A Criminal Justice Fellow at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Maggie Marshall is pictured with her fiancé Henry Majoros, and their dog Manny.
Photo courtesy of Maggie Marshall
Photo courtesy of Maggie Marshall
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Attorney Maggie Marshall may owe two elephants for her career in animal law.
After earning a B.A. in Screen Arts and Cultures, cum laude, from the University of Michigan, Marshall says a three-month wildlife videography internship in South Africa profoundly deepened her love for animals.
“Being so deeply immersed in the animals’ natural environment gave me a unique perspective on their behavior, relationships, and emotional depth — unlike anything I’d experienced before,” she says.
In a terrifying moment, when filming two bull elephants fighting, one of them charged Marshall and her mentor.
“He spotted us, locked eyes, and for a few intense moments, we were completely frozen. He mock charged several times, coming alarmingly close before eventually turning away. It was terrifying, but also strangely humbling,” she says. “In that moment, I felt both the raw power of wildlife and a profound sense of connection.
“That encounter reminded me that animals are not just subjects of fascination or study, but are sentient, intelligent beings with agency, and they deserve our respect and protection. That experience still shapes how I advocate for animals today.”
Launching a legal career
Marshall earned her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law, where she served as an Articles Editor for the International Law Review. In her 3L year, her note, “Ban the Can: A Call for the Return of the African Lion’s Voice,” was published in Volume 29 of MSU’s International Law Review. Her note examined the captive lion hunting industry—often referred to as “canned hunting”–-analyzed its legal and ethical implications; and explored international and domestic legal frameworks that could be leveraged to help end this exploitative practice.
Marshall, who worked part-time as a legal assistant at a criminal defense firm in Okemos during her second and third year of law school, was also heavily involved in MSU Law’s ALDF student chapter; and worked in the school’s Animal Welfare Clinic, where she enjoyed applying her studies to real-world issues.
“It gave me a deeper understanding of how the law can be used as a tool for meaningful change, and it solidified my commitment to using my legal career to advance animal protection,” she says.
Post-graduate career
After graduation, Marshall worked as an Assistant Prosecutor in Wexford County, handling the county’s animal-related cases, including companion animal cruelty, animal hoarding, and wildlife-related offenses referred by the Department of Natural Resources.
Following her time at the Prosecutor’s Office, she spent 18 months as Legal Advocacy Counsel at the international nonprofit Animal Equality, leading litigation and legislative efforts addressing the systemic maltreatment of animals in industrial agriculture. Her work included filing private complaints to urge courts to bring animal cruelty charges against individuals and corporations involved in abuse, as well as spearheading local legislative campaigns; these included an effort to ban the sale in Ann Arbor of foie gras—a luxury food product made through the inhumane force-feeding of ducks and geese.
“Although I transitioned out of my role before the campaign concluded, it was an incredible experience to help build local support and engage with city officials on an issue that reflects broader concerns about animal welfare,” she says. “I’m hopeful Ann Arbor will eventually join the growing number of localities that have taken a stand against the sale of foie gras. Campaigns like this are essential steps in challenging the normalization of animal cruelty and pushing for more compassionate food systems.
“My time at Animal Equality helped me grow tremendously, both as an attorney and as an advocate, and further reinforced my commitment to using the law as a powerful tool to protect farmed animals.”
ALDF role
Now a Criminal Justice Fellow for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Marshall assists in training and educating key stakeholders nationwide on animal cruelty cases, does extensive work with private complaint statutes, and has several cases in development.
“Being part of this innovative and justice-driven work at ALDF is both inspiring and deeply meaningful to me,” she says. “I love my job at ALDF and am lucky to work with some of the brightest and most compassionate people I’ve ever met.”
Recent work includes developing creative legal strategies to combat systemic cruelty in large-scale commercial operations, including industrial agriculture, puppy mills, and fur farms. A recently completed project, in collaboration with the group Animal Partisan, involved using a private complaint statute in Minnesota, where private citizens can file search warrant applications or criminal complaints directly with the court.
“Together, we filed an application for a search warrant alleging violations of Minnesota’s animal cruelty statute, which requires a ‘change of air’ for animals,” Marshall says.
“The case focused on a company that killed over 50,000 turkeys using ventilation shutdown plus, a deeply inhumane method of mass killing that involves sealing barns and pumping in heat until the animals die slow, painful deaths.”
Love of animals
Growing up in Elk Rapids in Northern Michigan, Marshall was always passionate not only about companion animals but also about wildlife.
“I remember watching painted turtles swimming through the canal near our home, seeing bald eagles fish over the lake, and spotting white-tailed deer darting through the nearby fields,” she says. “As I got older and learned more about the lives of farmed animals, I realized they, too, deserve the same empathy and protection we often reserve for wildlife and companion animals. These experiences, both early and ongoing, have fostered a lasting respect and advocacy for all animals.
“I’m passionate about protecting animals because they are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, forming emotional bonds, and experiencing joy and fear just like us. They deserve to live free from suffering, exploitation, and neglect. Too often, their inability to speak our language is used to justify ignoring their needs and rights. But silence is not the absence of voice. I believe we have a moral responsibility to speak up for them, to recognize their intrinsic value, and to ensure they are treated with compassion and respect.”
Marshall and her fiancé Henry Majoros make their home in Royal Oak, with her sweet little mutt Manny a mix of mountain cur, Labrador Retriever, and Siberian Husky adopted in her 3L year from the Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing.
Her leisure pursuits include reading, yoga, listening to true crime podcasts, travel, (favorite travel spots are South Africa, Iceland, and New Zealand) and hiking in Sleeping Bear Dunes, as well as in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and in the U.S. National Parks, with Zion National Park in Utah being her favorite.
A member of the State Bar of Michigan Animal Law Section, and of Attorney for Animals, the skills developed studying screen arts at U-M continue to aid in her advocacy.
“As a lawyer, it’s essential not just to understand the legal issues, but also to make them accessible and compelling,” she says. “My screen arts background helps me frame complex animal protection issues in a clear, emotionally resonant way, whether I’m writing legal arguments, preparing presentations, or contributing to public awareness campaigns.”
Legal News
Attorney Maggie Marshall may owe two elephants for her career in animal law.
After earning a B.A. in Screen Arts and Cultures, cum laude, from the University of Michigan, Marshall says a three-month wildlife videography internship in South Africa profoundly deepened her love for animals.
“Being so deeply immersed in the animals’ natural environment gave me a unique perspective on their behavior, relationships, and emotional depth — unlike anything I’d experienced before,” she says.
In a terrifying moment, when filming two bull elephants fighting, one of them charged Marshall and her mentor.
“He spotted us, locked eyes, and for a few intense moments, we were completely frozen. He mock charged several times, coming alarmingly close before eventually turning away. It was terrifying, but also strangely humbling,” she says. “In that moment, I felt both the raw power of wildlife and a profound sense of connection.
“That encounter reminded me that animals are not just subjects of fascination or study, but are sentient, intelligent beings with agency, and they deserve our respect and protection. That experience still shapes how I advocate for animals today.”
Launching a legal career
Marshall earned her J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law, where she served as an Articles Editor for the International Law Review. In her 3L year, her note, “Ban the Can: A Call for the Return of the African Lion’s Voice,” was published in Volume 29 of MSU’s International Law Review. Her note examined the captive lion hunting industry—often referred to as “canned hunting”–-analyzed its legal and ethical implications; and explored international and domestic legal frameworks that could be leveraged to help end this exploitative practice.
Marshall, who worked part-time as a legal assistant at a criminal defense firm in Okemos during her second and third year of law school, was also heavily involved in MSU Law’s ALDF student chapter; and worked in the school’s Animal Welfare Clinic, where she enjoyed applying her studies to real-world issues.
“It gave me a deeper understanding of how the law can be used as a tool for meaningful change, and it solidified my commitment to using my legal career to advance animal protection,” she says.
Post-graduate career
After graduation, Marshall worked as an Assistant Prosecutor in Wexford County, handling the county’s animal-related cases, including companion animal cruelty, animal hoarding, and wildlife-related offenses referred by the Department of Natural Resources.
Following her time at the Prosecutor’s Office, she spent 18 months as Legal Advocacy Counsel at the international nonprofit Animal Equality, leading litigation and legislative efforts addressing the systemic maltreatment of animals in industrial agriculture. Her work included filing private complaints to urge courts to bring animal cruelty charges against individuals and corporations involved in abuse, as well as spearheading local legislative campaigns; these included an effort to ban the sale in Ann Arbor of foie gras—a luxury food product made through the inhumane force-feeding of ducks and geese.
“Although I transitioned out of my role before the campaign concluded, it was an incredible experience to help build local support and engage with city officials on an issue that reflects broader concerns about animal welfare,” she says. “I’m hopeful Ann Arbor will eventually join the growing number of localities that have taken a stand against the sale of foie gras. Campaigns like this are essential steps in challenging the normalization of animal cruelty and pushing for more compassionate food systems.
“My time at Animal Equality helped me grow tremendously, both as an attorney and as an advocate, and further reinforced my commitment to using the law as a powerful tool to protect farmed animals.”
ALDF role
Now a Criminal Justice Fellow for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Marshall assists in training and educating key stakeholders nationwide on animal cruelty cases, does extensive work with private complaint statutes, and has several cases in development.
“Being part of this innovative and justice-driven work at ALDF is both inspiring and deeply meaningful to me,” she says. “I love my job at ALDF and am lucky to work with some of the brightest and most compassionate people I’ve ever met.”
Recent work includes developing creative legal strategies to combat systemic cruelty in large-scale commercial operations, including industrial agriculture, puppy mills, and fur farms. A recently completed project, in collaboration with the group Animal Partisan, involved using a private complaint statute in Minnesota, where private citizens can file search warrant applications or criminal complaints directly with the court.
“Together, we filed an application for a search warrant alleging violations of Minnesota’s animal cruelty statute, which requires a ‘change of air’ for animals,” Marshall says.
“The case focused on a company that killed over 50,000 turkeys using ventilation shutdown plus, a deeply inhumane method of mass killing that involves sealing barns and pumping in heat until the animals die slow, painful deaths.”
Love of animals
Growing up in Elk Rapids in Northern Michigan, Marshall was always passionate not only about companion animals but also about wildlife.
“I remember watching painted turtles swimming through the canal near our home, seeing bald eagles fish over the lake, and spotting white-tailed deer darting through the nearby fields,” she says. “As I got older and learned more about the lives of farmed animals, I realized they, too, deserve the same empathy and protection we often reserve for wildlife and companion animals. These experiences, both early and ongoing, have fostered a lasting respect and advocacy for all animals.
“I’m passionate about protecting animals because they are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, forming emotional bonds, and experiencing joy and fear just like us. They deserve to live free from suffering, exploitation, and neglect. Too often, their inability to speak our language is used to justify ignoring their needs and rights. But silence is not the absence of voice. I believe we have a moral responsibility to speak up for them, to recognize their intrinsic value, and to ensure they are treated with compassion and respect.”
Marshall and her fiancé Henry Majoros make their home in Royal Oak, with her sweet little mutt Manny a mix of mountain cur, Labrador Retriever, and Siberian Husky adopted in her 3L year from the Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing.
Her leisure pursuits include reading, yoga, listening to true crime podcasts, travel, (favorite travel spots are South Africa, Iceland, and New Zealand) and hiking in Sleeping Bear Dunes, as well as in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and in the U.S. National Parks, with Zion National Park in Utah being her favorite.
A member of the State Bar of Michigan Animal Law Section, and of Attorney for Animals, the skills developed studying screen arts at U-M continue to aid in her advocacy.
“As a lawyer, it’s essential not just to understand the legal issues, but also to make them accessible and compelling,” she says. “My screen arts background helps me frame complex animal protection issues in a clear, emotionally resonant way, whether I’m writing legal arguments, preparing presentations, or contributing to public awareness campaigns.”
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