Marie Noel Appel

Biography Overview

Ms. Appel has dedicated her career to representing consumers primarily in class action cases involving claims under consumer protection laws and other statutory and common law claims. She earned a B.A. in French from San Francisco State University in 1992 and graduated from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1996.

For most of her career, Ms. Appel has been in private practice litigating class claims related to defective products, mortgage fraud/Truth in Lending violations, unfair business practices relating to manufactured home sales, interest overcharges by the United States on military veterans’ credit accounts, and statutory violations by the United States relating to offset of debts beyond the limitations period.

From 2012 to 2019, Ms. Appel left private practice to become the Supervising Attorney of the Consumer Project at the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco which provides free legal services to low-income persons facing consumer issues.
In April 2019, Ms. Appel returned to private practice as Counsel at Robins Kaplan, LLP, then joined Morgan & Morgan in August 2020 where she again focuses on class action litigation.

In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Appel is an Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco where she teaches legal research and writing, and from 2011 to 2018 supervised students at the Consumer Rights Clinic, in which students performed legal work at the Justice & Diversity Center’s Consumer Debt Defense and Education Clinics.

Ms. Appel has a long history of pro bono involvement and currently is a regular volunteer at the Community Legal Assistance Saturday Program, a monthly free legal clinic sponsored by the Alameda County Bar Association. Ms. Appel provides training to San Francisco Bay Area legal aid attorneys regarding collection defense and related matters, focusing recently on the defense of lawsuits against low-income individuals for unpaid back rent resulting during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, Ms. Appel has provided pro bono representation for numerous low-income consumers facing debt collection lawsuits, and volunteered regularly at free legal clinics through the Justice & Diversity Center in San Francisco which, on multiple years, designated her as one of the Outstanding Volunteers in Public Service.

In the community, Ms. Appel has been a longtime member of the Impala Racing Team, also serving as a Board Member for four years, and previously served as a board member of Beyond Hunger, Inc.

Speaking Engagements

“Successful Pro-Bono Based Projects to Assist Self-Represented Litigants,” Self-Represented Litigation Network Conference, San Francisco, California (February 23, 2018)
“Successful Pro Bono Based Projects to Assist Self-Represented Litigants: Partnering with Bar Associations, Small & Solo Practitioners, New Attorneys, Law Schools, and Courts,” Self- Represented Litigation Network Conference, San Francisco, California (February 24, 2017)
“Disaster-Related Consumer Issues Including Consumer Protection Laws and Debtors’ Rights and Responsibilities,” Providing Legal Assistance in Aftermath of Disaster, Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, California (September 24, 2015)