Howard Moore, Jr. was born on February 28, 1932, in Atlanta, Georgia. As a young man, he was inspired to become a lawyer by A.T. Walden, the iconic “Dean of Black Lawyers,” who he encountered on his newspaper route on Auburn Avenue. After high school, he attended Morehouse College where he studied Political Science, under the esteemed scholar Dr. Robert Brisbane, and was awarded a B.A. degree in 1954. Following Morehouse, he obtained his LLB from Boston University School of Law in 1960. Thereafter, he distinguished himself as one of the first African-American law clerks in the federal judiciary, as a clerk for United States District Court Judge Charles E. Wyzenski of the District Court of Massachusetts.

Mr. Moore was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1961, but selflessly returned to Atlanta in 1962 to become one of only ten African-Americans practicing law in the State of Georgia at that time. He joined the legendary Civil Rights law firm of Hollowell and Ward, where he worked alongside Donald Hollowell, Horace Ward, and Vernon Jordan on numerous significant Civil Rights cases. He also partnered with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on the landmark Supreme Court victories of Georgia v. Peacock and Georgia v. Rachel. Additionally, he represented Kwame Ture (a/k/a Stokley Carmichael) and other members of SNCC who were charged with insurrection following the September 1966 Atlanta riot, which occurred following the police shooting of an unarmed Black man. Notably, he also successfully represented Julian Bond in his effort to be seated in the Georgia Legislature when that body sought to deny Bond the right to serve because of his opposition to the Vietnam War.

Mr. Moore relocated from Atlanta to Berkeley, California, where he gained international acclaim for his successful defense of Angela Davis from 1971-1977. He established the law firm of Moore and Moore in Oakland, California, and continued his remarkable career that for more than six decades has championed the rights of African-Americans and other oppressed people.

A graduate of Morehouse College, Moore studied Political Science under the guidance of renowned scholar Dr. Robert Brisbane, earning his B.A. in 1954. He continued his legal education at Boston University School of Law, receiving his LLB in 1960. His academic excellence led him to become one of the first African-American law clerks in the federal judiciary, working for Judge Charles E. Wyzanski, Jr. of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.

Moore was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1961 but soon returned to Georgia in 1962, where he became one of just ten African-American lawyers practicing in the entire state at that time. He joined the legendary civil rights law firm Hollowell and Ward, collaborating with legal luminaries like Donald Hollowell, Horace Ward, and Vernon Jordan on cases that shaped the civil rights era.

He notably partnered with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on two landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases: Georgia v. Peacock and Georgia v. Rachel, both of which advanced protections for civil rights activism.

Among his most renowned legal defenses was that of Stokely Carmichael and fellow SNCC members charged with insurrection, and his successful representation of Julian Bond, who was barred from the Georgia House of Representatives due to his opposition to the Vietnam War.

In 1971, Moore moved to Berkeley, California, and earned international acclaim for his lead defense of Angela Davis until 1977. He later founded the law firm Moore and Moore in Oakland, California, and has continued his lifelong commitment to legal excellence and social justice.