Hon. Margaret M. Morrow, US District Court for the Central District of California, Ret.
Following 18 years of distinguished service on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California bench and five years as President and CEO of Public Counsel, Judge Margaret M. Morrow has retired and is available as a mediator, arbitrator, and private judge, including special master and neutral appellate and trial assignments.
During her judicial tenure, Judge Morrow developed the Central District Court’s ADR program, overseeing it for 10 years. She also chaired the court’s committee to secure funding for, design, and build a new federal courthouse, which opened in 2016. Before her appointment in 1998, Judge Morrow spent 24 years in private practice, handling a variety of civil trial and appellate litigation matters, mediating cases, and assisting clients with the arbitration process by filing motions to compel, vacate, and confirm. Throughout her career in practice and on the bench, she has been dedicated to finding creative ways to resolve disputes that often cannot be achieved through litigation.
Dedicated to helping ensure access to justice for all and to minimizing the impact of wealth disparities between parties, Judge Morrow most recently served as President and CEO of Public Counsel Law Center, a nonprofit, public interest law firm that serves low-income communities and individuals.
Judge Morrow’s commitment to the administration of justice and the legal community is evidenced by the various roles she played in the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the State Bar of California. She was the first woman president in the State Bar’s history and devoted much of her time on the State Bar Board of Governors and in the leadership of the County Bar to improving our court system and increasing access to justice. One of her many accomplishments was sponsorship of a successful ADR Pledge Campaign directed to lawyers, law firms, and businesses statewide. Judge Morrow also helped draft and lobby the original California court mediation statute and was one of the authors of a bench-bar guide on court-related ADR.
With ADR experience at every level of her professional career, Judge Morrow has been praised by bar associations, lawyers and clients for her class, fairness, intelligence, and integrity. One attorney commented: “Margaret is thoughtful, compassionate, extremely bright, and has dealt with lawsuits, disputes and controversies from many angles, including as a talented and successful big law partner and a highly regarded federal judge. She applies rare insight and problem-solving skills to all aspects of her work and will be outstanding in assisting parties in resolving their cases.”
Practice Areas
- Business Litigation
- Civil Appeals
- Civil Class Actions
- Contract/Commercial
- Consumer Class Actions
- Employment
- Insurance/Bad Faith
- Personal Injury
- Product Liability
- Professional Malpractice
- Securities Class Actions
- Trademarks/Copyrights/Patents
- Trade Secrets
Hobbies & Interests
Margaret actively volunteers in the community. In her free time, she enjoys watching sports, reading, and baking. She loves spending time with her dog and granddog and hopes to take up, after 20 plus years away, tennis and piano again soon!