Mari Frank Interview Gloria Allred, Attorney and Author

Ms. Allred is an attorney and a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg. She has been practicing law for approximately 32 years. Her law firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, represents plaintiffs in cases involving employment discrimination, including sex, race, age, physical handicap, sexual orientation discrimination, Aids discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination. They are also well-known for their work on behalf of victims in civil rights, rape, child sexual abuse and murder cases. She has won countless honors for her pioneering legal work on behalf of women's rights and rights for minorities, including the President's Volunteer Action Award for Outstanding Volunteerism presented to her by President Ronald Reagan at the White House. An active feminist, Ms. Allred founded and is currently serving as President of the Women's Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund (WERLDEF). Allred was also a host on KABC TalkRadio for 14 years. She was selected by USA Today as one of the 25 most important radio talk show hosts in America. She was also nominated for an Emmy three times for her television commentaries on KABC-TV. Articles by or about Ms. Allred have appeared in publications such as Time Magazine, The New York Times, Ms. Magazine, The American Lawyer, The Daily News, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and The London Times. Most recently, Ms. Allred was named a 2007 Southern California "SuperLawyer" by Law and Media and Los Angeles Magazine. Time magazine called her "One of the nation's most effective advocates of family rights and feminist causes" and the National Law Journal selected her in 1998 as one of "The Most Influential Women Lawyers in America". Ms. Allred was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned her B.A. with honors in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her M.A. from New York University and her J.D. cum laude from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles. She was also awarded an Honorary J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. In addition to being an attorney, Ms. Allred holds California life credentials in secondary school education and supervision. She taught in public schools for six and one half years, and was also a lecturer at the University of Southern California for several years. Ms. Allred has two grandchildren, Sarah and Sam. Her daughter, Lisa Bloom, is an attorney who appears as an anchor on Court TV. Ms. Allred is the author of her book "Fight Back And Win - My Thirty-Year Fight Against Injustice And How You Can Win Your Own Battles".