after author and speaker, Qian Julie has written for major publications such as the New York Times,  the Washington Post, the New Yorker, and the Atlantic. Her first book, Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood, a literary memoir about her experiences living as an undocumented immigrant child in New York City, was an instant New York Times bestseller. Beautiful Country was a Today Show Read with Jenna pick, lauded as an "essential book for our times," and named a best book of 2021 by the New York Times, President Obama, NPR, and Newsweek, among many others. Her first work of literary historical fiction is forthcoming. 

Given the enormous demands on her time, her dedication to quality representation, and her commitment to pro bono work, Qian Julie takes on clients very selectively.

Education

YALE LAW SCHOOL: Juris Doctor, 2012
Yale Law Journal, Inaugural Executive Development Editor

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE: B.A., 2009
cum laude, English Literature and Chinese

Judicial Clerkships

The Honorable Morgan Christen, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2014-2015)

The Honorable Peter Maassen, Alaska Supreme Court (2012-2013)

Activities & Affiliations

New York City Bar Association, Member

Asian American Bar Association of New York, Member

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Pro Bono Attorneys Panel, Member