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 the 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.”
Below is a sampling of the various matters Hon. Margaret M. Morrow, Ret. presided over on the bench, tried as an attorney, or handled as a neutral.
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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!
"I have not encountered a smarter or more prepared lawyer or judge in my 41-year career. There certainly won’t be a case that is too complicated for Judge Morrow to unravel and resolve. She instantly steps into the elite tier of top Southern California mediators and arbitrators."
- Partner and Deputy General Counsel of a National Law Firm
"Our mediator, Judge Margaret Morrow, was outstanding. She went above and beyond to resolve a complex coverage issue in addition to the underlying matter for which she was retained. We couldn't be happier with her work or the result."
- Attorney on an IP/Trademark Case
"Judge Morrow is one of the very best mediators I have had the pleasure of working with. She handled this very challenging and peculiar mediation tremendously and I sincerely thank her for her valued assistance. "
- Attorney on a Business Contractual Case
"Judge Morrow took far more time in preparing for the mediation than most others. Really cared. Really wanted to figure out a very complicated case. And she settled it at the right amount, with a very clear amount of personal effort. She was great. Would definitely use her services again. "
- Attorney on a Banking Finance Issues Case
"Margaret is a top-notch judge. She is thoughtful, careful, prepared, and never biased or shows any favoritism. Her decisions are based on law, facts, and issues. She truly has the capacity and intelligence to handle any type of matter. "
- National Trial Chair of a National Law Firm
"My client and I very much appreciated the work the mediator did between our two "formal" mediation sessions to learn more about the factual bases for the parties' claims and facilitate information exchanges between the parties, which ultimately helped lead to a resolution. Much of the work was done outside the typical "everyone in a room" mediation setting, and I don't think every mediator would have undertaken that kind of an effort to push the parties forward. "
- Attorney on a Business/Contractual Case
601 S. Figueroa
Ste 3400
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: 213.223.1113
Fax : 213.223.1114
980 9th Street
Suite 2200
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916.394.8490
Fax : 916.394.8495
402 W. Broadway
Ste 2400
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619.814.1966
Fax : 619.814.1967
1851 East First Street
Ste 1600
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714.834.1340
Fax : 714.834.1344
1925 Century Park East
Suite 1700
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: 800.488.8805
Fax :
2023.6.1.2rt