Allison Margolin is an American attorney and author of ''Jury Nullifications and Reasonable Doubt'' and ''Just Dope: A Leading Attorney's Personal Journey Inside the War on Drugs''. Margolin is based in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, but practices law throughout California. Margolin handles matters in all counties including Siskiyou County and

Stanislaus County , image_skyline = , image_caption = Images, from top down, left to right: Modesto Arch, Knights Ferry's General Store, a view of the Tuolumne River from Waterford , image_flag = , i ...

where she currently practices criminal defense, code enforcement defense, and water law. Margolin has been hired in other states including Utah, Nevada, and Oklahoma, and has currently been profiled for her work in the Asian American discrimination case, ''Lo et al v. County of Siskiyou et al''. Margolin is known for her work as a criminal defense attorney, and early on became known for her advocacy for drug legalization and criminal justice reform. She is the daughter of

Bruce Margolin Bruce Margolin (born September 11, 1941) is an American criminal defense attorney who specializes in marijuana and drug laws. Since 1973, he has served as the executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML (National Organization for th ...

, one of the first lawyers to champion efforts to decriminalize marijuana in the 1970s. In 1999 Margolin completed her undergraduate at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

where she graduated magna cum laude in Political Science and obtained a certificate in Creative Writing, and taught a section of Judicial Politics, in connection with receiving the Arthur Rose Teaching Assistant-ship. She then entered

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. Her Harvard application essay argued that all drugs should be legalized. Margolin graduated from Harvard with a J.D. in 2002. Margolin began her legal career representing people with terminal diseases who were facing criminal charges for marijuana activity. By 2008, she had a reputation for getting cases dismissed, and for recovering marijuana plants that had been seized by police. She has represented growers and distributors in marijuana cases in both state and federal court, including the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

and the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

. She initially gained notoriety for "unorthodox ads" that proclaimed her "L.A.'s dopest attorney". Margolin was one of the first attorneys to advertise her law practice on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. She is a founding partner of Allison Margolin PLC and the law firm Margolin & Lawrence, where she practiced regulatory and business law, as well as federal and state criminal defense. Margolin is also the author of ''Jury Nullifications and Reasonable Doubt'', published by Phoenix Books in January 2008. As a cannabis lawyer, she is an advocate for regulations that remedy the effects of the drug war and promote social equity. From 2018 to 2023 she was named a SuperLawyer by Thomson Reuters and was selected to Rising Stars from 2010 to 2012 and 2015 to 2017.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Margolin, Allison Living people American cannabis activists American women lawyers Columbia College (New York) alumni Harvard Law School alumni Lawyers from Los Angeles Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women