Pro Bono: Dedra Marie Moore

Of Counsel
Brown & James
St. Louis

Dedra Moore brings a broad practice to her legal career, spanning insurance defense, criminal defense and juvenile law across both criminal and civil matters. A former administrative law judge with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she also serves on the Southern District of Illinois Criminal Justice Act Panel.

Moore’s commitment to access to justice shapes much of her work beyond the courtroom. She organizes private attorneys to participate in pro-bono expungements and sealing summits, and her pro bono service includes helping religious organizations with nonprofit compliance, reviewing legal documents and offering recommendations. She also represents individuals navigating divorces, expungements, seals and housing matters.

Her background has enabled her to build relationships with clients across nonprofit and for-profit sectors who rely on her legal analyses. Moore noted that networking and cultivating professional relationships are essential to expanding access to low-cost and pro-bono legal opportunities. She has embraced the advice that “anyone who has never lost a case has probably never tried a hard one.”