Danielle Moore is an Assistant Public Defender with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD) for Montgomery County, Maryland. As an Assistant Public Defender, Danielle represents individuals charged with criminal misdemeanors, felonies, and jailable traffic offenses. Prior to joining OPD, Danielle was in private practice. Her resume boasts of her broad experience in civil and criminal law where she has assisted homeowners facing foreclosure needing debt elimination, aided low-income seniors with estate planning, guided clients through the difficult process of divorce, and defended the marginalized in criminal matters. Danielle recently received a great distinction from OPD this Summer when she was presented with the Shantel Collins Award. This award is given to an OPD employee who exemplifies the mission and core values of the Agency. This person also consistently strives to create a positive workplace environment, and is involved in activities that meaningfully impact the lives of OPD clients and the broader community.
Danielle has been described by her peers as a leader in the community with a heart for service and thirst for justice. She has developed numerous programs and projects catering to mentorship to youth and law school students and community service, including an annual Mentoring Sip & Chat for women of color law students to meet and network with women of color attorneys and judges. Her community service projects have spanned across several counties in the State of Maryland and have been described as heartfelt. They have focused on assisting and bringing awareness to the homeless population, chronic diseases affecting women and the African American community such as breast cancer and lupus, adopting domestic violence survivors and their children during the holidays, and social justice issues. She has also organized several expungement clinics, prison ministry events, Ask-A-Lawyer informational sessions, and Know Your Rights community panels in Montgomery County, where she resides.
Danielle is a member of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, where she served as Community Service Chair of the bar association and Chair of the Book Scholarship Committee for the Women’s Committee for ten years. She was recently sworn in as the association’s Vice-President for the 2026-2027 bar year. Danielle is a member of a number of professional organizations, including the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA), the Bar Association of Montgomery County, Maryland Criminal Defense Attorney Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland where she serves as a dedicated mentor to high school girls each year. Danielle is ministry leader of the Legal Ministry at Clifton Park Baptist Church and a board member for Clifton Park Academy where she has previously served in the capacity of mentor, debate coach, and oratorical contest chair. Danielle has served as a mock trial coach for American University’s School of Law mock trial team. She has also volunteered as a mock trial competition judge for both American University School of Law and Stevenson University during their respective annual mock trial competitions.
Her dedication to public service, the community, and legal profession, has earned Danielle several awards and acknowledgments. In past years, she has received awards and certificates from Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service and the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland’s Foreclosure Prevention Pro Bono Project for her volunteer work and commitment to Maryland residents through their pro bono programs. For her dutiful commitment to uplifting the community, the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association awarded her with their annual Community Service Award in 2020 and the Member of the Year Award in 2023. Additionally, in 2023 the Maryland Daily Record recognized her with their “Leading Women 40 Under 40” award for the accomplishments in her professional career, community involvement and her commitment to inspiring change. June 2026, Danielle was inducted as a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation, a recognition reserved for those who in their professional, professional, public, and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities, the administration of justice, and the traditions of the objectives of the Bar of Maryland. Additionally, she also received the Edward J. Gilliss Community Service Award from the MSBA. This annual award celebrates attorneys who understand that the privilege of practicing law carries with it a responsibility to serve and strengthen our communities.
Danielle received her undergraduate degree from Rowan University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law & Justice and a concentration in African American Studies. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of the District of Columbia – David A. Clarke School of Law.
Danielle is committed to inspiring change in the community by being a legal advocate and resource, a mentor to those coming behind her, and a self-care advocate. When she is not defending clients or organizing a community service event, it is not uncommon to find her hiking, kayaking, or leading a self-care workshop.
