An experienced capital habeas litigator, Leslie brought her passion for public defense to the Indiana Federal Community Defender’s Office in 2020. In her role at the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs in Texas, Leslie represented clients sentenced to death exclusively in front of trial courts all over the state of Texas. Her practice was collaborative, working with attorneys, mitigation specialists, and investigators. She reviewed trial counsel’s file, drafted the legal claims, and represented clients during evidentiary hearings. Prior to her work at the Texas office, Leslie worked with the Midwest Innocence Project, where she investigated appellate claims of actual innocence.
Leslie has both a depth of knowledge and intense empathy for the struggles her clients at IFCD face. She has used that knowledge to guide her own creative and passionate litigation in federal criminal cases.
A transplant to Indianapolis, free time will find Leslie visiting Kansas City, Missouri and spending time with her family.