Alexis Morgan Gardner, Esq., serves as an Assistant Federal Public Defender with the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia, representing and advocating for the marginalized.  Before joining the District of Columbia office, she served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Ms. Gardner began her legal career by joining the Bronx Defenders and moved with them to Tulsa, Oklahoma, starting the first-ever public defender’s office dedicated solely to representing women. The Bronx Defenders opened the sister firm Still She Rises to combat Oklahoma’s increasing incarceration rate for women, the highest in the nation at that time. After getting Still She Rises off the ground, Ms. Gardner launched her private practice, where she maintained a 100% jury trial success rate while still dedicating substantial efforts to indigent defense by accepting conflict appointments in both federal and state court.

Ms. Gardner teaches aspiring lawyers at various universities. She also serves in the community as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Children of DC and a mentor with Spark the Journey.

Ms. Gardner received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from California State University. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law. Ms. Gardner also holds dual master’s degrees in Interpersonal Communication and Africana Studies.