Margo Ross Pillischer

The day I arrived in New Orleans for my freshman year of college, I had to evacuate because of Hurricane Katrina. I had carefully planned and prepared and worked hard to get there, and as a very young adult, at the time it felt like the worst thing that could ever happen. Now I appreciate that it was a valuable life lesson, one that has given me an understanding and empathy as a lawyer that I may not have otherwise gained.

None of the people whose cases I helped investigate as a student attorney for The Innocence Project while I was in law school planned to be imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. None of the people I defended as a Public Defender in my first job as an attorney had a goal of being prosecuted in the criminal justice system. No one I have represented as a trial lawyer in personal injury cases planned to be injured in car wrecks or other accidents. People who go to work to do a good job and shape a career don’t plan to be harassed or discriminated against and then fired for reporting it. These are the people I work to help.

I went back to New Orleans to finish college, and during my undergrad years I also served as a White House Intern and studied abroad in Madrid, Spain. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Tulane and then moved back to Madrid where I worked as a teacher. After that, I went to New York City to attend law school, where I met my husband.

In 2020, we decided to relocate to Austin to raise our family. In another twist of fate, the COVID-19 pandemic struck New York just weeks ahead of our planned move date, and we had to make a sudden move to avoid potential disaster. We’re here now, healthy and happy, and it’s great to be back in Austin where I grew up.

The bottom line is, I’ve learned that life is uncertain and even though I am a planner by nature, I have learned to roll with the punches. I think it makes me a better lawyer and advocate for my clients.

Education:

• Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY, Doctor of Jurisprudence, 2014
  Activities and Honors
  • Unemployment Action Center Student Advocate
  • The Innocence Project Student Attorney
  • Criminal Law Society Board Member
• Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, B.A. Spanish and Political Science, 2009
  Activities and Honors
  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude
  • Top Graduate, Honors Program, Department of Spanish 2009

Bar Admissions:

• State Bar of Texas, 2020
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
• State Bar of New York, 2015
• State Bar of New Jersey, 2014

Organizations, Honors and Public Service:

• Austin Bar Association
• Austin Young Lawyers Association
• New York State Trial Lawyers Association
• Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association

Languages:

• English and Spanish