Margaret Morrow

Margaret Morrow is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Public Counsel, the country's largest pro bono public interest law firm. Throughout her career, Morrow has focused on ensuring equal access to justice and equal rights.

Prior to joining Public Counsel in 2015, Morrow served as a Federal Judge, having been appointed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by President Clinton in 1998. Previously, Judge Morrow was a partner in the Los Angeles office of Arnold & Porter. Before joining Arnold & Porter in 1996, she was one of the founding partners of Quinn, Kully & Morrow, and a partner at Kadison, Pfaelzer, Woodard, Quinn & Rossi. 

Morrow is a past president of the State Bar of California, having served as its first woman president in 1993-94. She is also a past president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association (1988-89) and its Barristers Section (1982-83). While President of the Barristers Section, she was instrumental in starting the bar association's pro bono Domestic Violence Clinic, which today is housed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, and helps thousands of people a year. As Barristers' President, Morrow was also involved in starting a pro bono Hospice/AIDS program, which helped clients with end of life legal issues.

As president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Morrow spearheaded the association's adoption of a Pro Bono Policy that was endorsed by major firms and individual lawyers throughout the county, and that led to a significant increase in the number of pro bono hours devoted to helping those who are underrepresented due to poverty or lack of resources. She also served for several years on the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants was a member of the Commission to Draft an Ethics Code for Los Angeles City Government and the Public Commission on Los Angeles County Government.  

Selected awards

Oustanding Jurist and Shattuck-Price Awards
Los Angeles County Bar Association

Bernard E. Witkin Amicus Curiae Award
Judicial Council of California

Ernestine Stahlhut Award
Women Lawyers' Association of Los Angeles