Bio
Moira Duvernay serves as Deputy Director at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) and Executive Director of CGRS-California, the California-focused arm of CGRS, an independent non-profit organization closely affiliated with CGRS. Moira came to CGRS as an experienced litigator in the areas of international human rights, civil rights, and other public law matters. Previously with the Law Offices of Amitai Schwartz in Emeryville, Moira was named a “Rising Star” in California’s Super Lawyer magazine in 2013 and 2014 for her civil and criminal appellate work, including a death penalty appeal.
Moira has also worked as a staff attorney for the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability. She litigated high impact international human rights cases in federal courts on behalf of survivors of torture and other severe human rights abuses. Moira served as counsel in legal victories against death squad leaders and former military officers from around the world. In 2007, Moira was named an Attorney of the Year by California Lawyer for her role in the securing a $19 million judgment against a Haitian death squad leader who was living and working openly in New York. The lawsuit was the first against an individual responsible for systematic use of rape as a tool of repression in Haiti.
Moira speaks Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish. She has a J.D. from UC Law SF College of the Law and a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University.
Education
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Brown University
B.A. -
UC Law SF College of the Law
J.D.