"L.A.'s Dopest Attorney" Has Harvard Pedigree

Deep in the New Yorker's exploration of the "gray-area" economy of California's marijuana growers and dispensers, a Harvard tidbit...

Deep in the New Yorker's exploration of the "gray-area" economy of California's marijuana growers and dispensers, a Harvard tidbit...

Deep in the New Yorker's extended exploration of the "gray-area" economy of California's marijuana growers and dispensers—the article, wrapped around cartoons and poetry, spans 13 pages—is a Harvard tidbit. Allison Margolin, J.D. ’02, the article notes, "has a reputation for getting cases dismissed," and even for getting pot plants out of police custody and back to the growers from whom they were seized.

Margolin's office is apparently in a building owned by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt. The Harvard-trained lawyer, a graduate of Beverly Hills High School and Columbia University, has something in common with clients: she holds a doctor's letter permitting her to possess marijuana legally for medical use (to treat an anxiety disorder, she told author David Samuels).

Margolin's personal website, where she bills herself as "L.A.'s dopest attorney," contains more information, links to previous media coverage, and a YouTube video showing her with a client.

Related topics

You might also like

How CNN’s Abby Phillip Referees Political Debates

The Harvard graduate’s roundtable talk show touches on hot button issues from religion to sex. 

Why Men Have Worn the Same Black Suits for 200 Years

Chloe Chapin trains her Broadway costume designer’s eye on the history of men’s fashion.

Meet the Harvard Alumni Association’s New President

David Battat promotes alumni engagement.

Most popular

Crimson Football: Harvard 14, Brown 10

Xaden Benson’s “helmet trick” was the decisive factor in the Ivy opener.

Mindfulness—the unconventional research of psychologist Ellen Langer

Psychologist Ellen Langer's unconventional research. Plus, read about applying mindfulness techniques to eating.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Explore More From Current Issue

Caricature of a young man in front of red doors, wearing a green striped sweater.

In 1954, Gregory Corso moved into Eliot House. How he stayed there is a literary legend.

Smiling woman stands beside a large skull in a display cabinet.

From competing in youth gymnastics to studying tetrapods, the Harvard curator has always chased her curiosity.

Portrait of a man in a denim shirt beside a blue book cover for "Gretal and the Great War" featuring an illustration of a leg holding an army helmet..

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.