Erin Morgan

Erin Morgan is honored to serve as a Board Member for the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center.  Like many of her family members, Ms. Morgan has dedicated her career to social justice. Presently, Ms. Morgan advocates for juveniles as a deputy public defender in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. In her free time, she mentors youth in the Brown Girl Surf program.

Before coming to California, Ms. Morgan was raised in the NYC/NJ Metropolitan Area.  Her interest in advocacy began in high school after she joined the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Action Committee, and the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law.  Ms. Morgan’s curiosity blossomed as she studied psychology, ethics, and Spanish language at Carnegie Mellon University.  Influential Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal decisions inspired her journey to the University of San Francisco School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate degree and concentrated in Public Interest Law.  Upon graduation, Ms. Morgan received the Pro Bono Publico Award.

Ms. Morgan prepared for her legal career with opportunities in the New Jersey Judiciary, USF Criminal Law Clinic, Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender, and San Francisco Office of the Public Defender.  Meanwhile, cross-cultural travels led her to the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Spain.  After law school, Ms. Morgan represented “lifers” before the Board of Parole Hearings.

She joined the Charles Houston Bar Association, and Minority Bar Coalition.  Her position as Mentorship Chairperson for the Black Women Lawyers Association of Northern California led her to become the Chairperson for the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Commission.  Now, Ms. Morgan wants to empower fellow defenders with training and improve outcomes for youth of color.  In fact, the National Juvenile Defender Center selected Ms. Morgan to be a member of the Inaugural class of the Ambassadors for Racial Justice Program.