Alan Morrison (lawyer)

Alan Morrison is a former Supreme Court attorney and the co-founder of the consumer advocacy group, Public Citizen.

Career

Morrison graduated from Princeton University in 1959. He then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1966.cite web |url= http://www.law.stanford.edu/publications/stanford_lawyer/issues/70/sl70-morrison.pdf |title= Veteran Supreme Court Litigator Brings His Expertise to Stanford |accessdate=2008-09-11 |last= Nowak | first= Nina |coauthors= |date= Fall 2004 |work= |publisher= "Stanford Lawyer"] He also worked as the assistant U.S. attorney in the [Southern District of New York.

In 1971, he met Ralph Nader and the two men founded Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group. Morrison served as the director of the Public Citizen Litigation Group, the litigating arm of Public Citizen. Over the span of his 32 year career, Morrison argued 16 cases before the Supreme Court, most notably INS vs. Chadha. He also founded the Supreme Court Assistance Project (SCAP), which assists small-firm lawyers in arguing cases before the Supreme Court.cite web |url= http://www.citizen.org/documents/MorrisonInLegalTimes.pdf |title= Moving On: A Nader Protégé With Friends in High Places |accessdate=2008-09-11 |last= Mauro |first= Tony |coauthors= |date= 2004-05-24 |work= |publisher= "Legal Times"] Morrison retired from Public Citizen in 2004 to work at Stanford University as a senior lecturer on administrative and public interest law. He has taught at various other laws schools, including Harvard.

He served as the president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers from 1999-2000. [cite web |url= http://www.appellateacademy.org/about/history.cfm |title= History of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers |accessdate=2008-09-11 |last= |first= |coauthors= |date=|work= |publisher= American Academy of Appellate Lawyers]

Morrison is also the co-author of the 1995 book "Representing Yourself : What You Can Do Without a Lawyer".

He presently teaches at American University Washington College of Law.

Personal life

Morrison has a wife, Anne, and two daughters, Becky and Nina. Nina is currently working as an attorney for the non-profit organization, The Innocence Project.

References